Chapter 99 - Eating Destiny (Patreon)

[Table of Contents]

Youjin Chao took in a chilled breath. His guts were telling him the treasure was near, entwined with the danger represented by the warring fiends.

He didn’t know the names of these creatures, but judging by their domineering frames and impressive auras, they were powerful to the extreme.

The larger of the two, the Chaosfiend with the four beastly heads, rolled and thrashed, trying to detach itself from its rope-like adversary. The very earth shook at each impact and rubble rained down. The Chaosfiend would jump when thrashing did not work, aiming the body of the snake that constricted it towards the protruding growths, stalagmites and stalactites, on the cave surfaces. It would hit the body of the Voidfiend with various sinister flavours of qi attacks too from its jaws, maws, and beaks.

There were signs that this cavern used to be much narrower. The west side was a long stretch of boulders and rock; it looked as though a wall separating it with another chamber had collapsed. Perhaps this place originally two caverns made one because of the destructive might of the fiends?

As the struggling Chaosfiend continuously attacked it with qi and claw, the Voidfiend would twitch but its eyes showed no emotions, only cold bloodlust. It didn’t escape unscathed, yet it didn’t sustain enough injuries to release its grip. It would constrict harder in response, the spikes on its scale digging deeper into flesh. Chao saw it trying to bite into the Chaosfiend’s spine with giant, sabre-like fangs, clear acidic poison dripping from them with smoke and sizzles.

But every time it tried, one of the three functioning heads of the Chaosfiend would somehow turn around and snap back with crushing force.

It was a stalemate, but Chao could see that the snake Voidfiend was winning.

That wasn’t what caught his eyes though.

Other than trying to free itself of the Voidfiend, the Chaosfiend had another target. Slowly but surely, it was trying to make its way towards a small, root-like plant growing out of the cavern wall on one far side.

It was the sole place in the cavern unharmed by the fight.

The reason became evident as the Voidfiend targeted the plant, unleashing a torrent of putrid green liquid and qi from its gaping maw. In response, the Chaosfiend went into an unprecedented frenzy, fiercely ramming its own lizard-like head against the serpent’s, determined to shield the precious treasure even at the cost of enduring the corrosive assault.

This treasure, was a Ginseng.

Chao recognised it. His blood boiled at the very sight with the longing of a lost lover.

The ginseng plant’s exposed root-body was adorned with red stripes, adding to its striking appearance, while at the top, large leaves resembling radishes sprouted. The leaves were bright orange, with veins the colour of sunlight. It was as if the solar rays themselves have condensed into liquid blood and were flowing through the plant.

The light was enough to brighten the whole cavern.

To Voidfiends, this treasure would be a lethal poison. They would destroy such a thing on sight when possible. To the Chaosfiend, however, it could be supremely beneficial as it was to the vast majority of renyao. In fact, many Chaosfiends were known to guard such natural treasures vehemently until they matured.

For years on end.

And this ginseng, this Hundred Yang Bloodroot as depicted in his maternal clan’s scrolls, was exactly the thing he needed to activate his Yang-type Assimilation Bloodline!

Luckily, it grew from a wall around a hundred meters away from where Chao perched with Chiri on his back, diagonally below to his left.

But he would still need to get down.

It was quite close to the ground though, perhaps a light jump was enough if he were to hop from the cavern ground.

“Chriii~.” The Fiery Wine Lemur cooed. Her soft hands patted Chao’s neck like she was playing a drum. “Chrii!”

Chao stepped back inside the tunnel, out of the eyesight of the two fiends. It was fortunate that he had cast a stealth talisman before the little lemur could alert the two fighting titans.

What to do… Chao wanted that Ginseng. He craved the Ginseng. He needed that Ginseng.

He knew in his guts that it would be enough to activate his dormant bloodline and rejuvenate his dantian to once more process his extreme yang origin qi, his quintessential essence qi. Perhaps he would not be able to mend his spirit qi’s Temple Palace Dantian, but as long as he could mend his Navel Palace Dantian, he could start cultivating.

He could start winning.

But the Four-headed Chaosfiend was aiming for the same target, no doubt the Ginseng would grant it enough of a boost to kill the bone-like serpent entangling it.

Would it let Chao just walk up and snatch the herb?

Unlikely.

Those fiends were both at the Imperfect Heaven 3rd Order, at the least, or Chao would eat his shoe.

They had already displayed capabilities for long range qi attacks.

The Mirror Fortress could maybe protect Chao from one such strike.

But then he’d be spent. Unconscious more likely. And those fiends would certainly have enough chaos or void qi for another volley to kill the intruding rat that had no business being there.

There was no powerful Su Fox Clan maid here to clean the filth either.

Chao took out a talisman. It was a hexagonal wooden block with formations crafted into it with blood-red ink. Blood of fiends or perhaps renyao too.

On its back was the insignia of the Twilight Blood Palace. His last remaining Unfolding Heaven 1st Grade Defensive Talisman given by the Elder.

“Chiririririririri.” The little lemur tugged Chao’s hair towards the direction of the tunnel’s exit. She wanted to see the two beasties fight.

Chao’s hand clenched harder around the talisman.

Youjin Chao does not half-arse things. Once a step is taken, he will see it through to the end! The vengeful boy repeated that in his mind as if trying to hypnotise himself. Unlike Ziyou Yung, who relishes in running away.

The defensive talisman would only work on one being. It could not be cast on both him and Chiri.

He could cast it on himself, take Chiri with him to get the Ginseng. But the long-range attack from the fiends would obliterate the little lemur lass in less than a second, even if he could escape unharmed.

Did he bring the pup here just to kill it?

Chao shook his head.

Another rumble echoed through the cave, the shockwave of which travelled up Chao’s spine and into his heart. Chiri giggled louder. She was now suckling on her fingers.

The last time they had a meal was quite some hours ago. She was hungry.

Chao had fed her a fasting pill. But by the disgusted look the lemur lass had given him, she probably preferred something with more taste.

It would have to wait.

The boy thought harder. He had another option. Leave the little lemur here, cast the defensive talisman on himself with a stealth talisman before aiming for the Ginseng.

But those were Imperfect Heaven 3rd Order fiends. His stealth Talismans were barely enough to deceive a weak Imperfect Heaven 2nd Order fiend.

The only reason the two titans didn’t notice Chao right now was because they were not actively paying attention.

If Chao were to take the Ginseng, they would search for the culprit. Would his paltry talisman be enough to hide from their qi-augmented sight?

There were better ways to commit suicide.

So they would chase him. In their rage, they might destroy everything around with rampant bursts of qi.

Unless Chao escaped through another tunnel and left Chiri somewhere absolutely safe, she’d die from the rampage.

But suppose Chao did go back and left Chiri in some hidden crevice with a stealth talisman to hid her trace, would he be able to be back for her before the talisman’s effect expired? Unlike the defensive talisman which had a huge duration, even the best crafted stealth talisman he had did not last more than an hour.

If that happened, another random voidfiend or chaosfiend could find Chiri and kill her. Perhaps they would be attracted by her fearful or hungry cries?

Chao’s eyesight, keen as ever, was able to detect the movements and trails of numerous monsters in the tunnels, with a large number of elusive voidfiends lurking about. It is worth mentioning that before reaching this location, he had to confront a large group of Wretched Hornbeasts in the previous cavern and battle numerous other fiends too.

He gripped the talisman in his hand harder.

“You be good, okay? I’ll be back soon,” the boy said. Chiri bit his shirt and pulled on it as if it were food.

The boy traced his steps back. He found a hidden spot covered by a formation of cracked rocks, a burrow in the earth, after walking back a bit. He placed the bundled-up lemur inside it.

There wasn’t much time. Any moment now, the Four-headed fiend might reach the Ginseng.

Chao activated the talisman, Chiri started crying.

“Chriiiii!”

The sensation of an Unfolding Heaven grade defensive talisman on the body of such a frail lemur babe should be very alien. The little thing cried big pearls of tears and tried to struggle out of her bundle.

“Don’t cry. I’ll return in no time.” Chao then cast one of the stealth talismans on the lemur lass. He would cast more, but knew that this variety of stealth talismans did not stack their effects. Neither the efficacy of the stealth nor the duration would increase.

The little lemur cried harder. It must have noticed that Chao was leaving it behind.

“I promise I’ll be back.” Chao said even though he knew the lemur lass would not understand him.

Hopefully, she’ll be safe until I can come back. Chao thought. He wasn’t one for praying.

So at the end, he only had one option, really. Cast the defensive talisman on Chiri to keep her absolutely safe from stray fiends, even if they find her.

He would cast a stealth talisman on himself too, along with the many other types of auxiliary talismans he had, then finally he would activate the mirror fortress to the fullest, before grabbing the Ginseng.

Then—

“I run.” Chao stopped. “This is not cowardice. I am not like Brother Yung. He would have never taken the risk to get the Ginseng. But I will, for I am brave, stealing the treasure underneath the noses of the giants.”

With rage and resolve, he stepped into the dim light of the exit once more. He had popped two whole vials of pills filled with spirit and origin qi boosting pills, then ingested five vials of elixirs with healing, protective, anti-venom effects too. Any other person would have keeled over from such an overdose, but his physique was special.

He cast the various remaining categories of minor defensive talismans he possessed onto himself.

His being was radiating qi of all the overlapping effects. It would not be enough to save him in the worst-case scenario.

But perhaps, he could buy some time.

Chao was met with the sight of the Four-headed Chaosfiend, still entangled by the serpent and far more injured, barely fifty feet from the Ginseng.

His heart skipped a beat.

The Chaosfiend’s three heads were dealing with the bone-white Voidfiend while the fourth, the Lion head, was reaching towards the treasured plant with naked greed and desperation in its eyes.

The boy jumped from the ledge.

He no longer cared if he was seen. The wolf head of the Chaosfiend and one of the Voidfiend’s eyes snapped in his direction.

They could not see him, but knew something was there.

The Chaosfiend roared out, a grey sphere of qi with a white core blasted towards Chao from its wolf head. The boy squatted so low his body looked pasted together into the ground, as if his bones did not exist.

He then jumped forwards like a spring, an explosion of chaotic qi burnt his back with merely the residual heat.

It was as if all those defensive talismans had no effect, with how easily the attack broke through his defences.

The Voidfiend did not miss its chance. Sensing the Chaosfiend’s negligence, it bit down again with its venomous fangs.

The attack struck true. It avoided the scaly armour of the lizard head and the thick mane of the lion head, piercing the injured flesh between the near-dead bird head and the distracted wolf head.

Putrid green venom injected into the Chaosfiend and a sickening sizzle sounded from inside its body. The veins under its skin glowed the same green colour, before leaking out like fountains with corrupted blood. The blood curdled as it fell like yogurt.

The Chaosfiend screamed in pain. With the Voidfiend’s head stuck in its neck, it too bit down with its Wolf canines, Lizard fangs, and Bird beaks. The force of the attack crushed the Voidfiend’s scales, then its skull. But the creature still did not let go.

Chao reached the Ginseng. He touched the exposed orange leaves. Immediately, his skin and flesh darkened as if burnt by fire. The boy resisted the pain. With one swift but careful motion, he pulled out the roots of the treasured herb.

The plant was lighting the cavern up before, but now, it was as if a sun had appeared in the mortal world, illuminating everything in the yellow light of yang. The Chaosfiend let out a mournful cry, the Voidfiend constricted even harder with one mission to murder its enemy, no care for its life.

Okay, let’s get out of here. Chao thought. He had taken a risk, and it played out well.

He could make it out.

The Chaosfiend was still entangled with the dying Voidfiend. A few minutes later, it would no doubt die too.

He just needed to avoid the last do-or-die attack of the Chaosfiend he knew was coming.

His mirror fortress was at the ready, even if most of his talisman effects were spent taking the brunt of the previous attack.

Chao turned around, deciding to escape in the direction of the tunnel he’d left Chiri in. He wouldn’t lead the fiends to her, of course; there were forks in the road he could take before that.

Who knows. Maybe he could come back some time later to the corpses of the two behemoths. A windfall of treasure to restart his future cultivation.

A dull thud rang out. Chao gasped out as he had collided with something.

What the— His eyes widened in shock.

It was a foxmoth. Pale white, skin like a Wretched Voidfiend’s and flying dizzy in the air with tattered moth-wings.

“You…jin… Chao!!!” The thing gurgled out his name from its mandible-sided fox-snout.

Chao was so shocked he was rooted to the spot. He didn’t even notice the Four-headed Chaosfiend jump towards him, Voidfiend in tow, with its Lion maw opened wide enough to swallow a tree in one bite.

By the time he reacted, the pale white foxmoth had tackled into his chest, and the jaws of the Chaosfiend were closing around him, earth, stone, and foxmoth included, from all directions.

“No!” Roared the boy, even as the teeth of the fiend bit into him. All he could do was brace for impact, and before the worse would happen, swallow the Hundred Yang Bloodroot with one equally large chomp.