Though many minute details remained eerily the same, most worlds had a difference in quality when it came to cultivation. This was something that the cultivation idiot had learned early. Han De was aware of it from not only those memories, but from various Xianxia novels as well.
But. Once again, Han De realized, seeing was believing.
‘Even if I account for the overwhelming superiority of the “Very Weak” power level, these people are weak! Definitely two to three minor realms weaker than an average Starfall Mountain disciple, if not more. I bet the cultivation idiot in the Core Formation realm could handily beat a Nascent Soul realm of this world.’
Everything, was exactly as his lackeys reported. It was quite fortunate that Han De didn’t have to switch to a backup plan. He gave internal thumbs-up to the scout involved.
Failure wasn’t the end of the world, but an inconvenience in this case. Xin Meili, his only Transcendent Master lackey, could have easily made some “invisible” adjustments in the worst-case scenario. Han De would’ve never attempted such a stunt if it wasn’t for the overwhelming power difference in the first place!
Still, when it came to MCs, nothing would remain hidden forever!
Han De calmed himself down and referred to his flow chart once more. Which pointed him to do an on-the-spot evaluation, to be followed by four others in one-month intervals!
‘If I were to ignore the fact that this was a personal intervention… I’d have to rank it a solid B overall. Otherwise it’s a D- at best.’ Depending on dumb luck wasn’t his style, and his success this time had probably used a few decades' worths of luck. D- was the appropriate rating according to his evaluation charts.
Han De took in a breath of fresh air. At least, as fresh as it could be under the circumstances. The air quality took a huge hit ever since disembarking the celestial ship, that much was obvious to his nose. Now though, the situation had deteriorated to the point that his nose couldn’t pick up anything but a faint flowery scent. The result of the demonic sect leader's last-ditch effort, no doubt.
Thanks to melding both mind and physical illusions, and Han De’s panic-fueled hyper-awareness, the seduction attempts of the sect leader was useless. In fact, Han De was surprised she even tried in the middle of the battle! He made a special note of this development; such things seemed quite dangerous.
‘Thank god the seductress on Yu Xian’s planet wasn’t so aggressive. If I met this sect leader back then, I wouldn’t have lasted more than a minute.
'… I wonder why she looked at Yu Xian though…’
His disciples had front-row seats so to speak, but they were still a safe distance away. Safe enough that it was impossible for Han De to communicate with them without relying on his spiritual sense. And since he was so focused on what he was doing, he didn’t pay any attention to them other than checking for possible sneak attacks.
But because he was so focused on what he was doing, it was impossible to miss how the sect leader’s eyes had snapped to Yu Xian. Han De’s cultivator eyes could easily discern the angle of her focus, and calculate her line of sight!
If Han De had to be technically pedantic, he would have to file this under “getting c#$kblocked by a harem protagonist.” The sect leader tried to seduce her attacker, but her attention suddenly shifted to an unrelated disciple; that was c#$kblock 101, no matter how he looked at it.
How it happened, Han De realized he didn’t care. It could be something that Yu Xian said, or even a random look of disdain that caught her attention. The senses of a Unity Realm expert could not be underestimated! What was important was that it did happen.
‘First time it was the waitress, second it was that seductress. He also caught the attention of Li fami-’ Han De desperately ignored the sudden appearance of a black flower stem. ‘-but that was for just a moment. This was the official third. Once an accident, twice a coincidence, and the third time’s a pattern.’
Normally, the existence of a Walking Talking C#$kblock Machine would’ve annoyed Han De to no end. But perhaps due to the pressure from certain ominous flowers, he stumbled on a sudden burst of insight.
Didn’t he have a violent and unstable fiancée? Didn’t his great-grandmother throw out a random “few thousand years” evaluation time before canceling the engagement?
With Han De’s status, there were bound to be some mishaps until the Wen Jiayi issue was solved. A scandal didn’t even need Han De’s presence, after all. Nor did it require any semblance of truth.
But now that he had something to tank the incoming threats…
Han De turned back and looked at his disciples.
Could it be that the eyesore named Yu Xian, was actually a gift from the heavens?!
‘… Don’t tell me my great-great-grandmother knew about this.’
Long Ai was an old monster, and possessed uncanny insight on top of that. It wouldn’t be strange that she assigned a task to Yu Xian that no one else, not even the Harem MC knew about. She was eccentric enough to do that.
‘Well, whatever. This isn’t disadvantageous anyway… Hmm… Actually, this is pretty great now that I think about it. Wait, I shouldn’t be hasty. Yeah, a 4th time, I should look for a 4th time to confirm. Three times isn’t enough.’
The possibility of getting some use out of the Harem MC was such a monumental discovery that Han De had no choice but to extend his confirmation period. The risk Yu Xian posed to his other disciples hadn’t disappeared at all. Ignoring that, and misunderstanding the ex-god-king’s existence due to undeserved enthusiasm on his part, would be a catastrophic mistake!
Han De used only one step to cross the distance between his disciples and he saw most of them looked worn out. Still, the red glow in Ning Bi’s eyes wasn’t so easy to extinguish, it seemed. And neither did the strange twinkle in Jin Shu’s. Only Yao Qing looked completely unfazed, but that didn’t surprise Han De; she had maximum “Will,” and probably could fake anything at this point.
The second batch of disciples though, were understandably worse for the wear. Han De was already expecting this, and had woven a thicker shielding for the three in question. Even then, the degree of leakage from the basic shielding spell was well within Han De’s expectations.
‘… It’s disappointing that I’ve missed this Xianxia staple though... To get worn out from merely watching profound attacks...’ Thought Han De in regret, as he nodded at each disciple with a serious gaze. ‘Well, next time I can watch all I want, I suppose. Alright, let’s concentrate. It’s not over yet!’
After looking at the horizon for a moment, Han De lightly sighed. “Do any of you think what I did was excessive?” He asked with a flat voice.
Ning Bi immediately shook her head. Enthusiastically. She enthusiastically shook her head, with full force. To the point that Han De momentarily froze! He made an extra special mental note to instill vast amounts of empathy in Ning Bi. ASAP. However possible.
This wasn’t even her fault, since he was the one that obliterated a sect out of nowhere!
Yao Qing also shook her head, though elegantly. Jin Shu only slightly smiled, Treebeard fell into deep thought. Liang Cuifen seemed unsure. But Yu Xian? Though he remained silent, his eyes were saying yes.
‘I wonder if it is because he’s in a teenage body, or because he’s just an MC. A god-king shouldn’t even care if a planet is destroyed, let alone a sect. I should keep track of his behavior. Hmm. At least he isn’t murmuring by himself. Maybe making him a shield out of him could work after all.’
Han De removed all of his personas, and spoke with his regular voice, with no embellishments, and no dramatization. “To believe in an ideal is to be willing to betray it. It is something most cultivators never truly learn."
Upon detecting absolutely zero flinching from Liang Cuifen, Han De let loose the inner, Grandmaster Healer within him. If he dwelled on the video game quote, the effectiveness of the words would diminish, if not disappear completely!
Thankfully, Han De the Grandmaster Healer didn’t turn out to be a reserved fellow. Han De’s Primordial Light Qi condensed at a rapid pace, drowning everything with pure white light. If he hadn’t controlled the Qi waves properly, all of his disciples would’ve gone blind by now.
Well, considering they were MCs, this wouldn’t be a bad thing for them, since such a development could only be a precursor to a power-up. But obviously, Han De would never do such a thing; it was simply too far down the line of his flow charts.
After about one short breath of time, Han De encapsulated the healing energies of the Nine Void Illuminating Star Scripture scripture into ninety small balls, then used his Wandering Mirage scripture to give physical form to them as six sets of prayer beads. Both illusionist and healer grandmasters within him felt content with their work, even if it was hasty.
“Take these.” Prayer beads landed upon each disciple’s hands. “And go to the catacombs beneath this sect. I want each of you to free at least ten captives by your own hands, so that you can witness the truth of the demonic path.” Han De turned back and slowly operated his Through the Starlight scripture. “You need not force yourselves to take care of everyone. But you need to truly see, at least once.”
“Yes, Master.” Ning Bi was the first to acknowledge. It also seemed that she understood Han De’s intent in an instant, and took a step forward. Wrapped with energies that she could barely sense, let alone understand, her single step crossed half the distance! Behind, her fellow disciples were the size of ants!
Ning Bi smiled. The sensation was quite unique, and completely different than what she experienced when they walked behind their master. She slowly moved her foot forward -only slightly- and the entire world somehow felt different. It was as if everything felt frozen, yet not at the same time. Her smile grew wider, and she closed her eyes before pressing forward.
[Breach (Mortal)]
[Progress: (+1) 41%]
Han De ignored the MC shenanigans, and concentrated on his lackeys. There was work to be done!
Meanwhile, the remaining disciples started taking steps forward. Last one being Treebeard, who waited for Liang Cuifen to gather her courage. Everything was happening so rapidly, rather than being constantly surprised, the shock had dulled her senses. Perhaps she would also be able to do these things one day, she thought. Her eyes landed on Treebeard as she looked around.
“Master’s talent cannot be comprehended so easily,” Treebeard said with a smile. As the young master of the Han and Long families, Han De hid his capabilities, even from higher beings. But of course, Treebeard would not speak of such speculations, as it was the private matter of his master.
Liang Cuifen vacantly nodded.
All six of them, regardless of where they walked, seemed to have arrived at the threshold of the sect. Or rather, what remained of it.
“Do not look too deeply into the mist.” Yao Qing’s voice echoed. “Your head will spin, and you may feel nauseous if you do.” She gave a side glance at Liang Cuifen and Yu Xian. “Normally, profound techniques of the higher realms can harm your cultivation, even from a simple glance.”
With Ning Bi at the front, the disciples’ feet finally landed on solid ground, and they entered the sect.
Silence. Utter silence greeted them. The river they saw from above was nowhere to be heard. Air was completely still with not even the slightest sign of a breeze. What little remained of patches of grass and some trees, seemingly couldn’t dare to move. As their senses adjusted to the absence, Yu Xian felt a bizarre sensation of dissonance. He felt he could almost hear something. Almost. His mind somehow recalled the desperate screams of the uncouth woman. Almost as if he was imagining it.
Though he couldn’t directly look into the battle due to his low cultivation base, he could tell that the uncouth woman was at least at the Unity Realm. It wasn’t surprising for someone with a domain to leave permanent marks in the world during their final struggle for survival.
Han De killing an expert of that caliber, without moving a muscle… Yu Xian found it hard to believe. But then again, Han De was from a higher family of a higher realm, and therefore his strength should be of a different caliber. It was against everything Yu Xian knew, but this too, should be normal, he convinced himself.
The cobblestone path seemed to meander and split without end, yet Ning Bi didn’t hesitate. Though young, the girl seemed inexplicably dependable to Liang Cuifen. They only stopped once the mist finally opened up.
“… The eye of the storm.” Jin Shu muttered.
Others were staring at the scene, but it was the smell that made the first impact on Liang Cuifen, who was mostly looking at the ground to keep her head from spinning. A metallic stench, mixed with dust, and countless unknowable foul odors, almost made her dry heave on the spot. She persevered, and her eyes instinctively sought other disciples to try to draw some strength from their presence. Then, she saw.
Yu Xian’s sigh filled the void and gently echoed. The sight of war was all too familiar to him, as he had spent more than a month dying over and over again. The stench of blood that he could taste and swallow, the indifferently spattered piles of flesh that were so ubiquitous that they almost looked natural. And dust, ever-present. It was the same. No wonder the Han De could create such an accurate illusion.
He silently wondered what kind of heaven-defying treasure Han De had used to create this level of devastation.
Liang Cuifen lowered her head once she comprehended what she was seeing. Her master’s question echoed in her mind. Was what he did excessive? A sinking feeling asked that question over and over again as she followed Ning Bi like others. Eventually, her eyes started to wander; perhaps they had their own morbid curiosity to satisfy. Among the red soil, mangled limbs, and charred rocks, a pair of blue eyes was what took Liang Cuifen’s breath away. Those eyes, though vacant, seemed to be staring at her soul.
“Their flame of life is dim, but preserved.” Jin Shu’s voice came from behind. She touched Liang Cuifen’s shoulders. “They are alive, but their path is severed. They have no cultivation base, nor any hope of gaining one in the future.”
“They are cripples?” Muttered Yu Xian with a frown. His question was rhetorical, nothing more than an idle thought, uttered loudly only because of a bad habit.
“The dust is from Core Formation experts, lumps of blackened rocks are most likely Nascent Soul. And body parts are the remains of the higher realms.” Treebeard explained. “Only Qi Condensation disciples could receive master’s mercy.” He concluded while gazing at the vacant bodies.
Life without cultivation wasn’t mercy at all, Yu Xian knew. But Treebeard’s voice cut through his thoughts. “At least their souls are intact.”
Yu Xian stood still, dazed. His mind instinctively classified the very thought as ridiculous. But the rational side of his brain knew what would happen to the body if the soul was burned away. Vaguely humanoid-shaped scorch marks, dark fine powder coating everything, and countless black lumps. They were the natural result.
If this wasn’t excessive, then what was? Yu Xian’s idea of Han De began to change.
“W-What about Foundation Establishment?” Liang Cuifen asked, looking at Treebeard, mostly to take her mind off of those eyes around them.
Treebeard though, only vaguely smiled in response.
‘We are breathing them.’ Yu Xian thought, successfully preventing himself from muttering this time.
* * *
In the meantime, Han De received the first detailed report about the surroundings and re-reviewed his rough plan in his mind.
‘Sects A through F, all have Unity Realm leaders. A bit uncomfortable, but that’s fine. An MC’s sect has to be an underdog around their area after all. Why even try otherwise?’ Han De resisted the urge to click his tongue.
‘I could easily send Immortal Realm experts disguised as Core Formation realm disciples, that should be fine for announcing the sect’s existence. Then… I can relax until I find some random tournament or something.’
Relaxing was crucial, but it depended on whether the System would acknowledge the sect. Despite the fear of planting a flag, Han De held tremendous anxiety over this matter, and had prepared himself for the long haul.
A voice transmission came from Xin Meili this time.
Han De’s mind first came to a complete halt, then evaluated dozens of scenarios on the spot. He asked.
‘… So the three Ancient Realm experts not only use this technique, but they either taught, or gave some benefits to those under them?’
Han De could ask Xin Meili, or maybe a Divinity Formation expert to investigate and get the definitive answer. Why were they doing it, how were they doing it, he could obtain all of the background information, with but a snap of his fingers. But to him, it did not matter.
Three Ancient Realm experts ruled the demonic, the righteous, and the neutral factions. If all three had the same demonic “taint” as Xin Meili called it, the reason could only be one thing. Cultivation.
‘… Multiple end bosses?’ Han De mulled over the idea. The demonic expert was already an end boss, but one or three wouldn’t matter for a group of MCs. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder. ‘Should I eliminate the other two, just to be safe?’
He fell into deep thought.
Xin Meili had an inkling that the lives of these rulers were hanging by a thread. Though, at this point, she dared not to make any predictions. The mind of the young master seemed to work in mysterious ways! The fact that he, a Nascent Soul disciple, personally and thoroughly slaughtered an entire sect ruled by a Unity Realm cultivator, was the proof.
Around Xin Meili, were more than a thousand of young master Han De’s servants, watching from far above. They too, were reevaluating their own preconceptions, just like she did before. Every high cultivation expert was a genius in the past, without exception. Therefore, it was hard to come to terms with the fact that a person barely a few decades old, could surpass their own cultivation within a century at best.
One of the two Divinity Formation experts asked. The other one responded.
Both of them being from the Long family, they had some understanding of young master Long De’s abilities. But everything they saw was beyond their expectations. The two sneaked a glance at the only Transcendent Realm servant, the fiery woman known as Xin Meili. Could she know the reason, they wondered. Unlike them, and the guards that came from the Han family, the Xin family themselves reported directly to young master Long De. And only to young master Long De.
Curiosity was natural, as it was glaringly apparent that they were going to watch this young master Long De soar through the heavens, with the help of legacies from the Long and Han families. But of course, patience also came with that realization.
In the minds of high cultivation experts, all that was left for them to do, was to follow every word of their young master.
To the letter.
The last part was important, as every single one of them was warned by none other than Long Ruolan. Personally.
The depths of suffering that awaited them should they fail, all of them already had a small taste. They broke, just from the taste, and got put together again. That wasn’t an experience that they would forget, not in this or the next hundred lifetimes.
To. The. Letter. No matter the cost. That became their silent motto.
Down at the planet’s surface, Han De had finally reached a conclusion. That he was going to let his disciples handle the bosses. Barring various (meticulously enumerated and soon-to-be expanded) exceptions, this was the best decision all around, for all parties involved.
The bosses in question would get to live longer, and weave a more intricate web of events. His disciples would be able to collect triple XP for a while, and get triple loot during the final raid. And finally, their deaths would be the natural result of normal, everyday MC interactions, with absolutely no direct involvement from Han De at all.
‘Alright…’ Han De nodded to himself. ‘Everything’s going… pretty alright so far.’
Once his disciples were done with healing the captives, the real clean-up would be handled by his lackeys, and he would earnestly start instilling Xianxia 101 in his disciples.
Han De turned his gaze sideways, toward the eastern plains. The gesture didn’t have any meaning; it’s just that he couldn’t look at the aftermath of his first Nascent Soul realm battle while waiting for his disciples. It was quite unfortunate that Reality Sense was making it exceptionally hard to ignore the scene.
* * *
Disciples slowly made their way down to the sprawling catacombs. The size of the structure itself made Ning Bi frown. She could perceive many ordinary people within. Combined with the heavy stench in the air, she understood why these mortals were here, and why their master wanted his disciples to see.
Her frown grew deeper.
This place, though completely foreign, felt eerily familiar.
“S-Senior Ning Bi,” said Liang Cuifen while following Ning Bi closely. “How do you know where to go?” As they entered the cramped tunnels, she somehow found herself between the other girls.
“I can perceive it.” Ning Bi responded, while subconsciously lifting her chin slightly upwards. “Master’s Qi permeates through everything, and with it, I can perceive the entire sect.” She closed her eyes and witnessed the ‘sight’ once more.
Living things were visible just like always, but everything else, walls, empty sconces, strange and broken contraptions buried into stone, even the floor tiles, everything was covered by their master’s Qi. The world somehow felt more solid to her whenever she closed her eyes.
Liang Cuifen’s eyes grew wide, but her thoughts were interrupted as they stopped in front of blackened wooden gates. Ning Bi took a deep breath, an action that didn’t seem to fit her age, Liang Cuifen thought. But the little girl pushed forward without a pause.
Indistinct cries suddenly came into existence. Because they were so used to silence by then, even silent whimpers sounded like roars. The stench intensified, slowly pushing all disciples except Yao Qing toward the edge. But nothing could compare to the sight of people in cramped cages, gazing into nothingness with empty eyes, just a few meters away from discarded limbs and unrecognizable patches of flesh.
No battle had occurred here, but everyone could feel the chilling touch of death.
Ning Bi became the first one to take a step forward and walked silently to the largest cage. The latch turned into dust with her touch, signifying their master’s involvement once again. No reaction came from the dozens of men and women inside. They only kept breathing, barely.
Suddenly, Yu Xian grasped the purpose of the prayer beads. His little hammer had already told him the composition of it, that it was made of nothing but Qi. Exotic, strange, and entirely different from what he knew, but Qi, nonetheless. The structure inside was too complex and specific for Yu Xian’s cultivation level, but he could guess it was to be used for mending wounds.
Just as he expected, the Prayer Beads in Ning Bi’s hands gently touched the captives, and the impossibly pure Yang Qi within poured out. Even under the filth and layers of caked blood, one could see the man’s complexion improve almost instantly.
“It’s alright, you’re safe now.” Ning Bi spoke softly. Though the man’s gaze still looked vacant, she could now spot a tiny twinkle within. Upon her touch the man shivered, and through her gentle guidance, he took a wobbly step outside, his physique still improving as the seconds passed.
“I will take this side.” Jin Shu said while curiously gazing at the prayer beads. “Come with me.” She beckoned to the only disciple that looked lost. Liang Cuifen.
“Y-Yes.” Acknowledged Liang Cuifen, unable to take her eyes off the captives. The sight reminded her of the rumors in her hometown, of the imperial dungeons. Her life had been miserable after entering the palace, but it was nothing compared to what was in front of her. Anger rose from deep inside, but she controlled herself, grabbing tightly onto the prayer beads.
Their master’s words came back. Was it excessive? No, not even remotely, she decided in an instant. As she glanced around, her eyes met Ning Bi’s. For a moment, both understood that they were in agreement.
After a deep sigh, Liang Cuifen approached one of the cages. Inside were only four men and a young boy. While others seemed to have accepted their fate, the boy’s shallow breathing suddenly became faster. The latch disintegrated into nothingness, and as she opened the cage door, creaks echoed long and wide. Despite that, the boy only closed his eyes and did not even move a muscle. Even when the prayer beads touched his skin, the boy did not move.
Just like before, Liang Cuifen saw color return to the boy. She watched in marvel as muscles started appearing on his thin frame. His skin stretched and cracked under the pressure, but that too healed in the blink of an eye. By the time the golden glow subsided, the boy even gained some baby fat on his cheeks.
When Liang Cuifen first met her master, she too was healed by him. Perhaps the almost unrestrained destruction she witnessed had made her forget. Power could both destroy, and heal, she realized.
The boy finally opened his eyes, clearly feeling something was off, and froze solid once their eyes met.
On the other side of the chambers, Yao Qing was both healing the captives and inspecting their condition.
In the previous timeline, she had seen many variations of these kinds of techniques, inflicted upon others and herself. When desperation was thick enough, cultivators of all origins were capable of immense cruelty. The so-called exceptions were only the ones that haven’t been pushed far enough. And when they fall, when they discover depravity is a bottomless pit, then and only then, would they show their true colors.
It seemed to her that the cultivators of this realm hadn’t experienced true despair. Yet. From her experience, whenever such techniques emerge organically, a catastrophe would happen soon. And from what she gathered from the captives, this realm had been crashing for a while. Only a little more, and concepts such as morality would escape this domain completely. Only a tiny bit, and they too, would start building sacrificial chambers.
She found it interesting that their master chose this realm out of all other possibilities. Interesting, and mildly concerning.
Jin Shu, unlike others, was in a daze.
She had gained many insights into the concept of life energy, and even created a cultivation method based on her body constitution and bloodline. It would be an understatement to say that she had boundless reserves of life force, and an even greater capacity to create it. Although her master had explained that she could absorb life force, to increase her healing speed, she had never given thought to such a thing.
Until now. Until she saw the methods these demonic cultivators used to extract that very life force.
This was just a hunch, and she didn’t know exactly what they intended. But the evidence seemed to have been stacked in her favor. The captives’ wounds were deep, but great care was practiced not to hit major blood vessels. Some of their meridians were sealed, and the rest were shattered completely, and yet the captives were alive, which meant that the process was slow, and meticulous. Their souls weren’t touched either, as far as she could tell. Dried blood on every inch of the walls, body parts scattered around the floor, along with mounds of finely chopped human flesh, seemingly formed convincing evidence against soul extinction.
The more Jin Shu thought of it, the more she was convinced. These underground chambers served the purpose of extracting every strand of life force.
Considering the amount that they gathered, Jin Shu wondered why they were doing it. Was it to extend someone’s life? To breakthrough? To make some pills for times of need?
No expression could be seen on Jin Shu's face. She kneeled, and started using the prayer beads to heal the captives. The intricate energy inside was a different form of energy than she had ever encountered, able to make the life force of the recipient soar to heal their physical wounds. Normally, she would’ve loved to dissect and research, but that intense need for knowledge had already disappeared.
Yu Xian saw how everyone else was doing and successfully prevented himself from lightly shaking his head. Under the circumstances, this was an accomplishment.
‘Heavens above Heavens.’ Thought Yu Xian. It was an old proverb that he used to frequently anger his opponents. A few times he even managed to make some old fools vomit blood. The very memories invoked a feeling of fondness that conflicted with what he was seeing.
Slaves? Blood sacrifices? Yu Xian had seen it all, fought them all. Despite the smell, despite the broken nature of their spirit, his vision went past their struggle, and focused on the cause and effect. Han De, a young master in every sense of the word, and his master in this life, had shown his bottom line.
A tiny voice in Yu Xian's head kept deliberating. Was Han De’s hatred of the demonic path an obsession? No, perhaps it was deeper than that. Could it be that his true nature was leaking? Or was it a shadow, slowly coalescing into a heart demon? If it was the latter, why was his family not crushing this danger in the bud? As he healed the unfortunate mortals, possibilities came and went one after the other.
But one idea remained where all others failed. That this was Han De’s trial. And perhaps that was why he was sent away. Exiled even. It wouldn’t be the first time Yu Xian had encountered such a character before.
Slowly, pieces started falling to place in Yu Xian’s mind. Being forced to take in disciples. As the only heir, he was sent far away, without any fanfare, without any grand announcements. Only mere servants accompanied him, along with his disciples. Even his fiancée’s attention was quickly captured by Yu Xian’s casual glance.
Yu Xian became certain. Like the mortal dynasties of his home, Han De was deemed unfit, and the family was discarding him. Although there wasn’t enough evidence for this conjecture, Yu Xian’s intuition as a God-King more than made up for the gap.
He glanced at the other disciples, particularly that Jin Shu girl. Core Formation realm at that age, was an accomplishment, Yu Xian would never say otherwise. The only rival to her beauty, seemed to be her talent. And yet, Han De was in the Nascent Soul realm. With all the resources of not one but two higher families, the cultivation difference between him and his disciples was only one major realm.
From everything that he saw, Han De’s comprehension was anything but normal. Yet that didn’t seem to be able to bridge the gap expected by his family. He too, seemed to be aware of his predicament. Perhaps this was even the basis of his heart demon. Slaughtering an entire sect, not even leaving their souls intact, how else he could fuel such unrelenting hatred?
Yu Xian’s sigh traveled across the catacombs. Against all the odds, he felt a sense of need, to offer guidance, to offer help. He too, was betrayed by everyone he loved, and Han De was going through the same experience, only in slow motion.
Yu Xian sighed once more, wondering what horrors awaited the local population. And himself too if he overstepped his boundaries.
Meanwhile, Treebeard’s prayer beads had disintegrated already, and he was currently leading the people away from the main chambers. The causality was clear, there was no need to dwell on the matter when there were people in need of help.
* * *
Far away, over the mountains and the vast desert.
A trading convoy, going from one city to another as usual, stops for the night.
A man jumps down from the carriage. Eager to answer the call of nature, he kicks up the soil.
Disturbing a pebble, smaller than the tip of his pinky finger.
Though many minute details remained eerily the same, most worlds had a difference in quality when it came to cultivation. This was something that the cultivation idiot had learned early. Han De was aware of it from not only those memories, but from various Xianxia novels as well.
But. Once again, Han De realized, seeing was believing.
‘Even if I account for the overwhelming superiority of the “Very Weak” power level, these people are weak! Definitely two to three minor realms weaker than an average Starfall Mountain disciple, if not more. I bet the cultivation idiot in the Core Formation realm could handily beat a Nascent Soul realm of this world.’
Everything, was exactly as his lackeys reported. It was quite fortunate that Han De didn’t have to switch to a backup plan. He gave internal thumbs-up to the scout involved.
Failure wasn’t the end of the world, but an inconvenience in this case. Xin Meili, his only Transcendent Master lackey, could have easily made some “invisible” adjustments in the worst-case scenario. Han De would’ve never attempted such a stunt if it wasn’t for the overwhelming power difference in the first place!
Still, when it came to MCs, nothing would remain hidden forever!
Han De calmed himself down and referred to his flow chart once more. Which pointed him to do an on-the-spot evaluation, to be followed by four others in one-month intervals!
‘If I were to ignore the fact that this was a personal intervention… I’d have to rank it a solid B overall. Otherwise it’s a D- at best.’ Depending on dumb luck wasn’t his style, and his success this time had probably used a few decades' worths of luck. D- was the appropriate rating according to his evaluation charts.
Han De took in a breath of fresh air. At least, as fresh as it could be under the circumstances. The air quality took a huge hit ever since disembarking the celestial ship, that much was obvious to his nose. Now though, the situation had deteriorated to the point that his nose couldn’t pick up anything but a faint flowery scent. The result of the demonic sect leader's last-ditch effort, no doubt.
Thanks to melding both mind and physical illusions, and Han De’s panic-fueled hyper-awareness, the seduction attempts of the sect leader was useless. In fact, Han De was surprised she even tried in the middle of the battle! He made a special note of this development; such things seemed quite dangerous.
‘Thank god the seductress on Yu Xian’s planet wasn’t so aggressive. If I met this sect leader back then, I wouldn’t have lasted more than a minute.
'… I wonder why she looked at Yu Xian though…’
His disciples had front-row seats so to speak, but they were still a safe distance away. Safe enough that it was impossible for Han De to communicate with them without relying on his spiritual sense. And since he was so focused on what he was doing, he didn’t pay any attention to them other than checking for possible sneak attacks.
But because he was so focused on what he was doing, it was impossible to miss how the sect leader’s eyes had snapped to Yu Xian. Han De’s cultivator eyes could easily discern the angle of her focus, and calculate her line of sight!
If Han De had to be technically pedantic, he would have to file this under “getting c#$kblocked by a harem protagonist.” The sect leader tried to seduce her attacker, but her attention suddenly shifted to an unrelated disciple; that was c#$kblock 101, no matter how he looked at it.
How it happened, Han De realized he didn’t care. It could be something that Yu Xian said, or even a random look of disdain that caught her attention. The senses of a Unity Realm expert could not be underestimated! What was important was that it did happen.
‘First time it was the waitress, second it was that seductress. He also caught the attention of Li fami-’ Han De desperately ignored the sudden appearance of a black flower stem. ‘-but that was for just a moment. This was the official third. Once an accident, twice a coincidence, and the third time’s a pattern.’
Normally, the existence of a Walking Talking C#$kblock Machine would’ve annoyed Han De to no end. But perhaps due to the pressure from certain ominous flowers, he stumbled on a sudden burst of insight.
Didn’t he have a violent and unstable fiancée? Didn’t his great-grandmother throw out a random “few thousand years” evaluation time before canceling the engagement?
With Han De’s status, there were bound to be some mishaps until the Wen Jiayi issue was solved. A scandal didn’t even need Han De’s presence, after all. Nor did it require any semblance of truth.
But now that he had something to tank the incoming threats…
Han De turned back and looked at his disciples.
Could it be that the eyesore named Yu Xian, was actually a gift from the heavens?!
‘… Don’t tell me my great-great-grandmother knew about this.’
Long Ai was an old monster, and possessed uncanny insight on top of that. It wouldn’t be strange that she assigned a task to Yu Xian that no one else, not even the Harem MC knew about. She was eccentric enough to do that.
‘Well, whatever. This isn’t disadvantageous anyway… Hmm… Actually, this is pretty great now that I think about it. Wait, I shouldn’t be hasty. Yeah, a 4th time, I should look for a 4th time to confirm. Three times isn’t enough.’
The possibility of getting some use out of the Harem MC was such a monumental discovery that Han De had no choice but to extend his confirmation period. The risk Yu Xian posed to his other disciples hadn’t disappeared at all. Ignoring that, and misunderstanding the ex-god-king’s existence due to undeserved enthusiasm on his part, would be a catastrophic mistake!
Han De used only one step to cross the distance between his disciples and he saw most of them looked worn out. Still, the red glow in Ning Bi’s eyes wasn’t so easy to extinguish, it seemed. And neither did the strange twinkle in Jin Shu’s. Only Yao Qing looked completely unfazed, but that didn’t surprise Han De; she had maximum “Will,” and probably could fake anything at this point.
The second batch of disciples though, were understandably worse for the wear. Han De was already expecting this, and had woven a thicker shielding for the three in question. Even then, the degree of leakage from the basic shielding spell was well within Han De’s expectations.
‘… It’s disappointing that I’ve missed this Xianxia staple though... To get worn out from merely watching profound attacks...’ Thought Han De in regret, as he nodded at each disciple with a serious gaze. ‘Well, next time I can watch all I want, I suppose. Alright, let’s concentrate. It’s not over yet!’
After looking at the horizon for a moment, Han De lightly sighed. “Do any of you think what I did was excessive?” He asked with a flat voice.
Ning Bi immediately shook her head. Enthusiastically. She enthusiastically shook her head, with full force. To the point that Han De momentarily froze! He made an extra special mental note to instill vast amounts of empathy in Ning Bi. ASAP. However possible.
This wasn’t even her fault, since he was the one that obliterated a sect out of nowhere!
Yao Qing also shook her head, though elegantly. Jin Shu only slightly smiled, Treebeard fell into deep thought. Liang Cuifen seemed unsure. But Yu Xian? Though he remained silent, his eyes were saying yes.
‘I wonder if it is because he’s in a teenage body, or because he’s just an MC. A god-king shouldn’t even care if a planet is destroyed, let alone a sect. I should keep track of his behavior. Hmm. At least he isn’t murmuring by himself. Maybe making him a shield out of him could work after all.’
Han De removed all of his personas, and spoke with his regular voice, with no embellishments, and no dramatization. “To believe in an ideal is to be willing to betray it. It is something most cultivators never truly learn."
Upon detecting absolutely zero flinching from Liang Cuifen, Han De let loose the inner, Grandmaster Healer within him. If he dwelled on the video game quote, the effectiveness of the words would diminish, if not disappear completely!
Thankfully, Han De the Grandmaster Healer didn’t turn out to be a reserved fellow. Han De’s Primordial Light Qi condensed at a rapid pace, drowning everything with pure white light. If he hadn’t controlled the Qi waves properly, all of his disciples would’ve gone blind by now.
Well, considering they were MCs, this wouldn’t be a bad thing for them, since such a development could only be a precursor to a power-up. But obviously, Han De would never do such a thing; it was simply too far down the line of his flow charts.
After about one short breath of time, Han De encapsulated the healing energies of the Nine Void Illuminating Star Scripture scripture into ninety small balls, then used his Wandering Mirage scripture to give physical form to them as six sets of prayer beads. Both illusionist and healer grandmasters within him felt content with their work, even if it was hasty.
“Take these.” Prayer beads landed upon each disciple’s hands. “And go to the catacombs beneath this sect. I want each of you to free at least ten captives by your own hands, so that you can witness the truth of the demonic path.” Han De turned back and slowly operated his Through the Starlight scripture. “You need not force yourselves to take care of everyone. But you need to truly see, at least once.”
“Yes, Master.” Ning Bi was the first to acknowledge. It also seemed that she understood Han De’s intent in an instant, and took a step forward. Wrapped with energies that she could barely sense, let alone understand, her single step crossed half the distance! Behind, her fellow disciples were the size of ants!
Ning Bi smiled. The sensation was quite unique, and completely different than what she experienced when they walked behind their master. She slowly moved her foot forward -only slightly- and the entire world somehow felt different. It was as if everything felt frozen, yet not at the same time. Her smile grew wider, and she closed her eyes before pressing forward.
[Breach (Mortal)]
[Progress: (+1) 41%]
Han De ignored the MC shenanigans, and concentrated on his lackeys. There was work to be done!
Meanwhile, the remaining disciples started taking steps forward. Last one being Treebeard, who waited for Liang Cuifen to gather her courage. Everything was happening so rapidly, rather than being constantly surprised, the shock had dulled her senses. Perhaps she would also be able to do these things one day, she thought. Her eyes landed on Treebeard as she looked around.
“Master’s talent cannot be comprehended so easily,” Treebeard said with a smile. As the young master of the Han and Long families, Han De hid his capabilities, even from higher beings. But of course, Treebeard would not speak of such speculations, as it was the private matter of his master.
Liang Cuifen vacantly nodded.
All six of them, regardless of where they walked, seemed to have arrived at the threshold of the sect. Or rather, what remained of it.
“Do not look too deeply into the mist.” Yao Qing’s voice echoed. “Your head will spin, and you may feel nauseous if you do.” She gave a side glance at Liang Cuifen and Yu Xian. “Normally, profound techniques of the higher realms can harm your cultivation, even from a simple glance.”
With Ning Bi at the front, the disciples’ feet finally landed on solid ground, and they entered the sect.
Silence. Utter silence greeted them. The river they saw from above was nowhere to be heard. Air was completely still with not even the slightest sign of a breeze. What little remained of patches of grass and some trees, seemingly couldn’t dare to move. As their senses adjusted to the absence, Yu Xian felt a bizarre sensation of dissonance. He felt he could almost hear something. Almost. His mind somehow recalled the desperate screams of the uncouth woman. Almost as if he was imagining it.
Though he couldn’t directly look into the battle due to his low cultivation base, he could tell that the uncouth woman was at least at the Unity Realm. It wasn’t surprising for someone with a domain to leave permanent marks in the world during their final struggle for survival.
Han De killing an expert of that caliber, without moving a muscle… Yu Xian found it hard to believe. But then again, Han De was from a higher family of a higher realm, and therefore his strength should be of a different caliber. It was against everything Yu Xian knew, but this too, should be normal, he convinced himself.
The cobblestone path seemed to meander and split without end, yet Ning Bi didn’t hesitate. Though young, the girl seemed inexplicably dependable to Liang Cuifen. They only stopped once the mist finally opened up.
“… The eye of the storm.” Jin Shu muttered.
Others were staring at the scene, but it was the smell that made the first impact on Liang Cuifen, who was mostly looking at the ground to keep her head from spinning. A metallic stench, mixed with dust, and countless unknowable foul odors, almost made her dry heave on the spot. She persevered, and her eyes instinctively sought other disciples to try to draw some strength from their presence. Then, she saw.
Yu Xian’s sigh filled the void and gently echoed. The sight of war was all too familiar to him, as he had spent more than a month dying over and over again. The stench of blood that he could taste and swallow, the indifferently spattered piles of flesh that were so ubiquitous that they almost looked natural. And dust, ever-present. It was the same. No wonder the Han De could create such an accurate illusion.
He silently wondered what kind of heaven-defying treasure Han De had used to create this level of devastation.
Liang Cuifen lowered her head once she comprehended what she was seeing. Her master’s question echoed in her mind. Was what he did excessive? A sinking feeling asked that question over and over again as she followed Ning Bi like others. Eventually, her eyes started to wander; perhaps they had their own morbid curiosity to satisfy. Among the red soil, mangled limbs, and charred rocks, a pair of blue eyes was what took Liang Cuifen’s breath away. Those eyes, though vacant, seemed to be staring at her soul.
“Their flame of life is dim, but preserved.” Jin Shu’s voice came from behind. She touched Liang Cuifen’s shoulders. “They are alive, but their path is severed. They have no cultivation base, nor any hope of gaining one in the future.”
“They are cripples?” Muttered Yu Xian with a frown. His question was rhetorical, nothing more than an idle thought, uttered loudly only because of a bad habit.
“The dust is from Core Formation experts, lumps of blackened rocks are most likely Nascent Soul. And body parts are the remains of the higher realms.” Treebeard explained. “Only Qi Condensation disciples could receive master’s mercy.” He concluded while gazing at the vacant bodies.
Life without cultivation wasn’t mercy at all, Yu Xian knew. But Treebeard’s voice cut through his thoughts. “At least their souls are intact.”
Yu Xian stood still, dazed. His mind instinctively classified the very thought as ridiculous. But the rational side of his brain knew what would happen to the body if the soul was burned away. Vaguely humanoid-shaped scorch marks, dark fine powder coating everything, and countless black lumps. They were the natural result.
If this wasn’t excessive, then what was? Yu Xian’s idea of Han De began to change.
“W-What about Foundation Establishment?” Liang Cuifen asked, looking at Treebeard, mostly to take her mind off of those eyes around them.
Treebeard though, only vaguely smiled in response.
‘We are breathing them.’ Yu Xian thought, successfully preventing himself from muttering this time.
* * *
In the meantime, Han De received the first detailed report about the surroundings and re-reviewed his rough plan in his mind.
‘Sects A through F, all have Unity Realm leaders. A bit uncomfortable, but that’s fine. An MC’s sect has to be an underdog around their area after all. Why even try otherwise?’ Han De resisted the urge to click his tongue.
‘I could easily send Immortal Realm experts disguised as Core Formation realm disciples, that should be fine for announcing the sect’s existence. Then… I can relax until I find some random tournament or something.’
Relaxing was crucial, but it depended on whether the System would acknowledge the sect. Despite the fear of planting a flag, Han De held tremendous anxiety over this matter, and had prepared himself for the long haul.
A voice transmission came from Xin Meili this time.
Han De’s mind first came to a complete halt, then evaluated dozens of scenarios on the spot. He asked.
‘… So the three Ancient Realm experts not only use this technique, but they either taught, or gave some benefits to those under them?’
Han De could ask Xin Meili, or maybe a Divinity Formation expert to investigate and get the definitive answer. Why were they doing it, how were they doing it, he could obtain all of the background information, with but a snap of his fingers. But to him, it did not matter.
Three Ancient Realm experts ruled the demonic, the righteous, and the neutral factions. If all three had the same demonic “taint” as Xin Meili called it, the reason could only be one thing. Cultivation.
‘… Multiple end bosses?’ Han De mulled over the idea. The demonic expert was already an end boss, but one or three wouldn’t matter for a group of MCs. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder. ‘Should I eliminate the other two, just to be safe?’
He fell into deep thought.
Xin Meili had an inkling that the lives of these rulers were hanging by a thread. Though, at this point, she dared not to make any predictions. The mind of the young master seemed to work in mysterious ways! The fact that he, a Nascent Soul disciple, personally and thoroughly slaughtered an entire sect ruled by a Unity Realm cultivator, was the proof.
Around Xin Meili, were more than a thousand of young master Han De’s servants, watching from far above. They too, were reevaluating their own preconceptions, just like she did before. Every high cultivation expert was a genius in the past, without exception. Therefore, it was hard to come to terms with the fact that a person barely a few decades old, could surpass their own cultivation within a century at best.
One of the two Divinity Formation experts asked. The other one responded.
Both of them being from the Long family, they had some understanding of young master Long De’s abilities. But everything they saw was beyond their expectations. The two sneaked a glance at the only Transcendent Realm servant, the fiery woman known as Xin Meili. Could she know the reason, they wondered. Unlike them, and the guards that came from the Han family, the Xin family themselves reported directly to young master Long De. And only to young master Long De.
Curiosity was natural, as it was glaringly apparent that they were going to watch this young master Long De soar through the heavens, with the help of legacies from the Long and Han families. But of course, patience also came with that realization.
In the minds of high cultivation experts, all that was left for them to do, was to follow every word of their young master.
To the letter.
The last part was important, as every single one of them was warned by none other than Long Ruolan. Personally.
The depths of suffering that awaited them should they fail, all of them already had a small taste. They broke, just from the taste, and got put together again. That wasn’t an experience that they would forget, not in this or the next hundred lifetimes.
To. The. Letter. No matter the cost. That became their silent motto.
Down at the planet’s surface, Han De had finally reached a conclusion. That he was going to let his disciples handle the bosses. Barring various (meticulously enumerated and soon-to-be expanded) exceptions, this was the best decision all around, for all parties involved.
The bosses in question would get to live longer, and weave a more intricate web of events. His disciples would be able to collect triple XP for a while, and get triple loot during the final raid. And finally, their deaths would be the natural result of normal, everyday MC interactions, with absolutely no direct involvement from Han De at all.
‘Alright…’ Han De nodded to himself. ‘Everything’s going… pretty alright so far.’
Once his disciples were done with healing the captives, the real clean-up would be handled by his lackeys, and he would earnestly start instilling Xianxia 101 in his disciples.
Han De turned his gaze sideways, toward the eastern plains. The gesture didn’t have any meaning; it’s just that he couldn’t look at the aftermath of his first Nascent Soul realm battle while waiting for his disciples. It was quite unfortunate that Reality Sense was making it exceptionally hard to ignore the scene.
* * *
Disciples slowly made their way down to the sprawling catacombs. The size of the structure itself made Ning Bi frown. She could perceive many ordinary people within. Combined with the heavy stench in the air, she understood why these mortals were here, and why their master wanted his disciples to see.
Her frown grew deeper.
This place, though completely foreign, felt eerily familiar.
“S-Senior Ning Bi,” said Liang Cuifen while following Ning Bi closely. “How do you know where to go?” As they entered the cramped tunnels, she somehow found herself between the other girls.
“I can perceive it.” Ning Bi responded, while subconsciously lifting her chin slightly upwards. “Master’s Qi permeates through everything, and with it, I can perceive the entire sect.” She closed her eyes and witnessed the ‘sight’ once more.
Living things were visible just like always, but everything else, walls, empty sconces, strange and broken contraptions buried into stone, even the floor tiles, everything was covered by their master’s Qi. The world somehow felt more solid to her whenever she closed her eyes.
Liang Cuifen’s eyes grew wide, but her thoughts were interrupted as they stopped in front of blackened wooden gates. Ning Bi took a deep breath, an action that didn’t seem to fit her age, Liang Cuifen thought. But the little girl pushed forward without a pause.
Indistinct cries suddenly came into existence. Because they were so used to silence by then, even silent whimpers sounded like roars. The stench intensified, slowly pushing all disciples except Yao Qing toward the edge. But nothing could compare to the sight of people in cramped cages, gazing into nothingness with empty eyes, just a few meters away from discarded limbs and unrecognizable patches of flesh.
No battle had occurred here, but everyone could feel the chilling touch of death.
Ning Bi became the first one to take a step forward and walked silently to the largest cage. The latch turned into dust with her touch, signifying their master’s involvement once again. No reaction came from the dozens of men and women inside. They only kept breathing, barely.
Suddenly, Yu Xian grasped the purpose of the prayer beads. His little hammer had already told him the composition of it, that it was made of nothing but Qi. Exotic, strange, and entirely different from what he knew, but Qi, nonetheless. The structure inside was too complex and specific for Yu Xian’s cultivation level, but he could guess it was to be used for mending wounds.
Just as he expected, the Prayer Beads in Ning Bi’s hands gently touched the captives, and the impossibly pure Yang Qi within poured out. Even under the filth and layers of caked blood, one could see the man’s complexion improve almost instantly.
“It’s alright, you’re safe now.” Ning Bi spoke softly. Though the man’s gaze still looked vacant, she could now spot a tiny twinkle within. Upon her touch the man shivered, and through her gentle guidance, he took a wobbly step outside, his physique still improving as the seconds passed.
“I will take this side.” Jin Shu said while curiously gazing at the prayer beads. “Come with me.” She beckoned to the only disciple that looked lost. Liang Cuifen.
“Y-Yes.” Acknowledged Liang Cuifen, unable to take her eyes off the captives. The sight reminded her of the rumors in her hometown, of the imperial dungeons. Her life had been miserable after entering the palace, but it was nothing compared to what was in front of her. Anger rose from deep inside, but she controlled herself, grabbing tightly onto the prayer beads.
Their master’s words came back. Was it excessive? No, not even remotely, she decided in an instant. As she glanced around, her eyes met Ning Bi’s. For a moment, both understood that they were in agreement.
After a deep sigh, Liang Cuifen approached one of the cages. Inside were only four men and a young boy. While others seemed to have accepted their fate, the boy’s shallow breathing suddenly became faster. The latch disintegrated into nothingness, and as she opened the cage door, creaks echoed long and wide. Despite that, the boy only closed his eyes and did not even move a muscle. Even when the prayer beads touched his skin, the boy did not move.
Just like before, Liang Cuifen saw color return to the boy. She watched in marvel as muscles started appearing on his thin frame. His skin stretched and cracked under the pressure, but that too healed in the blink of an eye. By the time the golden glow subsided, the boy even gained some baby fat on his cheeks.
When Liang Cuifen first met her master, she too was healed by him. Perhaps the almost unrestrained destruction she witnessed had made her forget. Power could both destroy, and heal, she realized.
The boy finally opened his eyes, clearly feeling something was off, and froze solid once their eyes met.
On the other side of the chambers, Yao Qing was both healing the captives and inspecting their condition.
In the previous timeline, she had seen many variations of these kinds of techniques, inflicted upon others and herself. When desperation was thick enough, cultivators of all origins were capable of immense cruelty. The so-called exceptions were only the ones that haven’t been pushed far enough. And when they fall, when they discover depravity is a bottomless pit, then and only then, would they show their true colors.
It seemed to her that the cultivators of this realm hadn’t experienced true despair. Yet. From her experience, whenever such techniques emerge organically, a catastrophe would happen soon. And from what she gathered from the captives, this realm had been crashing for a while. Only a little more, and concepts such as morality would escape this domain completely. Only a tiny bit, and they too, would start building sacrificial chambers.
She found it interesting that their master chose this realm out of all other possibilities. Interesting, and mildly concerning.
Jin Shu, unlike others, was in a daze.
She had gained many insights into the concept of life energy, and even created a cultivation method based on her body constitution and bloodline. It would be an understatement to say that she had boundless reserves of life force, and an even greater capacity to create it. Although her master had explained that she could absorb life force, to increase her healing speed, she had never given thought to such a thing.
Until now. Until she saw the methods these demonic cultivators used to extract that very life force.
This was just a hunch, and she didn’t know exactly what they intended. But the evidence seemed to have been stacked in her favor. The captives’ wounds were deep, but great care was practiced not to hit major blood vessels. Some of their meridians were sealed, and the rest were shattered completely, and yet the captives were alive, which meant that the process was slow, and meticulous. Their souls weren’t touched either, as far as she could tell. Dried blood on every inch of the walls, body parts scattered around the floor, along with mounds of finely chopped human flesh, seemingly formed convincing evidence against soul extinction.
The more Jin Shu thought of it, the more she was convinced. These underground chambers served the purpose of extracting every strand of life force.
Considering the amount that they gathered, Jin Shu wondered why they were doing it. Was it to extend someone’s life? To breakthrough? To make some pills for times of need?
No expression could be seen on Jin Shu's face. She kneeled, and started using the prayer beads to heal the captives. The intricate energy inside was a different form of energy than she had ever encountered, able to make the life force of the recipient soar to heal their physical wounds. Normally, she would’ve loved to dissect and research, but that intense need for knowledge had already disappeared.
Yu Xian saw how everyone else was doing and successfully prevented himself from lightly shaking his head. Under the circumstances, this was an accomplishment.
‘Heavens above Heavens.’ Thought Yu Xian. It was an old proverb that he used to frequently anger his opponents. A few times he even managed to make some old fools vomit blood. The very memories invoked a feeling of fondness that conflicted with what he was seeing.
Slaves? Blood sacrifices? Yu Xian had seen it all, fought them all. Despite the smell, despite the broken nature of their spirit, his vision went past their struggle, and focused on the cause and effect. Han De, a young master in every sense of the word, and his master in this life, had shown his bottom line.
A tiny voice in Yu Xian's head kept deliberating. Was Han De’s hatred of the demonic path an obsession? No, perhaps it was deeper than that. Could it be that his true nature was leaking? Or was it a shadow, slowly coalescing into a heart demon? If it was the latter, why was his family not crushing this danger in the bud? As he healed the unfortunate mortals, possibilities came and went one after the other.
But one idea remained where all others failed. That this was Han De’s trial. And perhaps that was why he was sent away. Exiled even. It wouldn’t be the first time Yu Xian had encountered such a character before.
Slowly, pieces started falling to place in Yu Xian’s mind. Being forced to take in disciples. As the only heir, he was sent far away, without any fanfare, without any grand announcements. Only mere servants accompanied him, along with his disciples. Even his fiancée’s attention was quickly captured by Yu Xian’s casual glance.
Yu Xian became certain. Like the mortal dynasties of his home, Han De was deemed unfit, and the family was discarding him. Although there wasn’t enough evidence for this conjecture, Yu Xian’s intuition as a God-King more than made up for the gap.
He glanced at the other disciples, particularly that Jin Shu girl. Core Formation realm at that age, was an accomplishment, Yu Xian would never say otherwise. The only rival to her beauty, seemed to be her talent. And yet, Han De was in the Nascent Soul realm. With all the resources of not one but two higher families, the cultivation difference between him and his disciples was only one major realm.
From everything that he saw, Han De’s comprehension was anything but normal. Yet that didn’t seem to be able to bridge the gap expected by his family. He too, seemed to be aware of his predicament. Perhaps this was even the basis of his heart demon. Slaughtering an entire sect, not even leaving their souls intact, how else he could fuel such unrelenting hatred?
Yu Xian’s sigh traveled across the catacombs. Against all the odds, he felt a sense of need, to offer guidance, to offer help. He too, was betrayed by everyone he loved, and Han De was going through the same experience, only in slow motion.
Yu Xian sighed once more, wondering what horrors awaited the local population. And himself too if he overstepped his boundaries.
Meanwhile, Treebeard’s prayer beads had disintegrated already, and he was currently leading the people away from the main chambers. The causality was clear, there was no need to dwell on the matter when there were people in need of help.
* * *
Far away, over the mountains and the vast desert.
A trading convoy, going from one city to another as usual, stops for the night.
A man jumps down from the carriage. Eager to answer the call of nature, he kicks up the soil.
Disturbing a pebble, smaller than the tip of his pinky finger.
