CC 4 -ch25- (Patreon)

Ash went toward the center of the gathering with Ghast moving beside him. They stepped out to the center while every other Qi-Lord began distancing themselves.

Everyone was quickly spreading out and moving away from the center point.

“That’s really all you need? I will spend all the Qi I have if you can kill her Champion. I could easily challenge her again as soon as this meeting ends with my own Champ at that point,” Ghast gushed. She’d put her arm through Ash and was walking beside him.

“I can kill him, yes. Give me what Qi you can, let me own whatever’s on his body, and don’t be surprised when one of my people devours his leftover Qi,” Ash warned as kindly as he could. Hui’s ability would probably spook other cultivators.

Thankfully it’d look just like dark or death Qi, rather than anything truly terrifying.

Like a soul.

“I was curious about her. Her Qi felt odd. A dual nature,” Ghast mused more thinking to herself aloud. “Though that does make more sense now that you’ve said that. I imagine she’s quite the weapon to have here in prison.”

“She’s very useful,” agreed Ash as he and Ghast continued to walk along. They eventually stopped in the dead center. “Were you born here, my Lady Ghast?”

Ghast blinked several times, then grinned at him. She then turned fully and faced him, releasing her hold on his arm.

“Yes, I was. I have no sentence to serve,” Ghast admitted. “If you’re life starts here, your life ends here.”

I’ll fix that later. That’s ridiculous.

This Emperor is far too much.

The problem with the Kingdoms is the Emperor it seems.

Even a child would figure out that if enough people were in a prison like this, there’d eventually be children. Most kids, even those born to cultivators, end up without a Dantian.

This isn’t just foreseeable conclusion, it’s a damn guarantee.

“Aw, is that empathy? Do you feel that strongly for… your lady Ghast?” inquired Ghast with a flash of white teeth. She was smiling at him again and it looked quite natural. “By the way, I admit I’m free with men, but I’ve never been free with anyone if I’m in a relationship. Just… food for thought.

“Now, is there anything else you need from your Lady Ghast?”

She’d said the last with an emphasis he didn’t miss, nor did her words not leave an impact. There was no way of changing the fact that she was deliberately providing him with hints about her wanting to pursue more than just a working relationship.

“That’s all I’ll need for the time being. Though I wouldn’t be adverse to other rewards you bestow upon me at your own discretion, my Lady Ghast,” Ash said, stressing the possessive qualifier.

Ghast’s smile froze for a split second, then flickered, and became as wide as possible. Her eyes hard locked onto his and didn’t move away.

The corners of her eyes crinkled and she leaned toward him fractionally even as her shoulders loosened up.

Then she broke eye contact in a forceful way, glancing to the side and then nodding her head. She reached out to casually touch his shoulder.

He felt something heavy transfer to him in that moment.

As if a door had been created, then unlocked and pointed at.

On the other side of that door was an ocean of Qi threatening to blow the whole thing right off it’s hinges.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t die. If you can’t win, just surrender, they have to accept it. The same goes for him. If he can offer to surrender, you have to accept it. Don’t give him the option to surrender,” she demanded and then began walking away.

Looking away from Ghast, Ash instead focused on himself. He began to lightly hop in place. After a few seconds he started to wind his arms up and down, then back and forth. Only to switch and begin bending down and putting his leg out in a half squat. Then doing the same for the other leg.

In short order he did his best to warm up his muscles and get the blood flowing. At the same time he passively let his Dao warm up at the same time. Connecting it directly to his actions and letting it begin, as it were.

Think it’d be the end of the world if I lost?

“No. If anything it’d probably better if you got your ass beat and then surrendered,” Locke confessed. “Not least of which because I’m a little bitter at you being all goo-goo eyes at bitch-tits over there, but because it’d limit suspicion of you. It’d nullify concerns about you.

“You being able to defeat her Champion isn’t going to exactly make you fly under the radar. It’s going to paint a billboard and attach it to your forehead. With bright neon lights.

“And naked women at the corners. And promises of a million dollars to just sit at home.”

Got it, got it.

In other words, you think I should put up a good fight, get beat, then surrender?

“Yes. I do. Winning would be a loss at the moment.”

Alright… alright, I got it. I’ll try to lose gracefully.

“Just… just try not to die, dear. I don’t want to be a widow. I’d like to preferably die before you, honestly. That way you can lament my loss and cry over my grave. That’d be sweet.

“Living without you would be uncomfortable to say the least. Easier for both of us if I win the race to the end.”

Ash rolled his eyes and continued his warm-up. His Dao responded in kind.

It sped things up, then slowed them down. Forced them to bounce and bump, then to lie flat and move not at all.

Going through a similar if different method at the same time.

“Ha… what’re you doing?” asked a voice from his side.

Ash looked over and found a rather muscular looking man with an aura of Qi radiating out of him. There was at least three different types of Qi in fact from different elements.

His black hair was cut very short to the point that it was more akin to a shave. His face was clean of facial hair and his eyes were a hard black color.

He couldn’t have been older than thirty but he looked dangerous.

On top of that, one of the elements he held felt particularly stronger than the rest but Ash wasn’t sure which one it was. If the man was that talented he’d have to be careful. One wrong move and it’d go from a loss to a permanent deep sleep.

“Warming up. Why?” Ash asked curiously. He’d noted previously that most people didn’t bother to warm up despite the fact that they probably should. People of the Kingdoms just didn’t the arts as seriously as they probably should.

“What the fuck ever you pathetic dog. I’m just going to kill you with my magnificent arts,” growled the man and held up his fists. “I’ll teach you the meaning of not knowing your place. I’ll be your grandfather today and teach you right since your dad didn’t.”

Ash chuckled at that and shook his head. Bending at the waist one way then the other. Then he began twisting himself back and forth.

“Oh yeah, sure bud. I’ll just use my fuck-you-jutsu and turn you into a was,” Ash remarked with a loud laugh. “Or how about… ah… you and your owner just crossed the border of Fuck-Around and you’re about to find yourself in the middle of Find-Out city?

“Eh… that’s a bit of a stretch but I guess it works.”

“What… what did you say?” asked the man, sounding somewhat confused.

“Uhm… we’ll just go with… so you’ve chosen death,” Ash paraphrased then put himself in a ready position. “I’ll give you a swift exit from this mortal realm.”

The man across from him stood there for a moment in shock then blurred forward toward Ash.

His movements was fast.

Fast enough that Ash struggled to get a block up in time. This man really was two categories higher than him, without even counting individual levels.

Blurring at a speed that was surprising, the man’s hand came for Ash’s chest.

Shifting with his momentum, Ash didn’t try to stop the fierce strike. Nor did he even work to redirect it.

There was no point to engage with it at all. The strength and power of it was too strong. Too direct.

It’d blast right through Ash’s defences in a flash. There’d be no opportunity to change it’s flow or momentum.

Instead Ash did as he always did, he struck the arm that’d been thrown at him. Then as if he were smoke, he flowed past the man while landing a few strikes that were as much force as he could deliver without it impeding his exit.

Ducking under a savage and wild kick that came out at head-height Ash slipped away and opened up the distance.

“What, is that all? I knew Hand’s were trash but this is just laughable,” the man goaded Ash, patting at his own chest with a laugh.

Grinning, Ash nodded his head at the man and repeated the gesture, attaching the new chains to his chest. The influx of Qi that came through it told him what he needed to know.

The man could use Earth, Metal, and Fire. His predominant Qi was Earth, which made sense. His overwhelming strength reminded Ash of Mei.

“Laugh away. Laugh till you can’t breathe,” Ash promptly offered then raised his hands back into position.

Rather than coming forward, the champion brought his hands up in front of himself and pressed them together.

A faint sheen of green, brown, and red coalesced around him. Then he let his arms fall and Ash could tell he’d armored himself.

Shit. My chains won’t do anything at that point since the impact will be diminished. Time to change tactics.

Nodding his head Ash summoned up his Qi and drew it out through his hands. Forming it into a solid spear. He made sure the tip of it was as flat as a need’s tip though as wide as his hand.

It was also hardened to the point where it could probably crack through just about anything. Getting in close with this man would be the death of Ash, which meant he needed to do it from a distance.

Trying to do this at a distance Chunhua would take wouldn’t be possible. The Champion would just close it and do his best to end this.

“A spear? What is that? I’ve never seen the like,” said the Champion with a laugh. Then he started moving forward again. His right hand became a ball of flame while his left began to pool with liquid metal. “I’ll toy with it after I break you.”

Ash grinned and waited, holding onto the spear and keeping it steady in front of himself. He’d been planning on losing, but if he got hit by one of those fists, it wasn’t likely that he’d get back up.

To lose might be to lose far more than just his pride. He had to take this fight seriously and look for an opportunity to lose, or to win.

Whichever came first.

Faster this time then previously, the man threw out a kick that came out low. Unexpectedly so when Ash had been paying far too much attention to the man’s fists.

His foot flung forward as if it were being propelled.

Ash managed to strike out with the haft of his spear and knock it with a great deal of force into the champion’s ankle. It didn’t stop the attack however.

It exploded into Ash’s gut and went right through his guard as well as his inherent defenses. His hardened skin, muscles, and organs despite being Qi enhanced were nothing compared to the force of the blow.

Ash was blasted backward. Flying ass-first he rocketed away from the man, his arms and feet flying out as if they were trailers on a kite.

His Dao simply wasn’t able to keep up or compete with the Champion’s power. No matter which way Ash listened to or felt the momentum, this man was simply beyond his power.

The Champion moved to chase Ash down immediately.

Only to suddenly grasp at his stomach even as Ash hit the turf on all fours and slid away. It felt like his ribs were cracked and he was bleeding into his guts.

Gritting his teeth, he looked to the Champion. He was holding onto his abdomen with both hands.

“What? What the hell?” he demanded.

“Oh yeah,” Ash said and then coughed. It felt hard to breathe. He tapped the chain the man had created in striking Ash and connected it to himself. “Any damage you inflict on me, comes back in a way. Surprise.”

At the moment, he was once again for Qi-Thorns and that it was always active. Always giving an attacker some of their damage back.

Standing up Ash began to work at circulating his Qi actively. He was no Qi-Healer but he’d been healed enough to know a basis of what Rou did.

Using his Qi he worked to shore up some of the damage, stabilize broken bones, and give him the ability to fight on.

At the same time, he tried to dip into the world of sand. To see the momentum of everything and be able to guess at what was coming next.

To feel the shift and flow of things and see their paths.

Except it fell apart as soon as it formed. Collapsing on itself as if it were a house being made with only two walls on a foundation of water.

There was nothing to prop it up against given the amount of power he was surrounded by.

Everyone here had extreme influence, power, and control over the situation and it was subverting as well as distorting his Dao. Making it nearly impossible for Ash to get a solid read on anything.

Even when he fought his old Sect Master it hadn’t been this bad. Maybe it was because he’d had allies and people work on his side, but this situation simply didn’t give him any room to use his core Dao abilities.

His momentum had no sway here.

He’d have to fight.

Using Spring Step Ash charged forward. His spear coming out in a wild thrust while the Champion worked at recovering from the unexpected blow he gave himself.

Tipping to one side the Champion squirmed away.

Ash’s spear leaf blade spear clanged off his shoulder and scoured out a chunk of the man’s flesh. Gouging it out and sending it flying to one side.

Whipping his spear around in an underhanded arc Ash brought the rear of it around at his foe. Though they’d tumbled backward and away from Ash. Putting distance between them.

Tapping the new chain to his chest, Ash looked to the man and quirked his brows. He even managed a smile despite feeling like his lungs were barely able to push air in and out.

“Oh? You look like someone took a bite out of you. Though uh… it’s right over there I guess. Maybe you tasted like shit,” Ash taunted and then let out a soft chuckle.

“You’re dying, dear. You need to lose now,” Locke warned him.

Ash thought about that, then shook his head. That wasn’t going to be something he did. Instead, he planned on cheating.

Most people couldn’t use storage devices here. Very few could to the point that people didn’t suspect you of owning one.

Doing something stupid Ash coughed hard once, and felt his lungs give slightly. He held his hand up to his mouth while pulling out a medicinal pill Yue had made for him. He popped it into his mouth and covered it as if he were trying to keep himself from vomiting up blood.

Which really wasn’t possible unless his stomach was bleeding severely. At that point he’d really be in trouble.

Waiting for a second just to see if he’d jinxed himself Ash was relived to see he didn’t indeed throw up. Though it’d take a minute for the pill to start working.

Then he threw up. A great deal of blood came welling up out of his guts and past his hand over his mouth.

He caught sight of the pill passing along with the blood and landing in the grass.

Damnit all.

Won’t be taking anything to help with this.

Times up, I guess.

Grabbing hold of his spear he held it out in front of himself and then shook his head once. Angling it at his enemy who was now getting to his feet, Ash readied himself.

The man hadn’t understimated Ash. In fact he’d made this contest consideragbly harder since he activated his abilities.

He’d treated Ash as dangerous and nearly killed him.

This wasn’t a good fight for Ash.

“Fuck it,” he muttered and then retracted his spear back into his palm. Then he slapped both hands to the ground and brought forth all of his Qi. At the same time, he drew heavily upon the Qi from Ghast.

The pressure of the great ocean of Qi beyond that door she’d given him gave in. Then rushed out of him through his palms.

Two sets of solid beams of Qi shot out from Ash’s hands and came up on either side of the Champion. Causing the man to look down to either side.

Not waiting, he sidestepped and hopped over one.

Ash had expected that.

The beam suddenly became a wall and intersected with the man.

It unfortunately didn’t split him in half, but it did take him off the ground.

At the same time the other beam also became a wall and then rapidly surrounded the man.

“What the hell are you doing!?” shrieked the man. He’d been put into a position where his great strength, Qi, and abilities couldn’t do anything. He was being held off the ground by something he couldn’t shatter.

As evidenced by him repeatedly kicking and punching the wall Ash had made.

Then he was shut out from view of everyone as the walls clanged shut around him.

Ash closed his eyes and focused on what was going on inside of the design. This would hold the man but it wasn’t infinite.

Each strike he landed spent more Qi to repair the damage. To prevent it from crumbling away into nothing from those frightening strikes.

On the interior walls he quickly created inlays of enchantments. Turning the walls into a formation that would strip the Qi of whatever was inside and touching them away.

At the same time, Ash was attempting to grow the wall through the champion. It’d reached the wound in his shoulder and was trying to push into his body directly.

Once the patterns clicked into place the walls began to glow an eerie phosphorescent blue color. No patterns showed up on the outside, but it was now obvious something was going on in the inside.

The Champion began to shriek as his Qi was rapidly being drained away by force, though it sounded as if he were dying.

To everyone else, they had no idea what was going on.

What Ash knew, was the Qi wall was digging through the man’s torso now. It’d run through the wound in his arm and was carving out his organs even as it rapidly drained him inside out.

What were once shrieks became wet gurgles as the Qi wall grew inside the champion. Cutting his lungs away from inside of him and then digging out his heart.

Once those three organs were cut loose, the man shuddered in the grasp of Ash’s construct. His body then went limp quickly, no longer able to support himself up at the sudden and rapid loss of blood pressure.

Or more accurately, the rapid loss of his heart.

Ash grew the wall up into his head and made sure to cut his eyes out so he could pull them free easier when this was over. Then he rapidly retracted all the Qi and brought it back into himself.

Drawing everything back completely.

When it was all said and done, the once champion was laying on the ground. There was a great deal of blood all over the front of his body. It had apparently erupted out of his mouth at some point.

“Alright. That’s a big hunk of dead guy,” Ash said and then laughed, waving a hand at the man. He felt rather sleepy and dizzy right now. “I need-I need to get his eyes for my Lady Ghast.”

“Rou is coming! Hang in there!” Locke asked.

A large black ball of Qi rose up out of him and then shot off toward Hui who caught it neatly in one hand.

“Nice!” Ash said in English and gave Hui a thumbs up. He was feeling rather silly right now. Silly and light headed. The pain he’d been feeling was fading now. Then he laughed and promptly fell backward. Hitting the turf and staring up at the sky above him.

He could faintly see the impenetrable ceiling of the prison far far far above. A slate gray color that ran as far as the eye could see in every direction.

Up there, somewhere, were buildings, ships, and islands that the Qi-Lord’s and their people lived upon.

“Tiered realms are inherently wrong as the gap between them is too large,” whispered Ash. Then he blinked.

Or tried to.

Instead he passed out from blood loss.