Chapter 26 – This isn’t so Bad

  “Well, this isn’t so bad.” Jun De whispered to himself as the day slowly passed.

  The wind blew low across the barren wasteland, rustling Jun De’s robes as he surveyed the horizon with a hand to his face to block the red sunlight filtering down from above.

  Aside from the strange and haunting red sky, the black clouds that drifted overhead, and the landscape without a hint of life, Jun De didn’t find the inheritance site to be as terrible as he feared.

  Jun De had divided the Disciples in his care into small groups in order to better search the area and to draw less attention if some loose cultivator wanted to attack them, but still close enough to assist each other if something happened.

  He had chosen Lin Yue and Mei Lian to accompany him, partially because he didn’t know anyone else but mostly because Lin Yue was talented in herbs and knowledgeable in spiritual artifacts, while Mei Lian seemed to know how to use the sword at her side.

  Lin Yue was currently crouched beside a crumbling piece of metal that was embedded in the dirt; her long sleeves trailed in the dust as she turned it over with careful fingers. A thin shimmer of spiritual energy still pulsed within the small item when she plucked it from the ground.

  It was a cracked ring that was etched with symbols that were so faded Jun De couldn’t determine what they were.

  “This is a good find!” Lin Yue murmured as she brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. She turned it over in her hands to examine it more closely.

  “It’s low-grade, but it still holds a trace of Qi. It was most likely a defensive charm, and the Sect’s Forging Hall may be able to repair or recycle it!” Lin Yue looked up from the ring and smiled at Jun De, who gave a small nod.

  “Well done!” Jun De praised her, although he personally thought it was a piece of trash and wouldn’t have noticed the difference unless Lin Yue had pointed it out.

  Mei Lian stood off to Jun De’s right, standing atop a piece of jagged rock as she looked out at the landscape around them for threats. Her hand was still resting on the hilt of her sword tucked through the sash of her robes, and Jun De didn’t think she had relaxed once since they had entered.

  ‘She sure takes her job seriously.’ Jun De thought, and he was glad that he had asked her to come with him. Between Mei Lian looking out for danger and Lin Yue’s nose for treasure, Jun De thought they would do pretty well in this site!

  Lin Yue placed the ring in her storage bag, and the three began to move forward again, picking their way through the ancient battlefield in search of more opportunities. Lin Yue would occasionally stop to inspect a twisted piece of armour or the bones of some long-dead cultivator before shaking her head and moving on.

  It was impressive how well preserved some of the items were, but even cultivators and their artifacts succumbed to time eventually. Most of what they found was useless; the spiritual energy inside had departed a long time ago.

  Farther into the site and much deeper than Jun De would ever think to travel, Ren Qiu and the others had broken off into groups suitable for their cultivation levels.

  Ren Qiu was with a number of 2nd and 3rd level Qi Condensation cultivators, and Jun De had no doubt they had already faced their fair share of hardship.

  ‘It’s a lot better to stay out here.’ Jun De repeated for the thousandth time as he paused to look around, even if the finds weren’t as good.

  “Senior Brother, look!” Mei Lian called out and pointed at a depression in the ground.

  Jun De stepped carefully down into the shallow pit, and his breath caught in his throat as he took in the scene in front of him. The earth here had sunken and was filled with the bones of hundreds of ancient cultivators. Some still had shreds of cloth sticking to them, but their Qi had disappeared a long time ago.

  In the very center of the hollow was a black flower. It was this plant that caught Mei Lian’s attention.

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  Its petals were as dark as obsidian, while the edges were faintly translucent. Thin lines of crimson energy ran along the length of its stem, and Jun De could feel a slight cold radiating out from it.

  “Soul Shade Bloom. It’s a Tier-2 Spiritual Plant and is the main ingredient for the Soul Reinforcement Pill.” Lin Yue identified the rare flower immediately, and her voice was filled with awe at the discovery.

  “It only grows in places steeped in massive slaughter, where it absorbs the lingering resentment.” Lin Yue continued as if she were reading from a book.

  “Are there any special considerations when harvesting it?” Jun De asked after Lin Yue finished. She shook her head, and Jun De turned to look at Mei Lian.

  “Go ahead, you spotted it first.” Jun De reminded gently, and Mei Lian nodded eagerly.

  A Tier-2 plant was worth a lot to the Sect, and she needed Contribution Points as much as everyone else. She didn’t fail to notice how Jun De didn’t covet the flower or try to interfere in any way.

  Happily climbing down into the depression, Mei Lian reached the flower, gently removed it from the ground and placed it in her storage bag. When she climbed out of the depression and returned to Jun De and Lin Yue, she noticed that the sky was beginning to darken.

  The sun, an angry ball of red that looked far more menacing in the Inheritance Site than it had outside, dipped low onto the horizon, and the sky changed from a bright red to a deep crimson.

  Jun De was filled with a sense of unease, and a shudder ran down the length of his spine at the sight of the encroaching night. He didn’t know what changes it would bring to this desolate wasteland, but he could imagine that they wouldn’t be pleasant.

  “We should head back to the others and camp for the night.” Jun De said calmly, although inside, he was terrified.

  Lin Yue glanced up, and unease flickered across her face.

  “This colour, I don’t believe it’s from the sun.”

  Before anyone could respond, a strange stillness swept over the land, and a blood-red moon crested over the horizon to the east. It lit the battlefield in a ghastly crimson light, and the air turned sharp and cold, thick with a strange spiritual energy.

  They felt the change instantly as if the inheritance site suddenly turned on them. Its anger, malevolence and resentment became focused on the cultivators who had entered its domain.

  “Something’s wrong. The Qi feels like it wants to attack us!” Mei Lian exclaimed, and her breath caught in her throat.

  Jun De’s hands clenched into fists, and his heart pounded in his chest. The atmosphere thrummed with suppressed violence, like the edge of a storm that was about to break. A low vibration passed through the ground, and the wind picked up, carrying whispers with it that didn’t belong to the living.

  ‘Screw this! I’m out!’ Jun De screamed in his mind.

  “We need to regroup with the others. Now.” Jun De ordered, his voice sharp and commanding. His body displayed authority, resolve and a readiness that his mind didn’t feel at all.

  Jun De was screaming at his body to run away, to leave everyone here and try to get out of the site, but his body seemed ready for a fight.

  He had never felt such a disconnect between his body and mind since he had reincarnated in this new world.

  The trio had already turned away from the depression in the ground and were about to head to where the other groups under Jun De’s command were located when there was a sudden disturbance in the land around them.

  Jun De froze mid-step as the terrain nearby shifted with a faint cracking sound, followed by another, then several more.

  With a dry rustle, a skeletal hand burst from the earth, followed by the sound of crumbling dirt as more emerged. Figures began to claw their way from the ground all across the field like a relentless wave.

  Dozens of Corpse Puppets rose, and their bodies were twisted mockeries of once-proud cultivators. Some wore the remnants of ancient sect robes that were barely rags clinging to their flesh. Their skin was leathery and grey, and Qi pulsed faintly through their forms while their eyes burned with a malevolent red light filled with resentment.

  “Dead cultivators. The battlefield’s raising Corpse Puppets!” Lin Yue whispered in horror as more burst from the ground. There were hundreds now staggering to their feet and all in the 1st level of Qi Condensation.

  “We can handle them.” Mei Lian stated, trying to sound confident, but Jun De could hear doubt in her voice. The trio were all in the 2nd Level of Qi Condensation, and the difference between the two levels was stark, but he wasn’t sure if it was enough to overcome the numbers approaching them.

  If Jun De was uncertain when he was just facing Corpse Puppets of the 1st Level of Qi Condensation, he felt their chances plummet when, further away, the ground cracked wider and new figures emerged. They were taller and stronger, their bodies less decayed and their Qi firmly in the 2nd Level of Qi Condensation.

  ‘Oh shit, run! Run away! Run now! Now! Now! Now! Wait, what am I doing? Don’t do that!’ Jun De’s mind screamed as his body cycled the Qi inside his body and charged forward, using the Luminous Step to close the distance between him and the first of the Corpse Puppets in an instant.

  Mei Lian drew her sword and chased after him, her doubts put to rest as she saw her Senior Brother charge ahead without hesitation. She had relied on him to protect her in the Outer Valley, and this time, she was determined to prove herself to him.

  Even Lin Yue ran forward, reaching into her storage bag as she did so to pull out a handful of paper talismans. She was also in the 2nd Level of Qi condensation, but her skills lay in herbs and artifacts. The talismans in her hand could be used to ignite the Corpse Puppets with fire, burning them away.

  All across the Inheritance Site, Corpse Puppets were being infused with the site’s resentment and spiritual energy, and it became a battlefield once again for the first time in millennia.