HolyMouse
patreon
Cultivation Nerd: Chapter 117
🕑 Added 2024-06-13 18:20:45 +0000 UTCChapter 117 - Madness in Power
What in the actual fuck was I looking at? What was this?
A shaky breath traveled up my throat as I laid eyes on what could only be described as the result of pure madness!
In the first cell we were about to walk past was a thin, corpse-like man. His stomach was open, with his intestines spilling onto the ground. One of those intestines was wrapped around his mouth as a gag to stop him from saying anything.
Flies had gathered around him, and for a second I thought he was dead. However, his body twitched, showing that he was still alive.
Cultivators often had strong vitality and could survive injuries no mortal ever could. I always saw that as an advantage in most cases. Yet, this... death would be better than whatever this was.
Despite the shocking sight, I was left in a trance and followed the Core Elder behind. But my eyes were glued to the cells as the following figure appeared in the second cell.
It was a prisoner with his limbs burned off, just a thin torso and a head. He had a dead-eyed look as he stared at the ceiling, the only sign of life being the rising and falling of his chest as he breathed.
As I walked, I fell into a daze, feeling like I could no longer control my body. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Yet, more and more brutal sights greeted me.
Next was a person stuffed into a tight barrel too small for a human with dried blood on the ground. He resembled a sludge of flesh. His face crunched and crushed as he looked around in terror, unable to do anything.
And so the horrors continued unimaginable cruelties that no sane mind would ever conjure. It was like looking at insanity itself. As we climbed down, about to reach the ground floor at the bottom of the prison, I was returned to my senses.
That was when I caught sight of a hook piercing through both biceps of a man, holding him in place by the ceiling. Only the meat of his arms held him up. As I walked past his cell, I could hear him breathing heavily, trying to endure the pain without screaming.
Then came the last cell. It was a man tied to a chair, looking at a mirror with a sense of bottomless terror and despair. The top of his head was scalped open, with the top of his skull, bone, and hair nowhere to be seen. He stared at himself in the mirror as a rat gnawed at his brain.
The brain didn't have pain receptors to feel pain... but seeing a rat eating his brain...
The sound of footsteps was the only thing I could hear.
They wouldn't dare do something like this to Song Song, right? After all, it was illogical to cripple someone as talented as her.
But by now, any hope that whoever had made this place worked with a logical mind was thrown out the window. My heart was in my throat, and the only thing I heard was a buzzing sound in my ears.
No, perhaps they didn't need to cripple her. After all, this world had healing pills and artifacts. A chill went down my spine at just the thought of how far someone could go with torture without crippling someone.
This was what happened when a fucked-up person gained ultimate power. This wasn't a prison; this was torture!
Cold sweat ran down my brow as I struggled to calm down.
My goal was to reach Foundation Establishment, where I could read peacefully without anyone bothering me. But would Foundation Establishment be enough to keep me from ending up like this?
...
After some unknown amount of time, the granny walked around the bottom of the prison. The place was dark, and it was often hard to tell where one was going. I could barely see anything and just followed the granny's Qi.
There was the sound of a creaking door and something opening. It was a large door, big enough to fit a giant, and inside, it led to a place with some light. With how dark it was down here, this light was a welcome sight.
I stayed a step behind the granny as I followed her in. As soon as we were both past the doors, they slammed shut behind us with a thundering sound that startled me.
With no escape in sight, I realized something crucial about this ordeal. I didn't really know this old granny that well. What if she had lured me in here with fake promises? Perhaps Song Song was not even here; this could all be a sick game for them.
But such thoughts disappeared when I saw something. It was a woman's body, tightly draped in dark bandages all over. She was on a cross with nails running through her wrists, blood dripping down the nails and onto the ground, forming a small pool.
Before the cross became a Christian symbol of faith, it was known as a method of torture. Jesus Christ was nailed on the cross as a form of torment. Even Julius Caesar used a similar method against pirates who had captured him. But in this world, it had no religious connotations; it was just pure torture.
The body looked like a doll, and nothing about it was recognizable. The only indication that it was female was the figure's bosom.
Song Song was quite well endowed in that area, though she never showed it since her uniform was loose and thick.
There was no need to speculate much longer as the crucified woman gathered Qi in her maw and shot it outward, creating a hole in the bandages around her mouth.
"Teacher, did you finally decide to come and try to put up those torture arrays?" Song Song asked nonchalantly, her voice a little raspy. She shrugged before adding, "I will admit, it would kind of break the monotony around here. Can we start with the lightning torture arrays? My muscles are sore since, as you can see, I couldn't move my body much."
The granny frowned when she heard that, though I couldn't help but crack a smile.
Right, I had been worried for no reason. Whether they tortured her or not, this was Song Song I was worrying about. She would yawn mid-torture and give some advice to the torturer.
"No, we are here to talk," said her teacher. "Also, torture arrays didn't work on you as a kid either when you killed that concubine. So it would be useless to use them now."
Was she talking about that rumor that Song Song killed one of the Sect Leader's concubines?
"Why are you here then if you're not going to add some torture arrays? It's boring around here, but not boring enough for me to want to listen to you talk. I would rather take the torture," Song Song sighed. "Wait, is your talking going to be the torture method? Can we please not do that and move to the good old tradition of ripping off my nails or something like that? There's only so much of your ranting I can take before I explode the Qi at the back of my throat and kill myself."
Even in these moments, she was being sarcastic. I puckered my lips, trying to hold in the chuckle that almost escaped me. She made me forget what I had seen outside the doors for a second.
"Some people are worried that you might do something thoughtless, like try and escape," the granny said, nudging me forward. "Even your friend came here to advise you against this."
When she heard that, Song Song's mocking smile slipped away. Even though her eyes were covered by those dark bandages, I felt she could still see me.
I stared at the granny and wondered when she last spoke to a normal person. She was clearly out of touch.
What the hell, granny? Did she expect me to just tell Song Song to be a good pet and stay put after everything I saw? How could she even be so calm after this whole ordeal?
Right... she was a monster who had lived hundreds of years. I was looking at this all the wrong way. She must know the people who came up with a place like this. After all, she knew the place intimately. How often had she been here? Hundreds? Thousands of times?
I looked at Song Song and then at her bleeding wrists. What should I tell her? Should I twist the truth and lie since the Core Elder granny was here? Perhaps I could twist my words where they had a hidden meaning that only Song Song would understand.
But... this was how she ended up because she tried saving me. If I caved in now at the slightest bump, then I would regret something like this for the rest of my life. Also, I owed it to her to not lie. She had always been honest with me.
"Let's destroy it all after you are out of here," I said.
The granny's eyes widened when she heard that, and she, before I could even blink, quickly put a hand over my mouth before I could say anything more. She looked at me with a bewildered gaze.
But Song Song wasn't surprised at all. Instead, she agreed, "Yeah, sure. Though rebuilding from the rubble sounds like a chore, I will leave that to you."
I tried to push the granny's hand away to answer back. While her grip was not painful, it was firm, and it felt like I was trying to move away an immovable metal statue. That kind of strength could easily rip my head off.
Though her eyes were covered, Song Song seemed to understand that I couldn't answer, so she said, "When I'm outta here, I will give you access to the entire Song Clan Library. You can nerd out while I go and kill a couple of people."
After a few seconds of silence, Song Song seemed to read my mind and started laughing maniacally. "Hahahaha! We're gonna kill so many people together! We will leave behind a mountain of corpses of anyone who crosses us!"
The granny paled. Whatever plan she had by bringing me here... Well, it had backfired spectacularly.
___________________________________
A/N: I had more gruesome and detailed descriptions for the horrors in the cells. But decided that Liu Feng would likely be too surprised and abesent-minded to pay attention to all the details.
Comments
DeadSlime
Why did this suddenly become available?
Ladyhotcomb
I actually don't mind this ship. But only if it's allowed to cook for longer. Foreplay and edging is key.
stormferret
That was my first thought too, after seeing all that madness he came to the conclusion that this is why she thinks death it justice and it is by comparison. Also they keep bringing up the concubine thing and I think maybe song song caut her killing/poisoning the baby's cultivation and killed her for justice.
Derze
I’m so ready for it
BJ
This is turning into wither the best love story or a weird buddy cop like cultivation story. Lol
Straven
I'd hazard a guess that song honestly actually trust him now, as in turn her back without any issue nor worry trust. Something I've no doubt she's never had let alone experienced before and is enjoying! Thanks for another read.
Scarlett
I wouldn't call it simping, it's more just that he's invested a lot in her, and she literally put herself in this position to get him the medical care needed to save his life. Plus it's not like people are cold, calculating machines, even if he understands that Song Song probably doesn't feel or react to emotions the way a normal person would, he's probably pretty attached to her at this point.
Xegzy
This right here, I just....I just dont get it. ive been waiting, but the the whole why hes simping for song song this hard when ya know, hes trying to not get ganked. I dont get it. why is he so badly in song songs corner is just baffling.
StarBat
People gotta speculate. Let em speculate.
CptJimmy
She thought he would do as she said without needing instructions to do so, most people in power think things go the way they want it to, and when it doesn't, it surprises them.
Notcreepycreeper
I'm confused what exactly the old lady wanted from Liu Feng. She never told him to tell Song Song to chill. She never threatened him or did anything to make sure he said what he was supposed to. then she's suprised when he says something else?
Bereftreader
Also I see a lot of arguing about song song and liu fang becoming romantic. I think it's better to let the story take its course. Forcing it unnaturally would be bad, but also restricting it is a bummer I think. A romantic couple doesn't mean the novel turns into a romance story or smut book, same way romance isn't a strict necessity (though I do think they'd make a fun power couple).
Bereftreader
I'm loving liu fang's growth as a cultivator, he's becoming more than just a wallflower and realizing in a world as insane as the cultivation universe personal strength and ruthlessness are a necessity while still maintaining his unique personality and perspective. I just wish the chapters were longer lol.
marlassett
I think our baby boy is reaching a turning point.
Tanean
Both works. The second one put emphasis on "destroy", the first one put it on "after you are out". It all depend on what the author want to focus on. Considering Song Song, our MC dosen't need to put any arrow towards destruction x)
Perf
Ngl, you sound like a really boring person.
Alex
Tbh I’m kinda losing interest in the series… I thought the guy would try to stay away from all the fighting/intrigue/excitement and that’s where the humor would come from, him finding clever ways to avoid it. Instead here he is - in the messed up dungeon of the most powerful clan in the sec, after single handedly fighting off a monster invasion. Sounds like exactly all the things he wanted to avoid
Treacherous_Usurper
"When I'm outta here, I will give you access to the entire Song Clan Library. You can nerd out while I go and kill a couple of people." After a few seconds of silence, Song Song seemed to read my mind and started laughing maniacally. "Hahahaha! We're gonna kill so many people together! We will leave behind a mountain of corpses of anyone who crosses us!" Is the implication here that Liu Feng refused staying at the library in his thoughts because he'd rather be helping her directly? That's very bloodthirsty, but in line with the mental corruption he seemed to get after breaking into QI gathering. He may not be able to fix her, but she can definitely make him worse.
An_Reader89
Amen brother
Valderan
Cue the "always sunny in Philadelphia" misic
Holy Mouse
It was not bunk, but blink. I fixed it now. Btw, thanks for pointing some of the mistakes.
DraconianGreed
I think Liu Feng creating that technique bellies his xianxia protagonist energy. Even from a moment of utter defeat, he obtains something of value.
C
Likewise. I had originally wanted them to just stay friends. Now I don't care all that much. I juts hope MC doesn't end up as crazy as song song and stays the cultivation nerd.
DraconianGreed
Wait… could Song Song’s Absolute Justice actually count as mercy? In comparison to this Melting Tower… Hammurabi’s Code becomes mercy. Am I miss-remembering?
MO
God damn, what a bunch of psychos. Also I think bunk might be blink instead
Jairo Enrique Quevedo
Is Liu Feng just on the Song Song train now? Is he just going to point Song Song at people like an attack dog?
Treacherous_Usurper
I think she would have treated Liu Feng very differently if she had known that he was also the inventor of the killing intent technique.
Forgottenone
'"Teacher, did you finally decide to come and try to put up those torture arrays?" Song Song asked' The old granny wonders why her granddaughter does listen to her. Wow, talk about being out of touch. So yea the black hints are just that bad, this really shines some light on why the Song family is so messed up.
Tavian-No-Tavius
It's things like these you don't see in generic novels since In our world torture often works by exploiting flaws in the human body.Torture here works only on cultivators.Now how is he gonna explain this.
Sterban Friz
Great chapter, don't shy away from scenes like this, it can add so much to a story when done right, so good
Treacherous_Usurper
Intimidation doesn't work on someone whose balls are big enough to impress Song Song.
Robert Adams
Everything's relative
Monadologist
IDK, I'm kind of enjoying how unhinged she seems from the outside. You often legitimately don't know how she is going to react moment to moment. I think some of that magic would be lost if you could crawl inside her head and compute what she's going to do next. As it is she managed to surprise me on a regular enough basis that I find her a delightful character, in part because that full-throated commitment to the bit, without us-as-the-audience precisely knowing what the bit is.
Perf
Granny made the mistake of showing Liu Feng that Song Song is pretty normal and well adjusted compared to the rest of the Song Clan.
Treacherous_Usurper
"And that, kids, is how I met your mother."
Hugo Nuef
When I started reading this story, I didn't expect this high quality! I am so hype now! Please be careful of burn out and thanks for the chapters!!
Green0Photon
God, I love this so much. Song Song x Liu Feng OTP. No matter how different they are, they do actually understand each other. And they both know and understand the desire to impose your own will onto the world. These kids are headed towards the top.
BookwormLich
The granny master is really out of touch. I mean, she actually just had to ask Liu Feng to placate Murderous Beauty Song Song to chill. Wow I’m not usually a shipper but the vidbes between these Song and Lui are getting heavier in a Bonnie and Clyde way, being Lui Feng Bonnie😅
The Golem Crafter
He could also do she had always been honest with me. Which I think flows better
SirWins
I agree. Just something to add to this point. I think he decided to go all in when he realised thats its possible that he could end up in such a situation too. And he was powerless to nerd out in peace. Even if he became a foundation establishment
EsZeus
Really like the dynamics between Song Song and the MC. Nicely done
Raztou
I would really like a Song Song pov, now that we know a little more about her.
Monadologist
I do think the horror _worked well_ for this chapter. Without it, it would be a _bad_ digression from our protagonist's character to be like "fuck it we ball" as someone put it, but with it, the visceral level of disgust he feels at the Song family's practices shines through. And coming from that background Song Song makes a lot more sense. I really felt like I understood the nature of both characters a lot better as a result of this frame. Yes, it is uncomfortable, but without it is hard to get into the head of a protagonist who is so uncomfortable with what he is seeing he's finally decided to go all in on making it stop.
Raztou
No, while we knew the song family was fucked up, we didn't know to which level. The last few chap unveil the truth, and the fact that it is such a change of pace with the "feel" of the story until now is all the more important. The description show that no, behind the cliché of stupid cultivators, thing can become really dire. I am not a fan of meaningless gore in stories, but in this case, I think it add something to the plot, and to the reasons for characters growth.
Neruz
Going into shock upon witnessing things like that is pretty normal, all things considered.
Mikkel Poulsen
This is a VERY big tonal swing in the story so far... And some people are REALLY not okay with graphic descriptions of torture. You might wanne go back on this and gloss over the specific torture methods via a "the things I saw woul haunt me forever". I do not read this story for the gore, and this just seems really excessive. We can kill people in gory ways and we had a scene with cannibalism, but it was implied that might have been an implanted memory. These descriptions just goes way to far in my opinion. If the point is to imply that the Song family is fucked up, that was established many times before. This just seems off... especielly compared to the tone of the rest of the story. My STRONG suggestion is you dial it way back.
Undead Writer
F it we ball is the best way to describe cultivation worlds! Lol
Baconwargod
Oh ship this hard now. Crazy fucking good character development for the MC.
Undead Writer
Appalling. My autocorrect said appealing, but I meant appalling! Uh
Undead Writer
Thanks for the chapter! It was really appealing reading all that, but it just goes to show how F’d up the cultivation stuff was once more! Go MC! Get stronger and kick butt! I hope SS is ok though. Reading a woman in such a plight is…well. It’s hard to read such things, but I get the path you wish to go with your story. BUT WHY DOES IT END HERE!!! I NEED SO MUCH MORE!!
Trojana1
"Always" in "She had always been honest with me all this time." Is redundant. Removing "always" tightens the sentence and maintains the focus on the consistent honesty Also the word "had" kinda implies to me that the honesty was in the past and there's an implication that something changed? Would "has" be more appropriate? "She has been honest with me all this time" sounds right but maybe I'm crazy. You could do " "She has always been honest with me" if you want the emphasis of always... sorry for nit picking I'll stop now.
TerjoR
Best duo ever 😂😂 show them what you got
Trojana1
Song says sore twice. "I'm sore since, as you can see, I couldn't move my body much here, and my muscles are sore." It would be a bit cleaner if you remove one. Like: "My muscles are sore since, as you can see, I couldn't move my body much."
Trojana1
"before I could even bunk," are you british holymouse? Also Is that not the similar to "before I could say anything more" and therefore redundant? "The granny's eyes widened when she heard that, and she, before I could even bunk, quickly put a hand over my mouth before I could say anything more."
DaftWully
I never really thought of Liu Feng as absent minded. Willfully ignorant about some things, sure. Single-minded on scholarship to the exclusion of all else, absolutely. But not absent minded.
DraconianGreed
Get fucked Grandma! You thought a true subordinate of Song Song would be sane?
person1357
Lol that was fantastic, definitely shipping those two.
Half_coop
Really it’s her own fault for not trying to explain the situation to Feng
Vara
Trust between monsters. I don't think Song Song ever felt this happy before.
Bacon Sir
I think the torture descriptions were just right. Extremely fucked up, without lingering long enough to feel gratuitous.
Confused
God I love Song Song and Liu Fengs relationship it’s very much ride and die at this point and I want more. So much to the point that I don’t care if there relationship stays platonic or becomes romantic because it’s already amazing as is lol.
BZD
Great chapter. I really like how you are sort of blending the morals of his modern self and that of his cultivation self. Sometimes I do forget that he also has all the memories of the original Liu Feng. So, while not a fan of it, it’s not like he would stop Song Song from killing people. Or mainly, he won’t stop her from killing people she thinks she needs to deal with. But he does try to counsel and caution her about making needless sacrifices of the innocent or other people under her command. And she also started to see that, since she mentioned it would have been better if she had used his poison idea as less people would have died. They are affecting each other in interesting ways. Song Song also basically secured Liu’s loyalty even more with this, with the promise of a full pass to the library.
geronimo0o92
I m hooked
Gio
I feel like this sentence works better if it's changed a little: "Let's destroy it all after you are out of here," -> "After you are out of here, let's destroy it all"
Diplodicus
Oh baby a double! You did a great job with this one. When I read scenes with a lot of Gore and stuff it can leave me feeling a bit gloomy so I appreciate you following it up with some jokes to lighten the mood. I also think the ammount of scenes you had was perfect, it got your point across without being too much. Thanks for the chapter!
SirWins
Loved the horror part. Amazing. Was quite entrenched in the scene
PatronTurtle
Honestly, yes. If he'd tried to weedle her into staying she'd probably wanna break out
Bunny Waffles
I actually loved the horror. Really helps drive home just how truly fucked up the norm/prison/torture scene is in this world.
Luis
HAHAHA loyalty begets loyalty and goddamn am I excited for the messed up shenanigans these two will "accidentally" (cause fate and stuff) get into
Bunny Waffles
Complete sanity is overrated.
Irakli Jishkariani
Yeah no need to add more. I don't like horror and you already displayed the scene well.
Drain
I think she was thinking that "Common sense" would prevail. Instead it backfired spectacularly.
Phil Meyering
I don't know how to take this chapter LOL one minute I'm disgusted the next I'm just cracking up LOL
CosmicInsomniac
I always thought their relationship didn't feel quite like a normal romance, nor like a subordinate and superior relationship, or fellow disciples, but I finally figured it out. Song Song and Liu Feng's relationship feels alot like how a Pirate Captain and their Quartermaster would be!
TheLost
"And so the horrors continued unimaginable cruelties that no sane mind would ever conjure" does this mean your not sane?
Aldhere
Granny trying to help her granddaughter be less... unhinged by using the latter's only known friend is a reasonable idea. Feng is a reasonable person, right? Right?
C
I would be pissed if I saw someone I cared about being tortured.
PatronTurtle
Granny didn't even try to set up anything ahead of time to see if our boy would comply. Was she hoping springing this on him would make him more likely to comply?
Crow3r
So okay Song Song will not break out now Liu Feng is such good boy telling her to say put.
maldita
this
Dwayne Parker
People just do not understand this man. Except Song Song, apparently.
Vincent Mason
I enjoy that Liu is starting to realize "Fuck it we ball" is the only appropriate response to the insanity of this world.
Karma Li
Good work, That chapter is so messed up but I love it ! Pure insanity through reality of the world.
tribekingRMwhen
HEAVENLY DEMONIC POWER COUPLE LETSSSS GOOOOOO!!!!
Miguel Wolmers
Lmfaoooo
Isiah Debarros
The second half of the chapter has a long my full on laughing
s476
The rat one Is the most fucked one imo. Don't think you should add worse ones. Think it's especially scary for ppl like mc who value intellect
maldita
FUCK YEAHHA TWICE THE POWAHH
