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Chapters 490-493
🕑 Added 2025-04-25 17:00:04 +0000 UTCChapter 490: Blue and Black Paths
They were back together, everyone had gotten laid, and they had a plan. Things were looking up as far as Omilaena was concerned. Up to this point, she and Zin Nim had hidden their growth with shrouds, and Kai was still unknown, so their opponents would underestimate their new strength.
When it had been just the two of them, everything had been simple enough in their hidden cavern, but with more people they needed organization. She had been busy for a while setting up a security perimeter so they wouldn't be discovered despite more people running around. Fortunately, the two from Deadwaste weren't idiots, and the Deepriver patriarch somehow - improbably - seemed to be in earnest about helping them.
Once she had that done, however, Omilaena had no choice but to face herself, her progress, and her own thoughts. She sat in the cultivation chamber, continually absorbing the icy qi she'd acquired. Her tattoo was slowly growing stronger, but due to its unusual form, she had no idea when it would jump to the next stage... though she guessed it would be quite a while.
As she got bored while cultivating, she couldn't help but look at her soul again.
<
Name: Omilaena
Total Power: 1377
Heart of Poison: Level 88 (352)
*Prana Jewels: Level +6 (24)
Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (305)
Ice Refinement (112)
Path of Venomsteel: Step 10 (150)
Physique: D-9 (245)
Soul Level: 8 (64)
Azure Core (+125)
>
Compared to the other two, her slow and steady growth looked like stalling. The only advancement she was particularly proud of was improving the Prana Jewels again. As they resonated more and more with her soul, their bond increased and strengthened. She felt entirely justified in going to so much trouble getting the three of them to the Primal Loom.
Beyond that, however... the trouble was that she didn't see where she could go next. She was advancing with poison as quickly as she could, while her Lethal Artisan and Path of Venomsteel abilities were limited by lack of sufficiently powerful materials. Barring an absurd stroke of luck, none of those were leaping in rank any time soon.
The most obvious choice seemed to be increasing Physique from D-9... yet after seeing Zin Nim's transformation, she felt even more confident in her choice to wait. There was something more to be uncovered with Physique, even if she wouldn't take the same path. Her body was already composed of poison on a deep elemental level, so she was convinced that she could transform it further. The problem was going from that vague theory to actual reality.
Her cultivation was interrupted by Kai leaning in, which was honestly a welcome distraction. She stayed seated and gestured for him to approach. "What is it?"
"I forgot I have something for you," Kai said.
"Is it cock?"
"You used that one already." Kai just grinned and pulled a jar of green liquid from his spatial ring. "This is a potion Juray made, derived from wind essence. She was hoping that your techniques might be able to do something with it."
"Mm, nice girthy potion."
"Clearly, being separated has not been good for you."
Omilaena stopped messing around and took the jar from him, examining the contents first with her eyes, then with manifested goggles. Her first instinct had been to be dismissive, because the potion's power was well below theirs, but now that she looked closely, it really was a remarkable advancement on Goralian potions.
"I don't know what I can do with this," Omilaena said, "but it's a material worth experimenting on. Thanks."
"No problem." Kai headed out, recognizing that she'd be fixated on her work.
Years ago she had done some experimental work with Goralian potions during the end of the Krysali Revolution, and they had actually been essential in keeping the army alive instead of chopped apart by crystals. Overall, however, she had only been working with materials that had already come into existence. Since then, she had gained so much more experience with the tattoo artists in the Manticore tribe that she viewed things from a new angle.
Manifesting energy in a physical form wasn't unique, but it was special. Some forms of power, especially chakra arts, actually followed the Essence aspect and were distinct abilities, but mana potions or qi pills... no, those were just concentrations of the same thing. Now that she thought about it, there were strong similarities between healing potions and medicinal pills.
With this potion, what she had was a concentration of raw force, like a wind elemental... could she work with that? The two obvious paths were to try to make it permanent like the tattoos, which would result in loss of power, or make it more similar to her injections, temporary but stronger.
She quickly realized that this method, while worth consideration, was better suited for boosting others, not herself. That would take some real thinking, both from a theory perspective and just in the tactical sense. What she needed was a clear angle that would grant the others a qualitative boost.
Meanwhile, she still had her own concerns. Omilaena gave up on cultivation and walked back through the tunnel until she reached an apparently normal section of the wall. The panel wasn't truly secret - at least not to Zin Nim and Kai - but she still looked carefully before she pressed the exact rock to open the door into the hidden chamber.
There the body of the Poison Prince lay upon the stone slab, carefully preserved in the moment of his death. The poison in his body was still intense, still promising... yet all she'd been able to do was drain a little away to strengthen her Heart of Poison. That was incremental improvement, not the breakthrough she needed to catch up to the other two.
As she wracked her mind for new ideas, Omilaena leaned against the slab heavily. She told herself she was just resting, but didn't really believe it.
.
..
.
"Very good," Zae Zin Nim told them. "You're grasping the discipline very quickly."
"It doesn't feel like it." Inafay sat in her cultivator's position alongside the other two, gritting her teeth. "Hate everything about this. Every time I try to reach out, the qi just slips away from me."
"You don't seize it, you let it flow through you. Qi is water, not fire."
"I get that, but I don't get the wind part. There isn't 'wind qi' right? The idea that I need to absorb this generic qi, then somehow make it like wind..."
Zae Zin Nim hesitated before giving an answer. The right method would have been clear to her, years ago, but after all her experiences on Deadwaste and Rosemount, she understood how many different forms power could take. Ordinary advice might not be sufficient here, yet she didn't want to launch into a lecture.
"Cloudspire's abilities don't treat the elements in the same way you do," she said eventually. "In fact, we don't even agree on what the fundamental elements are. So don't think about it as absorbing wind qi. Just drink up the qi, then fill up a 'wind-shaped hole' within yourself. Qi can be anything, but it needs to fill our dantians and meridians, and the shape of those is what makes us unique."
"That sounds great and all, but I don't know what all that stuff means."
"It's fundamental here, but you should be able to grasp it. Hmm, maybe a different method..."
Instead of further lecturing Inafay, Zae Zin Nim walked onward. The woman's partner, Ivonailin, sat beside her, much more focused and dedicated in his cultivation even if he wasn't making more progress. But her actual goal was the third person in line: the patriarch of the Deepriver clan sat alongside them, trying to balance his cultivation base after the poisoning.
"Wan Fei, do you think you can teach them?" Zae Zin Nim asked.
His eyes opened slowly and he peered at her. "I know the basics, of course, but by my standards, they have already deviated far from the path."
"Forget those. They're stronger than some Earth Souls you've met, right? Think about them as having some sort of unique body or dantian, something that makes them extraordinarily suited to wind. All they need is to learn the basic cultivator skills and adapt them."
"I have taught many in my time. I suppose I can try this as well."
"Good. I will expect progress when I return."
She pivoted from the Immortal's Cave and only considered after she got out that maybe she should have been more encouraging or less brief. Had she come off as a bitch? Well, it was too late now. Inafay seemed quicker to forgiveness than anger, anyway.
Even though she urgently wanted to return to her own cultivation, Zae Zin Nim didn't mind teaching them. Speaking to Inafay had been important in her own journey, and the techniques she taught had been essential for Zae Zin Nim reaching her own Advanced Class. It seemed that, despite their overall weakness, these Deadwasters had something useful to teach her. Another thing she never would have imagined as her old self.
For that matter, she was surprised that Kai had managed to tame the Deepriver patriarch. Cowing an inferior opponent into obedience was one thing, but he had somehow infected the man and changed who he was. That sort of thing was just unnatural, not that she wouldn't accept it when it was in her favor.
Once she was on her own in their private room, Zae Zin Nim sat down and considered her soul again.
<
Name: Zae Zin Nim
Total Power: 1713
Cultivation: Earth Soul 64% (524)
*Heavenly Sash: Cultivation +10% (52)
Coldfire Corona: 35 (405)
Pure Yin Shroud: Spinel Rank (250)
True Blackblood Physique: E-3 (418)
Soul Level: 8 (64)
>
Her most obvious path to growth was continuing to strengthen her new body, which seemed to brim with potential now that she had fully embraced it. The Coldfire Corona continued to climb upward and she still cultivated despite the fact that she knew she couldn't reach Sky Soul in time. All of those were good, but they weren't enough.
When she had faced her father, she had been able to stand against him, but not overcome him. The difference between her and the mightiest of Sky Souls might not be huge, but she needed to decrease the gap.
That left the Pure Yin Shroud as the element of her soul that had been stagnant for longest. She could feel that there was some potential there: it was chakra reinforcing her body, after all, and her body had just taken on a new form. Yet so far, she hadn't been able to unlock any of that potential. Maybe it would be good to ask Omilaena... then again, Omilaena seemed very stressed with her own training. She was no child to be baffled by these things, so she could figure out something herself.
The answer was obvious, if embarrassing. As if summoned by her thoughts, Kai poked his head into the room at that moment.
"Did you want to talk about mana exercises?" he asked.
"Oh... that was what I was thinking this morning, but I have changed my mind." Zae Zin Nim beckoned him to come closer to the bed. "I think the two of us should dual cultivate together more often. Umm... Omilaena and I maximized our gains before, while you were gone. But I think there are unique advantages for us, since we're both developing in Physique. So it could help mine, but you should also rise in C rank if-"
Kai cut her off with a light kiss and she leaned into it. "You don't have to make excuses," he said quietly.
"It's not! I... do want to be intimate with you, but it will also be productive."
"Alright." Kai picked her up by her waist, hoisting her effortlessly and placing her on his lap, where she leaned against him happily. "What's involved this time?"
She told a deep breath and tried not to blush too much as she told him.
Chapter 491: The True Form of the Manticore's Quill
Kai's first plan had been to focus on fully developing a presence technique, turning Banchlain's Aura from a passive tool into an offensive weapon. Before he'd been told about the qilin hunt, which had been a major distraction, he had assumed that he would merge together the three types of essence he had. Now that seemed a little more difficult, and actually merging a skill became a second priority.
Well, in all honesty he was also distracted by his wives. Zae Zin Nim always wanted to dual cultivate, while Omilaena came up with excuses to "drain poison" from time to time. His Physique had actually shot up another two levels, but it still felt indulgent.
All of that aside, he did view the issue of presence techniques as his primary objective in the battle. He would bring raw power, yes, but many people could do that. What he needed was an ability powerful enough to stop the Masterful Crown clan and all their similar allies cold, something that could redefine the battlefield the way the patriarch did.
His thoughts were going in every direction as he moved through the forests: back to Mutefang's Stealth and his monstrous form, just in case he ran into any of the qilin chasers. According to the most recent information, many young cultivators were still trying to track down the qilin for a blessing. Given its rumored properties, it seemed like the perfect sacred beast to round out his technique... if he could find and eat it first.
Zae Zin Nim had told him everything she knew about the qilin, both legends and reliable information. All manner of blessings were attributed to it, but everyone agreed the sacred beast had an incredible presence. Methods of successfully tracking it down were less clear, not least because those who actually received a blessing were unlikely to tell others how to do the same.
Unfortunately, a large portion of the hunt seemed to be wandering through the forest. In Kai's case, thanks to his stealth and mobility, he could search for both the qilin and all other hunting parties, but it still meant a lot of scouting. While he moved, Kai examined his own soul and continued strategy.
<
Name: Kai Clanless
Total Power: 876
Monstrous Hunger - XV (omicron)
Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 23% (257)
Savage Heart: 20 (208)
Physique Level: C-4 (320)
Beggar King's Robes: +2 (10)
Soul Level: 9 (81)
Behemoth's Heart - X (kappa)
Thunderbird's Wings - IX (iota)
Baleful Breath - VII (eta)
Mutefang's Stealth - XV (omicron)
Banchlain's Aura - XIII (nu)
Void Gaze - VIII (theta)
-
Direboar's Strength - XIV (xi)
Tyrant's Claw - XII (kappa)
Manticore's Quill - X (kappa)
Isulfr's Bite - VIII (theta)
Sahagin's Soul - XII (mu)
Lizarkyl's Tail - VI (zeta)
Direurchin's Spikes - V (epsilon)
Wallcrawler's Feet - III (gamma)
Abominalgum - I (alpha)
Rose Piranha - III (gamma)
Cloud Piranha - III (gamma)
Bloodtrap - III (gamma)
Slime's Immortality - I (alpha)
Silver Demon - I (alpha)
Direcrab's Claw - III (gamma)
Voidmaw's Bite - I (alpha)
Great Cetae - II (beta)
Spine Aura Urchin - III (gamma)
Redtree Betrayers - II (beta)
Starvation Wraith - III (gamma)
>
His human soul had continued to grow at a steady rate, but he was most pleased by the progress on his monstrous side. Where once that side had failed to keep up, due to the lack of monsters, he was now confident he had double his human strength, or at least close. That put him at almost 1800, which would make him equal to the greatest powers on Rosemount or Cloudspire.
Yet that wasn't enough... maintaining that edge would require pushing in every aspect, not least his monstrous essence. As he moved, Kai realized that Manticore's Quill had proved to be far more valuable than he'd thought at first... yes, he'd known it was a powerful sacred beast, but it had been an excellent anti-cultivator weapon that he relied on frequently.
There weren't any other essences that he thought were equal to it, so there was no question of trying some grand merger. No, he was perfectly happy with Manticore's Quill, he just wanted to make it an even more deadly ability. It could use more destructive power, and while he was at it he might as well enhance the poison.
That night when he stopped to rest, Kai settled down to make some final decisions. Direurchin's Spikes had been in his soul for a long time - they were occasionally useful for defensive purposes, but weren't worth a whole slot and could be made partially obsolete by the Savage Heart transformation. Meanwhile the Spine Aura Urchin was another sharp monstrous essence that used qi for an entirely different type of poison. Two excellent additions.
Over the next day he spent time testing both abilities and they quickly shot up several ranks. Ever since the growth in the abyss had increased his Monstrous Hunger, he felt as though he was more connected to his monstrous essence. It only took a little training for him to gain a strong degree of mastery of the two spike skills.
When he decided to actually do a combination, however, it felt like not quite enough. He'd make the quills much sharper and more poisonous, but he needed destruction... eventually Kai decided on Direcrab's Claw. It wasn't really incompatible with or useful for Tyrant's Claw, so using it for penetrative power was probably the better decision.
He prepared himself for an intense struggle, but it turned out to be easy. The monstrous essences devoured one another within his soul and all he had to do was make sure to take the strongest parts of each and have the manticore essence end up on top. Soon he looked proudly at his result.
<
Manticore's Spine - III (gamma)
>
Manticore's Quill had become Manticore's Spine, and even at the lower rank he could feel its potential. As he returned to scouting, Kai enjoyed testing it further.
Now it was far easier to create spines from any of the three sources of energy, each more focused than before. He discovered that he could easily shoot spines of different sizes, even make them curve in midair. Not only was the default poison more deadly, it seemed like he could produce different kinds of poisons, even weaker ones if he didn't want to kill someone so quickly.
When Kai finally stumbled on a camp, he was almost irritated that his fun had been interrupted.
This one was a group of young masters, attended by multiple Earth Soul guards. Some of them were Earth Souls themselves, but none seemed particularly impressive to him. Kai didn't recognize all the robes and symbols, other than the general appearance of the Great Rivers sects. He lurked around the camp while they chattered obliviously on.
Most of what they said was the usual inane boasting, but they spoke plenty about their attempts to find the qilin. From them he learned that the region east of Floodisle City was flooded with so many searchers that everyone agreed the qilin couldn't possibly be there. Only people so wise as to have been born into wealthy families - like them - had the sense to search further east and north, where the qilin had been sighted most recently.
He also learned a critical piece of intelligence: Xir Xan Khan was still in the region, rumored to be one of the closest to finding the qilin.
Apparently he was also searching for his "lost bride" - that inspired another round of rumor and gossip. Common knowledge had it that the rebels in the south had been crushed and only two Sky Soul women had escaped.
As the young men discussed his wives, Kai's anger rose and he considered attacking the camp. They used euphemistic language to discuss sexual assault, which almost offended him more than outright threats. To them it was funny, or a game, or just the way the world was. All that kept him from killing them all was the knowledge that their deaths would only interfere with his plans, not further them.
The group barely spoke of all the dead young masters at all, as if they'd forgotten them.
Kai still returned north in a fury. He noted several other hunting parties and figured out the general area of the most serious qilin hunt, but never ran into Xir Xan Khan, much less the sacred beast itself. Eventually he decided that he'd done enough scouting for now and returned to the waterfall to confer with the others.
All he really wanted was to find Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena, then wash the unpleasant thoughts out of his mind. Before he reached the waterfall itself, however, he saw a green streak that resolved into Inafay. She stopped in midair, hovering effortlessly like a higher flight technique, and saluted him.
"Back from the qilin hunt?"
"Not successfully, but I've done enough for now." Kai rolled his shoulders, trying to remove the tightness in them. "How are things back here?"
"Well enough. Your wives really miss you." Inafay hovered a little closer and narrowed her eyes at him. "I... can't believe you actually pulled that off."
"Uh... yeah, somehow."
"I can't really imagine. But the three of you are happy together?"
"More so than I ever imagined."
"Then great!" Inafay slapped him on the shoulder and flew alongside him as they headed back. "I feel like I should congratulate you, but I'm not sure what to say on such an occasion. Instead... after you rest up, do you want some help in the hunt?"
"Help?" Kai glanced at her and saw she was in earnest.
"Yeah, don't forget I was trained as a hunter too! This seems like an interesting challenge, and we have those illusion wreaths to hide our identities. Having some more people who can fly could really narrow down the area."
"Heh, maybe so." For a little while Kai was able to forget about the rest, and when he finally got back to the cave, it left his mind entirely.
Chapter 492: The Fortune of a Qilin
Even though Kai hadn't been gone long, he enjoyed catching up with everyone at the waterfall base. And no, he didn't just meant Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena for the obvious reasons. In every corner of their base, someone was working on something different.
Inafay and Ivonailin managed to help him scout the forested region even while developing their cultivation. Clearly Omilaena had designs on them, working on her idea of unified wind powers, but they seemed to be enjoying it, so he wasn't going to interfere. It was good to get to know them better, observing how they behaved differently together and apart.
He was more surprised by the Krysali and dryads, who seemed to be intensely motivated to keep training. The Krysali knew that their home was under threat of incursion, he supposed, and the dryads had experienced a massacre of their people. Even if they weren't likely to contribute to the upcoming battle, they wanted to do something.
As Kai was on his way out again, he was interrupted by Cragrila. She carried a new spear, made from Cloudspire jade and dryad wood, which seemed to match her power in some way. What struck him most was how her skin seemed to have shifted, becoming hard and inhuman.
"I'm testing my defenses," she told him, and lowered her head. "Can I ask you to hit me?"
"How hard?" Kai asked, warming up his arm.
"Not full strength, obviously. But I want to feel that monstrous energy."
Kai started off with his weakest possible Tyrant's Claw. To his surprise Cragrila actually weathered it, crystals springing up from her skin to block the damage. He put in a little more strength and this time the Tyrant's Claw sent her flying backward, slamming into a tree... the crystals on her torso had shattered, but they blunted the damage in doing so.
"Not bad," Kai said. He'd been taking her approximate strength for granted, but now he took a better look at her soul.
<
Name: Cragrila
Total Power: 541
Crystal Cultivation: 9999 (125)
Crystal Dantian (+25)
Acid Cultivation: 1000 (50)
Physique Level: D-1 (205)
Crystalline Blood (+50)
Soul Level: 6 (36)
Jadewood Spear (+50)
>
She really had improved, passing 500 Power once everything was accounted for. He wasn't sure if her methods were advisable, based on what Omilaena had said, but at least when he brought her back to Krysal, the elites would see that he kept his promises.
"Do you think I could take on an Earth Soul?" she asked.
"It depends on how those crystals interact with a cultivator's qi," he had to tell her. "You should test with Zae Zin Nim."
"I see. I'll do that, thank you."
Kai nodded to her and moved on. He also noted Nirka in the Krysali area, but she had taken a more normal path of cultivation which resulted in little progress. She mostly avoided him these days, which he supposed was just as well.
No one else interrupted him, so he was free to move into the forest and again hunt for the qilin. This time he had a much stronger awareness of the entire unmapped region: his overhead view of it from the Clanless, information overheard from cultivators, and scouting from Inafay. He thought that he had a better chance than all but the best-equipped parties... which still made it improbable that he would ever encounter the qilin.
As he traveled alone, Kai considered just what might be fundamentally behind the sacred beast's behavior. It reminded him of the dragons in Krysal, which also left blessings. Except the golden dragon had registered as a monster... now that he thought of it, that would be an exception to what he'd seen from monsters. Was it a flaw in his spiritual sight because he was still understanding sacred beasts, or were dragons unique?
Of course, he wasn't so naive as to believe that if he found the qilin, it would bless him with unending good fortune. Very likely, it would do exactly the opposite. That was why he didn't intend to play by the rules, not this time.
During his explorations he spent a lot of time looking over the unused essence in his soul. There was so much power he had never found a way to exploit... the Abominalgum from the Blood Current, for example, proved very stubborn. The immortal slime had thankfully never tried to attack him again, yet every use he could think of for it felt like a waste of its unique properties. Then of course there was the "Silver Demon" essence he'd drained from Anaelina, which felt like he would waste it if he tried to force it down to any specific use.
Overall that didn't bother him. When he needed essence, he often needed it urgently, so it was good to have a supply of monsters powerful enough to be worthy of inclusion in an ability.
Still, he hoped to make further progress to balance his rising Physique. It occurred to him that he had never used the Voidmaw's Bite ability because he'd eaten that monster while on his honeymoon. That had potential... could he merge it with Isulfr's Bite? The Isulfr's essence had carried him for a long time, but it was a relatively weak monster by his current standards, so maybe it was time to upgrade it.
Just two different monster essences wouldn't be enough, though. He considered that he had two different types of piranhas, from Rosemount and Cloudspire, and tried to make it work for a while before he threw out the idea. His core skills were one massive bite, while the piranha essence suggested a flurry of smaller nips. Neither was really appropriate.
It was while thinking about different combinations, barely even remembering his primary mission, that Kai stumbled across the qilin.
The beast wasn't quite like anything he'd seen before. It stood on four graceful legs, yet the joints were tufted with silver hair. Unlike a deer, its body was covered in delicate silver scales that flowed back into a twisting tail. An elegant mane surrounded the head, and two horns curled up in beautiful patterns, unlike any horns he'd ever seen on an animal before.
Long ears twitched from its mane, as if inspecting him. Bright gold eyes turned to meet his as it examined his soul and it took a step forward.
Then the qilin snorted derisively and turned away to dart into the forest.
Before it could, Kai activated Void Gaze and bound it in place. The qilin froze mid-leap and he began to advance on it, but to his shock the beast twisted. Now that it stared back at him, its gaze seemed to carry an immense weight, as if the beast had been alive for centuries and would see centuries more. An archaic aura flowed over the clearing, trying to press him down to his knees in worship.
Kai added Banchlain's Aura, but for the first time it actually had no effect. The qilin seemed to be a creature beyond fear, and its own aura was incredibly powerful. If only he'd prepared the Starvation Wraith, Kai was sure that he could have overcome it, but he couldn't alter his soul in the middle of such an intense stare-down.
They both broke at once. Kai winced briefly, and in that time the qilin sprang into the trees and was gone. He tried to hunt it down, flashing over and through the trees, but there seemed to be no sign of it.
The legends said that you could face a qilin only once in your lifetime, and if it rejected you, there was nothing to be done. Kai was willing to bet that wasn't true, and if necessary, he would make it untrue. Now that he was absolutely certain the qilin was the last piece he needed for his presence technique, he resolved that he would be ready for it the next time.
When he returned to the waterfall, the others could immediately see that something had happened. Kai grabbed Zae Zin Nim out of her position and lifted her into the air. "I saw it!"
"The qilin?" Her eyes went wide briefly, then returned to their normal narrow skepticism. "It rejected you, didn't it?"
"Of course it did."
Omilaena appeared in the doorway, one hand on her hip. "Gonna eat it?"
"That is the plan." Kai set Zae Zin Nim back down and turned to both of them. "It actually shrugged off Banchlain's Aura, so I want backups next time. Maybe speed would be enough, but there's no reason to take a chance. I want to prepare my other abilities to merge into a true presence technique."
Zae Zin Nim immediately moved closer, curious. "Have you decided what you want to use?"
He explained about all his intuitions and his plan to merge Banchlain's Aura, Redtree Betrayers, and the qilin's essence under the overall power of the Starvation Wraith. It was impossible to know for sure how they would balance until he tried, but he hoped to create something that didn't just produce a powerful aura, but altered him on a spiritual level.
Once he was done, Omilaena let out a low whistle. "If that works, we'd never be bothered by gimmicks like presence techniques or going incorporeal again. But I agree, you want to get something from monsters, humans, and beasts."
"Will it be a problem that there are two monsters?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "I... don't know how this works, but I can't help but notice the imbalance."
"I don't think so," Kai said, "and I'm more monstrous anyway. But I wanted you two to help me develop those other abilities so I can try to use them on the qilin."
The "Redtree Betrayers" essence was most worrisome, since it was the first essence he'd ever consumed from humans, so he put time into that first. Zae Zin Nim was actually the most helpful with that, teaching him about blood arts that some savage cultivators used to convert others into raw power. It seemed like the essence only controlled emotions, so it wasn't as overwhelming as the others, but as he developed it, he thought it would hold its own.
Working on the Starvation Wraith essence proved almost too easy, the power flowing in many potential directions. He could have simply developed a spectral arm, or made himself go incorporeal, but he judged that both of those would be selling himself short. The Starvation Wraith had seemed otherworldly, like a being from the abyss that could simply ignore the laws of the normal world.
Could he capture some of that in his own essence? While training he never obtained strong results, yet the essence kept growing within him, like an egg preparing to hatch.
Or maybe a fleshy core waiting to transform into something much worse. Even though the power was wholly his, Kai still felt a little unsettled and didn't keep the essence in his soul when it wasn't necessary.
In an ideal world he would have spent weeks training, but there simply wasn't time. The longer they waited, the closer the incursion came, the more likely it was that someone else would catch the qilin, and the greater the risk that Zae Clen Ban or someone else found them. Relaxed training was a thing of the past, before they had begun all these bloody vendettas.
So Kai headed back into the forest, in search of cursed fortune.
Chapter 493: Seizing Fortune
Kai didn't find the qilin on his first attempt, or his third, but he wasn't about to let that stop him, and he also didn't run himself ragged and search ineffectively. He returned to check on everyone, spent the night with Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim, then headed back out with his head clear.
His plan wasn't to wander and try to find the qilin by normal means, not when he was sure it would reject him. Instead, now that he knew exactly where it roamed and had a feel for it, he began to track other hunters. He circled the area where he'd encountered the qilin, finding those who were closest and then tracking them from a distance.
When fortune favored them, he would harvest that fortune.
First he discovered a party of about a dozen surrounding a young master, the new heir to the Purple River sect. He was clearly a poor successor to the Poison Prince, at least based on his cultivation, but all his aides assured him that he was blessed by the heavens. After half a day, Kai decided they were too noisy for the qilin to approach.
Instead he assumed they would push it a little further east from its former location and headed into the deeper woods. There, he searched fruitlessly until he nearly ran into a party of one.
Xir Xan Khan was hunting the qilin as well.
The young master of the Coiling Island sect traveled alone, without a coterie or luxuries, according to the traditional methods. Worse, he was smart and perceptive enough to potentially notice a pursuer. Kai retreated to a safe distance and lurked for a while before he dared to examine the other man's soul as subtly as possible.
<
Name: Xir Xan Khan
Total Power: 1585
Cultivation: Sky Soul (1000)
Physique: E-2 (86)
Heavenly Body (+100)
Immortal Body (+250)
Soul Level: 7 (49)
Coiling Presence (+100)
>
It seemed that Xir Xan Khan had bet even further on the immortality elixir, presumably a reward for his participation in the battle at the Verdant River sect. He also, almost uniquely among cultivators, appeared to be training his Physique again, though it was too late for him to make massive gains.
If Kai attacked right then, he was reasonably confident he could win, and he actually considered it. Even if that scared the qilin away, it would eliminate one of their chief opponents. This man might technically still be Zae Zin Nim's fiance, and Kai wanted to kill him for his own sake in addition to hers. It would be another step toward her being truly free.
But in the end... Kai let go of that anger and waited.
If he'd learned anything during his time on Cloudspire, it was that more young masters were waiting around every corner. The qilin was a once-in-a-generation opportunity that he wouldn't give up for the sake of a petty rivalry. There wasn't even any guarantee that he could kill his opponent, since this one had a greater flight technique and would flee if he was losing. Besides, now that Zae Zin Nim was stronger than Xir Xan Khan, she wasn't really afraid of him anymore.
So Kai continued to lurk, following his erstwhile rival. Just in case, he kept the Starvation Wraith essence fully prepared, since it might happen at any moment. Still, as day slipped on to day, he began to think about the incursion again...
And, when he wasn't thinking about it, Xir Xan Khan encountered the qilin.
It was almost exactly the same as the previous meeting: man and beast stood on opposite sides of the clearing, staring at one another. The qilin seemed even more beautiful than before, its horns shining in the light with an otherworldly presence. After sniffing the air, it tossed its head... and then lowered it, grand horns facing forward in an invitation.
Xir Xan Khan took a step across the clearing, then another. His eyes glittered with satisfaction and the desire to possess, certain that such treasures were his destiny. One hand extended and the qilin did not flee, so he edged closer to the sacred beast.
Kai landed on the qilin's back. and opened his maw.
Immediately it retaliated, bringing its grandiose presence down over the clearing with such force that Xir Xan Khan was driven to his knees. But this time Kai drew on the Starvation Wraith's essence, an unholy power that respected nothing and could not see beauty.
His teeth clicked together. The qilin's head vanished, horns thumped to the forest floor, and the rest of the body slumped lifelessly, all presence gone.
"You... you ate a qilin?" Xir Xan Khan leapt to his feet, staring at him in horror.
"Seems like it." Kai wiped his mouth, trying not to get caught up in the rush of new essence. He'd been concerned about absorbing a sacred beast, but he knew he'd gained something, so he couldn't lose focus against a dangerous opponent.
"First you violate Zin Nim, then slaughter a qilin... did you come here to profane everything sacred?"
"I really don't like you talking that way about my wife." Kai stepped off the body and raised his hands as claws. "You've gotten stronger... care to test it against the strength of a qilin?"
Xir Xan Khan stared at him, seemed about ready to fight... then dissolved into purple light and shot into the air. Kai had hoped to lure him into a fight, but it seemed like he was too smart for that. When he came back, he'd have reinforcements... and unlike some of the other fools, he might actually be able to track them down to the waterfall hideout. He was from the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes region, after all, and might have other mechanisms for searching.
So Kai shoved down his satisfaction and moved fast: he threw the body and the horns into his spatial ring, since he presumed they would have special properties, and then hurried back. He tried to combine Mutefang's Stealth and Thunderbird's Wings using mana to travel quickly but invisibly, just in case he was being monitored.
After circling several times, Kai was convinced that Xir Xan Khan had actually retreated instead of waiting to track him down. Trying to chase him right then would only have tilted the odds against him, so it would have been a bad strategy in any case. Once Kai was satisfied that he'd slipped all pursuit, he returned to the waterfall.
When he got back, he was surprised to find that his wives were actually the ones out by the Clanless instead of inside the cave. They saw him and smiled at first, then they must have seen something in his face or his aura, because they both got to their feet.
"Did you do it?" Zae Zin Nim asked.
"I did," Kai said. He'd planned to say more, but somehow anything else felt unnecessary.
"Great work." Omilaena moved to embrace him and Zae Zin Nim followed her, so for a moment he had them both in his arms and was more satisfied than during the hunt. "I'm guessing the qilin didn't decide to bless you?"
"No, not really. Oh, but I have gifts for you."
"Is it-"
"I will shove these horns into your mouth if necessary." Kai revealed the rack of horns from within his spatial ring and presented it to Omilaena before she could repeat the same lewd joke.
However, he'd underestimated his wife. Omilaena was only briefly startled by the curling horns in her face, then she leaned down and licked along the side of one before sucking the tip into her mouth.
"There's no need for that." Zae Zin Nim shoved the horns into her mouth, nearly choking her, and Omilaena fell back, spluttering and laughing.
"I already got enough essence," Kai told them as he brought out the body as well. "Do the parts of a qilin have special properties as well?"
"I don't know if anyone has ever found out," Zae Zin Nim said, shaking her head. "But I suppose it's worth trying."
"In all seriousness, these horns seem like a great material." Omilaena made them vanish into her spatial satchel and patted it cheerfully. "The parts of sacred beasts generally have all kinds of useful properties and I doubt this one is any exception. Usually, though, there's no use for the meat but to eat it."
"Yes, I suppose so."
Zae Zin Nim didn't seem particularly bothered by him killing the sacred beast and was now just interested in what she could gain, which was a very cultivator attitude now that he considered it. They carried the body back to camp and Omilaena removed the scales, bones, and several other components. After that they roasted the meat, which soon created savory aromas that drew all the others. By that evening, everyone's mouth was watering.
Omilaena tested the first cooked meat and thought that it would have a positive effect on Physique, but not one that scaled significantly based on volume. Since there was plenty to go around, they might as well share, though Kai only took a small amount since he'd already eaten the entire head. It did taste good, but not as good as the potent essence within him.
This wasn't a group he would ever have expected... Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim, of course, but also Inafay and Ivonailin sitting together on a log, and Cragrila and Nirka on opposite sides of the fire, and even Grandpa Wan Fei sitting at a distance. After Zae Zin Nim swatted the old man's hand at first, she softened and let him have some, since there was plenty to go around.
In that moment, Kai should have been fully satisfied, yet he found himself drawing the qilin essence into his soul and trying to use it. He wasn't overwhelmingly effective at first, just extending a sense of grandiose presence over the campfire. This aura felt like a noble and ancient beast, clearly different from the Starvation Wraith he was going to combine it with.
Using that might ruin the mood, but he was definitely going to try, first chance he got.
Comments
Drakenclaw
Awww. Poor Qilin. I honestly don't like that part of Kai. It's a bit too much like the "default" cultivator who finds a beautiful cultivation place, and utterly destroys it so they can reap the maximum benefit.
locky
Kai stealing the qilin form Xir Xan Khan was hilarious. I can't image how it must look from his perspective
AnythingAtAll
How do you keep one-upping yourself when it comes to every new monstrous ability? This grand presence merger sounds fucking bonkers! I need the next chapters ASAP.
Christian Gjødvad Pedersen
It's four chapters
Mathieu Kocher
So the aura/presence of our #1 hungry boy is going to be named "Starvation". This Cloudspire arc is truly the satire act through and through ! 10/10 would read again.
Alejanndro Ruiz
why only three chapters?
