STNS: Chapter 369 (Patreon)

The sound of a lion’s dying groan echoed around the forest as Wu Jian killed his fifteen Blaze Lion. He had discovered a few things about his newfound power. It was now far easier to manipulate the Dao of Space than it ever had been before. He could create blades of space anywhere he wished so long as it was within a certain radius, and he could sense any creatures within that radius, making it impossible for someone to sneak up on him. The number of blades he could control at any given time had also increased. Now he could call upon spatial blades and control them as though they were extensions of his own body, which increased how he could attack. However, there was one ability he acquired that he had wanted for a long time.

[Teleportation]

His new technique was a marvel that opened entirely new realms of possibility. It granted him the power to traverse space instantaneously, surmounting barriers of distance with but a thought. It was another skill that would allow him new avenues of attack. Yet, its might was tethered to the realms of sight. He could only translocate to destinations that he could perceive with his gaze. His vision was, in essence, a conduit of transition.

Teleportation was not a movement skill, though it might be mistaken for one by a person who couldn’t understand the Dao of Space. What he did was bend the space between points A and B, with point A being himself, and point B being wherever he wanted to go. A good way to describe what he was doing would be to take a scroll, draw two circles on it. Most people would assume the fastest route to reach one circle from the other was to travel in a straight line, but the actual fastest way would be to fold the scroll so the two sides were touching.

This technique had many applications for combat, and he planned to explore its versatility when he could, though at the moment, what he really needed to do was stabilize his cultivation. He had meditated all last night, but it was still unstable.

“Thou art possessing great strength. I am most impressed,” Huǒ Yulie said. “Thou hast no need of my aid to fell those magical beasts. Know they are of the same realm as thee? 'Tis wondrous that thou canst dispatch them with such ease.”

“Thank you,” Wu Jian said, opening and closing his hands. “I think I have a decent grasp of my power. Let’s collect these Blaze Lions. We can salvage them for parts or sell them whole to the Alchemist Association.”

“Very well, let me undertake the honors.”

Huǒ Yulie raised her hand, the ring on her index finger glowing brightly before creating a vortex that sucked up all the magical beasts he had slain. Only bloodstains remained on the floor to signify their passing.

Wu Jian and Huǒ Yulie traversed the forest and soon emerged from the other side. What they came across was a chasm, a surreal and treacherous fissure that seemed to have been hewn by the very hands of the inferno itself. This gaping void in the earth’s surface was unlike ordinary chasms. They bore the imprint of the realm’s fiery essence.

The pair walked up to the jagged and sharp edge of the chasm, which appeared as if molten rocks had been cleaved apart by a cosmic blade. The rock formations that surrounded them bore the hallmarks of extreme temperatures, their surfaces glazed with a fiery sheen that danced in the shifting light. Deep grooves marked the path of molten rivers that once surged through these gaps. They had since cooled and solidified into darkened veins of hardened lava.

“I guess we should head down,” Wu Jian suggested.

“Indeed, let us venture into the chasm, where foul beasts and other magical tempests await.”

“Well, that wasn’t a grimdark statement at all.”

“Fret not. No matter what perils lie ahead, together shall we surmount them! Let us set forth!”

Huǒ Yulie seemed in good spirits as she led the way down the chasm. Her great phoenix wings flapped as she descended, and Wu Jian floated after her. As they touched the bottom, Wu Jian wobbled as the intense fire burning inside of him became ten times more difficult to bare.

“Art thou heart and hale? Thee hath a look of sickness.”

“I feel… really hot for some reason.”

“Ah, it must be the flame essence within this chasm. It burns more fervently here. We should seek a cavern or some such refuge, where thou canst acclimate to this weight and steady thy cultivation.”

“Mmmm. I might need you to lead the way.”

“Fear not. Though not a phoenix, my senses are keen like one. I shall find us a haven to restore ourselves.”

There didn’t seem to be any dangers at first. Wu Jian didn’t let his guard down, though, and it was a good thing because something massive burst from the ground before them. It was a creature of breathtaking awe and untamed fire. Its immense form stretched like river of molten lava, sinuous and powerful. Every inch of its serpentine body radiated heat so intense that Wu Jian felt like he was being burned to ash just standing near it. Scales shimmering with a mesmerizing display of fiery hues ranging from brilliant orange to deep red and molten gold flickered in the light.

“Tis a Pyrocoil Emberwyrm. These creatures reside in the third subrealm of the Deva Realm. A formidable adversary, indeed. Jian Wu, leave this to me. I shall unveil my own might.”

Wu Jian was already struggling to stand straight, so he didn’t mind leaving it to her. He wondered how Huǒ Yulie was going to defeat this thing.

It happened so fast he almost missed it.

The Pyrocoil Emberwyrm lunged for Huǒ Yulie as she stepped forward, but she showed not an ounce of fear as she slid her dominant food across the ground, gripped the hilt of her blade, and swung it upward. No flames emerged from her sword. However, all the flames and lava within the Pyrocoil Emberwyrm vanished without a trace, and the massive magical beast was split down the middle. Wu Jian watched in mute shock as the two halves fell to the side.

Huǒ Yulie turned toward him and smiled smugly. “Well? What do you think?”

“I think I'm lucky you didn’t use that technique on me during our match.”

“Nay, this is a technique I could not apply to thee. I may only wield it against creatures of fire. I absorbed the fire within it, rendering its form brittle enough to cleave through.”

“I see. I suppose that’s not something you can do to someone who doesn’t have an affinity with fire.”

“True. When facing a foe that commands the flames, I am nigh invulnerable. The same cannot be declared against other elements. Now, let us seek a place to convalesce.”

They did soon find a cave that would suit their purpose. It was quite wide and looked like it had once been inhabited. Wu Jian was reminded of the Flame Griffin cave where he and Huǒ Schuchang had fought oh so long ago.

“This seems a fitting locale.” After nodding in satisfaction, Huǒ Yulie turned to him. “Sit down and cultivate. I shall keep vigil.”

“Thank you. I can only do this because you’re with me.”

“Not in the least. I am indebted for thy company.”

Huǒ Yulie turned around and stared at the cave entrance as Wu Jian sat down and closed his eyes. He didn’t know how long it would take to stabilize his cultivation, but he hoped it wouldn’t take long.

***

Shen Yunhai could not remember how long it had been since he began treading this dark path. Once upon a time, he had been hailed as a prodigy in his nation. His family had a long history of honorable service to their kingdom. He had been their pride and joy, but fate took a sinister turn when he stumbled upon a scroll containing a forbidden cultivation method.

Asura’s Path.

The cultivation method promised immense power at great cost, and Shen Yunhai, driven by the desire to surpass his limitations and gain unmatched strength, had not even hesitated to delve into the dark depths.

His family had found out, eventually, but it was too late by then. They had tried to stop him, so he slaughtered them all and vanished. Eventually, Shen Yunhai would gather like minded individuals who had stepped away from the path of the righteous and formed Yin Yuan, a dark guild full of murderers, rapists, and cutthroats.

While he was technically their leader, Yin Yuan was more of a loose affiliation of like minded people. They didn’t really get along with each other. Certainly, they were nothing like a normal guild, which emphasized community and respecting your seniors. In this guild, it was perfectly reasonable to kill one of your guildmates because they looked at you wrong.

“Where are they?!”

Shen Yunhai glanced at his companion. The promising young man of the Phoenix Clan. He was shocked that someone like this would be willing to work with them, but that man did have a way with words, and this young master seemed quite discontent. Perhaps he could be seduced to the darker side of cultivation, given time. Right now he was unripe fruit.

“This realm is vast. We won’t find them just by wandering. I’ve already found traces of them, however.”

“What? How?”

“That would be quite telling, wouldn’t it.”

Shen Yunhai chuckled at the angry look on Huǒ Pànguó’s face. He might show some promise, but he was also a fool. No one, not even normal cultivators, would reveal their trade secrets to another. All cultivators zealously guarded their techniques for fear of others stealing them.

Shen Yunhai had a technique known as Spirit Sight. It was a tracking technique that let him see traces of chi. If he could pick up the unique chi signature of an individual, he could follow the traces of their chi. That was how he had found and assassinated so many people. Even if you went into hiding, so long as a single trace of you remained, he would be able to follow the trail and find you.

He had already taken the measure of both Huǒ Yulie and Jian Wu’s chi, mesmerizing their feel and sight. Huǒ Yulie’s chi was like a blazing inferno of pure power. She was a brilliant, undying flame. On the contrary, Jian Wu’s chi was pitch black with a smattering of stars. Shen Yunhai had never seen anything quite like it before. Not only was it unique, but he couldn’t get a good sense for how powerful it was.

They soon reached a forest made of stone pillars.

“This is the Inferno Crystallith Grove,” Huǒ Pànguó said.

“Our target passed through here.”

“Really?”

“…”

Shen Yunhai studied the ground. Splatters of blood littered the floor, but there were no bodies. He concluded that his target had killed some magical beasts and took their bodies to sell for parts. Kneeling down, he reached out and touched the blood, studying it as a loud sizzling sound echoed around them. The blood was eating into his glove like acid.

“Some sort of intense fire chi is radiating from this blood. Well, this is the Realm of Sacred Flames, after all.” Standing up, he gestured toward his companion. “Come.”

“Don’t order me around,” Huǒ Pànguó growled.

“Then don’t come. I’m going either way.”

Shen Yunhai’s uncaring shrug seemed to infuriate Huǒ Pànguó, whose face turned a mottled red, but the assassin did not have time to deal with this brat’s issues. He walked on, passing through the grove, and eventually reached a chasm.

“Hmm…”

Huǒ Yulie’s chi was harder to spot in this chasm. He attributed that to the intense fire chi emanating from this realm. Her power was derived from flames and this chi served to mask it well, but fortunately, the same could not be said of her companion. The starlit black chi created a trail that went into the chasm and continued on.

“They’re this way,” Shen Yunhai declared as he leapt off the cliff.

Dark energy erupted from his feet, slowing his descent. He soon landed on the bottom. Huǒ Pànguó reluctantly followed him, but by this point, he had stopped paying attention to the young man. They were getting close to their target. Shen Yunhai could feel it.

They continued on.

Walking through this chasm was the same as journeying into a realm where fire and earth merged. The jagged edges of the chasm’s walls towered above, their molten surfaces bearing patterns formed from intense heat. The ground beneath Shen Yunhai’s feet was solid, and yet, it resonated with a subtle vibration, as though to remind him of the molten energy coursing beneath the surface.

The ground here is uneven. I can use this terrain to my advantage if it comes down to a battle, which it likely will. There are good points to ambush someone here, and I can conceal myself if I’m overpowered. The unpredictable geysers will also provide a good distraction should I need to make my escape. It’s always a good idea to have an escape route planned just in case things go south.

It was not long before they stumbled upon the entrance of a cavern, though it was currently covered in a brilliant crimson barrier composed of flames. Standing before the cavern was a petite young woman with hair like a brilliant flame, golden eyes, and a doll-like appearance. She furrowed her brow upon seeing Shen Yunhai.

“When I didst perceive thy presence approaching us, I never did anticipate thee being accompanied by one unknown to me. O’ elder brother, prithee, who is this gentleman? By what means did he ingress the Realm of Sacred Flames? What doth unfold in this scene?”

Huǒ Pànguó grinned at her. It was an ugly look that caused Huǒ Yulie to flinch.

“You’re asking way too many questions, and I have no obligation to answer you. Stand aside, little sister, and I’ll pretend I didn’t see you. All I want is the bastard you’re hiding behind that barrier.”