Torsten Hewson
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The Breaking of [天] Final P3 (actual last flashback chapter)
🕑 Added 2022-08-04 04:10:19 +0000 UTCHe fought them, of course. When his back began to itch, and his whole body ached, he knew that there were demons coming through the Mist Wall. It was a recent development that he could feel them at all. He never could before, when he was with Tianlan.
It took him entirely too long to realise that she had taken all the pain into herself before, and now separated, he was feeling but a fraction of what her pain.
He sallied forth wherever he could find them, and destroyed them utterly. They were an itching, maddening nuisance, to the point that Xiaoshi thought he might go insane from it.
“How do you stand it?!” He demanded of Tianlan.
His dearest friend smiled. “It doesn’t hurt that much. I can take it.” she replied, pulling up her sleeve and exposing the black spots on her arms.
There were twice the number upon her than him, and he felt his heart sink. One of the people he had sworn to protect was suffering. One of the most important people to him.
“It's fine! We’ll work together like the old days. I’ll take this half, you take that half the province, and we’ll handle things!” She said with a smile.
Tianlan fighting and getting even more hurt felt wrong. It was a failure, on his part.
“You’re already helping enough, Tianlan. I’ve got a plan. We just need to sit tight a little longer, and I’ll banish the Demons for good.” He said instead. He saw Tianlan perk up at his statement. “I don’t really need to do this much paperwork anyway. I’ll put it on Kongming, and have myself a little adventure, like you’re so fond of. It's been a while since I had a break.”
“Are... are you sure? I can definitely help.” Tianlan said.
“It's fine. It's just a few demons, and I’m getting rusty!”
“... if you’re really sure.” she whispered, but Xiaoshi was already leaving.
He had to last. He had to last, and all would be well.
=============================
The dream started to go from pleasant to bitter.
Tianlan spent many days meditating. Searching across her body, finding Demons, and clearing up the infected spots.
They were hurting Xiaoshi, and that was something she couldn’t abide.
Her awareness of her body had faded, but she could still do this much.
All she knew is that her Connected One was beside himself with worry. His pointed questions about how much the infected portions hurt, however, were brushed off.
She could stand a little pain. He already had enough on his plate, without a bit of soreness from her worrying him further.
She could endure wounds deeper than this. He had some kind of plan, he always did. Even if he was being a bit cagey about it right now.
==========================
Upon the first solstice, the energy of the land surged, as his people performed their acts to perfection.
The Mist Wall was reinforced. It worked.
“Xiaoshi, what the Hells was that?!” Tianlan shouted, as she barged into the room. Her hair was frazzled, and she looked like she had just been woken up.
Tianlan waking up had been a bit unexpected, but a welcome thing.
His dearest friend was feeling better than ever.
Once more, he was able to keep his promise of a better world. Once more, he held up the sky for everyone. Tianlan lived her days without fear, and without pain.
Though… it was not without its sorrows. Ten years after the formation was established, one person he loved passed.
Linlin wasn’t a cultivator. She could never become one. Her hair turned gray, and her face wrinkled. No amount of reagents would stave it off. No medicines would aid her.
At a mere one hundred and ten, Linlin died of old age.
He remembered the grand funeral. He remembered Tianlan’s tears, as she bowed her head. But beside those tears were a wonderful smile. One full of pride, as she congratulated Linlin for a long life.
But most of all, he remembered the hollow feeling in his chest, at losing her.
But he hardened his heart, and kept moving forward.
Or at least tried to. There were no more Dragon veins to Dredge. He and Tianlan would never get any stronger. They had completely plateaued.
===================================
Tianlan hugged a pillow tightly to her chest. She still remembered sweet lullabies, and fingers through her hair.
Perhaps it was Linlin’s death that made them drift apart just that bit more?
Tianlan hadn’t really noticed it. The dreams where they sat together became increasingly rare.
The days where they talked started to become a memory, as both of them were so consumed with their own lives, and every time Tianlan went to see if Xiaoshi was alright, they would just end up drinking heavily, and reminiscing about the past.
She felt kind of hollow. Empty. Like something important was slipping away from her.
==============================
But even this was only a brief reprieve for Xiaoshi. Even with the wall reinforced, it seemed that the challenge and surge of energy seemed to just attract stronger demons.
Now, even stronger demons were trying to slink into his home. These demons were quieter. More subtle…
They had attacked Kongming while his friend was off inspecting a northern town. He had somebody do it often, after the Eighth Correct Place debacle. It was just bad luck that Kongming had gone himself.
He marched up to his bedridden Prime Minister.
“My Lord! You need not concern yourself with my well being.” he started, only to cut off when Dian growled at him.
“He smells like a Demon.” his loyal companion declared. “His Qi is corrupted, underneath, it smells of Blood and Oil.”
Kongming smiled sickly. “The Demon’s Poison is powerful. Try as they might, even our mightiest healers cannot take the rot from my blood.”
Xiaoshi grimaced, while the Temple Dog paused, his eyes narrow at the proclamation.
“Dian. Do not insult our friend again.” Xiaoshi commanded, and the dog bowed his head.. Xiaoshi sighed at the piteous look on Dian’s face, and scratched behind his ears, before turning back to Kongming. “Do you need a leave of absence? I can appoint another Prime Minister. Anything you need, and it's yours, Kongming.”
His old friend smiled. “I ask only that I continue my duties until my death. I wish to see our Empire prosper, even until my last breath.”
What could Xiaoshi do but agree? Tianlan and the best physicians worked on him, but they never could completely eliminate the Demonic Qi from his body.
======================
Slowly, but surely, Xiaoshi’s promise to his people started to fail. He couldn’t be better than the Emperor of the Azure. In the end, he had to start getting other people involved in hunting down the demon incursions.
The realm began to suffer. The people whispered that it was the vengeance of the wicked. But they rarely learned of the extent of the damage.
Each time a demon entered it was a statement that maybe Xiaoshi had been wrong to say that he was better than the man he had overthrown.
They were getting more devious, the Demons. But he managed to hold true to his convictions. When the demons appeared he was there.
Their Qi was getting less painful… but their tactics were more concerning.
The worst part was the whispers. The filthy things had started talking to him.
They spoke lies, a thousand lies. That Tianlan was going to kill him, when this was all over. That he would die, and fuel her power.
But he was a cultivator, so obviously that was foolish. He was stronger than the Emperor of the Azure. How would he die of old age, but in a thousand years? Surely, he would ascend, wouldn’t he?
He did his best to ignore them… but a little voice in the back of his head knew they were telling the truth.
=========================
Tianlan was so happy that they were working together again. Xiaoshi had been so distant recently, and always so busy. It may have been… well it may not have been under ideal circumstances, but once more, it was the two of them against the world. Fighting a just battle against wicked forces.
They were once more the protectors. And just like before, everybody united. There were no real battle lines, as the enemy would try to infiltrate from all sides.. Instead, they had rapid reaction forces, ready to take the fight to the enemy once more.
But Xiaoshi just seemed tired. She did her best to cheer him up. She talked of their old times together, and after this was all over, all the good times ahead.
“Together until I die, huh?” he asked, as Tianlan slung an arm around his shoulder. There was an odd tone to his voice.
“Yup! I can’t say I’m looking forward to eating your mouldering bones though. You taste horrible.” She teased, poking him in the side.
His smile froze, and their connection twanged unpleasantly, enough so that Tianlan could feel it.
“..Xiaoshi? You okay?” she asked him worriedly.
He grimaced. “Nothing. That just wasn’t very funny.” he said after a moment.
“Then that's your fault, you’re the one who said my sense of humor was great, and now you’re changing your mind?!” She demanded.
His smile returned. But it was still dull.
==============================
Xiaoshi didn’t know if he felt betrayed or not. He wondered if it really was just a joke.
The demons seemed ever more gleeful, as they taunted him.
Something ugly welled up inside him.
Xiaoshi had learned quite a bit from Cao Li, and her monkey friends when the formation was created.
Quietly, and with Kongming’s help… he made some changes to the formation.
=============================
On the night of the solstice, it was just himself and Kongming.
Xiaoshi had commanded Dian the temple dog to keep Tianlan company, as she travelled across the countryside.
Mostly, because he didn't know if the dog would consider his actions tonight just. And he couldn’t bear to see the look in his eyes, when the ritual completed.
“Are you sure?” Kongming asked him, as Xiaoshi stood in the center of the province. In the center of the formation.
“Yes. Yes, I'm sure.”
The formation of consumption.
He could feel the Emperor of the Azure’s smug grin from beyond the grave. He could taste the mocking laughter.
It would drain all of the power that his people were using… and funnel it wholly into himself.
He needed strength to battle the nightmare to come. He needed strength to protect all of his people.
This path was a dead end. He couldn’t afford to die of old age. He couldn’t afford to remain this weak.
He could feel the ritual initiate.
He took a breath, as the power of an entire province began to surge, upon the night of death and renewal.
He was prepared.
He touched the single frayed, golden thread that remained between them. He would sever it, and start a new path. It would destroy the connection between their souls.
He raised a metaphorical axe to sever it. And paused.
Was… was he really just going to throw all of it away? Was he really going to abandon his bond with his dearest friend?
The characters around him spiraled and whirled.
He remembered Tianlan’s smile.
He hadn’t talked to her. He hadn't said goodbye, and now he was just deciding things on his own.
He was leaving her, like Linlin had left him.
He paused, as the power swelled.
How long had it been since they really, and truly talked. How long had it been since he had stopped confiding in her?
Every time they met, she tried to support him. She had even offered to abandon her body for the duration of the war, so they could be as one once more, and he had refused her.
She had always supported him. And now, he was about to throw it all away, without even a word.
He gently touched the golden threads again.
And let the power go. He felt his Qi drain away, entering the connection between himself and Tianlan.
No. he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t hurt her like that. He couldn’t take advantage of his people like this, either. He’d have to find another way—
“Xiaoshi!” Kongming’s strangled voice called in warning, before he let out a racking cough. Blood splattered to the floor.
Xiaoshi turned, worry forming in his heart at the tone of his Prime Minister’s voice.
That was all he received, before a sword entered his back, and punched out of his chest.
No. Not a sword. A bladed limb.
The demon attached to the other side of it, growing out of the puddle of vomit and blood that Kongming was hacking out, grinned.
But not at Xiaoshi. At the spiraling set of characters, just starting to fade.
“It was most unpleasant, thy methods for attempting to remove me.” The demon mused, as it spared a glance for Xiaoshi. The creature was oddly eloquent. More blood poured out of Kongming, the man shaking as he was rapidly exsanguinated, forming the rest of the demon’s body. “This Zhong Kuishen shall congratulate thy efforts. Thy pitiful attempts almost succeeded. We must further refine the Twilight Cuckoo's Triumph.”
Demonic poison burned in Xiaoshi’s veins, as the monster tossed him negligently aside.
Then, it stepped into the center of the province.
Into the center of the consumption formation.
It tapped the Dragon Veins, with a single glowing finger, causing the blue characters to turn a sickly purple.
“Now, Dance for me, my friends.”
===============================
The dreams led to her nightmares and she remembered the moment it all began to break.
Tianlan hummed as she bounded over mountains, heading toward the Lake Districts. Dian bounded beside her, the big fluffy dog on the lookout for demons, and ready to protect her… not that she really needed it. Still, it was nice to have another friend along.
They could drink together. She had bottles of wine and fruit juice, on account of Ruolan’s…condition.
Pregnant! Seriously, Ruolan had hid it for months, the dummy! Holed up in her mansion, and scared out of her wits at becoming a mother.
Tianlan would have little Ruolans and Xiaoshis to spoil soon, and she was very much looking forward to it.
She smiled, as she bounded over another village, the people below fully immersed in their dance.
And then she paused, as she looked closer.
They looked kind of out of it. Their eyes had gone blank, glowing with crimson light. Their bodies started to twitch and writhe.
“Mistress. Something is wrong—” the Temple Dog began.
The sky turned red.
There was a ripping, sucking feeling in Tianlan’s chest.
A sucking feeling that was pulling down her connection with Xiaoshi.
She fell to the ground, coughing and gagging. She reached up a hand, and blood poured out of her nose.
What—what was Xiaoshi doing?!
She scrambled and writhed, her legs kicking nervelessly even as Dian barked, terrified at what was happening to her.
All the while, people danced faster and faster and faster.
Tianlan started screaming, as her connection pulled and pulled and pulled—
================================
The demon’s body swelled and shuddered. It twisted and snapped as it gorged itself on Tianlan’s Qi, and the souls of his people. Everybody was connected through the formation.
Everybody was vulnerable.
And all Xiaoshi could do was watch. Watch, as the demons won.
They had tricked him. They had played him. And now, they had beaten him.
He could feel Tianlan’s panic flood down their link, stronger than he had felt in nearly a century. Stronger than he had felt ever.
She was dying, and it was all his fault.
Tears welled up in his eyes. The monster was laughing as it gorged itself on power. It was ignoring him.
He glanced at the modified formation. In particular, he stared at the cascade inhibitor.
The part of the formation that would prevent the Elemental conversion from running out of control.
Xiaoshi summoned the last of his strength, and pulled his fist up.
“I’m sorry, Tianlan.” he whispered.
The formation broke.
And Tianlan broke with it, wondering why Xiaoshi had done this to her.
==============================
Tianlan shuddered, each golden crack on her form pulsing as the world came to an end.
Wood to Fire. A forest to ash.
A mother bear screamed, as she burned.
Fire to Earth. Hot Springs and magma to stone.
The people of the north fled past the mist wall, as it shuddered and spasmed. Led by their prophet, they managed to surge through the stellar gales, and find refuge with a fox.
Earth to Metal. Marble and granite to iron and tin.
Rumblin’ Yao stayed true to his oath to Xiaoshi, protecting all that he could within his shell, even as it killed him.
Metal to Water.
Three quarters of the new capital was swept away, forming Pale Moon Lake. All that was left was the outermost section of the city, with the least of the Administrative palaces.
Water to Wood.
The King of the lake roared, as roots and leaves consumed his flesh. The great lord dove to the bottom of the lake, turning himself purely into water. To stoke the misty lake, and do battle against the reeds.
His children howled with him, as their horns sloughed from their skulls.
Then, the energy discharge hit the center of the province.
The tops were knocked off a thousand mountains. Most hit the mist wall as they flew, vaporizing from the fury of fluctuating stars. But enough came back down to earth.
The demons outside of it screeched as the cataclysm hit them, the burst of light and Qi shattering thousands of their portals, vaporizing millions of the beasts.
The survivors awoke to a dying world, and with broken memories, Demonic Qi poisoning and deluding. Their very souls had been wounded. Millions were dead or dying.
Yet none called it a cataclysm, because to their fractured souls and addled minds, the world had always been this way.
The Spirit Beasts screamed and raged as the cataclysm mutated their bodies. They went completely insane as their lords succumbed to the devastating Qi deviations.
A blind man had to drive what was once his best friend away from the corpse of his father, as the Roadspinner, now Wreckerball screamed with rage and hate.
Men and women slaughtered each other in the aftermath. For food. For resources. For the dregs of Qi that were leaking out of the world.
Ruolan, a babe at her breast, picked up a sword used for opera, that she swore never to draw in anger… and called all who would be with her under her banner.
==============================
But the worst part, the worst part was the silence. She shuddered and tossed and turned, and even Chun Ke’s nose gently pressing into her couldn’t keep the feelings at bay.
Tianlan awoke to agony. Her Qi, her lifeblood was spilling out of her. Her body was just gone, a shattered pile of rubble.
She was broken and delirious. Fractured, and barely a person. She was nearly blind, deaf, and dumb… but she could feel still. There was somebody approaching a Dragon Vein. one of her wounds, leaking Qi into the air.
“Help…. Me.” she begged the approaching figure.
The figure that evolved into Ruolan.
Her eyes were cold and hard. Her face was full of wrinkles. There was blood splattered across her cheek.
Ruolan kenalt down, fingers brushing against Raw Qi, as it dissipated into the air.
“Ruolan. Ruolan, help me.” she begged, reaching out tendrils of light to connect to her friend.
But Ruolan couldn’t hear her.
The cultivator dug deep into the exposed Dragon Vein, and ripped what little she could take out.
All across the province, it was the same story, as Tianlan died.
Tianlan screamed and screamed, begging for help.
Until the blackness slipped in at the edges, and what was the earth returned to it.
================================
Xiaoshi awoke to a tongue licking at his face.
“Master. Master.” Dian whimpered. His dear friend's teeth were cracked, and his eyes were mad and wild.
Xiaoshi groaned, as he raised a hand. He meant to raise both of them, but he only had one arm.
And one leg.
But he was alive, at least for now. He groaned, as the Temple Dog helped him up. He was somewhere on the ruins of a mountain top, having been flung from the old capital, the center of the province.
All that was left there was a hole in the ground.
The mist wall was visible in the sky, now. Covering the sun, and turning everything monochrome and grey.
He touched the part in his soul that was once connected to Tianlan, and felt only a ragged stump.
He touched the earth, and met only silence.
He just wanted to curl up and die. But he was still alive. And if he was still alive… then he was alive for a reason.
Perhaps he had some role left to play.
His companion bore him onward, as Xiaoshi looked at the devastation he had wrought.
It was a sucking, hollow feeling.
Had it been pride that had blinded him? Had it been something else?
He didn’t know. But as he reached Pale Moon City, he had all the time in the world to stew on it.
He managed to form a semblance of order in Pale Moon—or what was left of it. He barely had any strength, but a snarling Temple dog put to rest any thoughts of looting and arson for the populace.
He prepared them as best as he could, expecting demons to come winging out of the sky at any moment.
But none ever materialized.
For over a month, he waited, and nothing came.
The mist wall churned with lightning and power, slowly fading away.
The Demons were not coming.
So he made a record. A record of his memories.
He wanted… he wanted somebody to know, eventually. To know what happened here.
To know what had destroyed Tianlan.
With the last of his power, he placed a compulsion upon the earth.
Whoever was to be his successor would be guided to this crystal. To learn all the secrets within, and become the Master of the Azure Mountains. The Lord of all the people within.
“Go. Take this somewhere safe. If I do not return within the year… take care of yourself, my friend.” He whispered to Dian.
His dear friend, his most loyal, was loathe to leave him.
But his command rang in Dian’s ears, and the Temple dog obeyed.
==================================
Even in this mad world, there were some things that were respected. They remembered, even through their damaged and mutilated souls.
A dance on the solstice. A dance that was important. It protected them.
So every year, they performed it without fail. They performed it, standing on the corpse of a spirt who hated them and loved them at the same time.
The dance was a proclamation of love and respect. Love and respect, as they ripped and tore the dwindling resources and Qi out of Tianlan’s flesh with abandon.
The world got brighter and brighter. The land got less dangerous, as the Qi faded. Slowly, as the generations passed, the people healed.
But there was no record of what had really happened.
=============================
Bi De pulled back from the memories, his mind a whirl as he pondered the tragedy of Xiaoshi and Tianlan.
A perfect copy of the formation that had empowered the Earth Spirit bounced around in his head as the Crystal imparted its memories.
They begged him to take up Xiaoshi’s final wish, to ascend to the top of the Azure Mountains and command all its people.
To be the steward he couldn’t be.
The Crystal offered the location of staches of regents that none would have uncovered. It offered power, formations, and a hundred thousand long-dead cultivation styles.
A ghostly, spectral being slowly swam into view. Its eyes were closed, like it had been slumbering for a long while. It was weak, like the Temple Dog, yet growing in strength as it floated forward.
“You, who hast found the crystal. By the orders of mine Master, you are the successor. This one is sworn to your service.” The ghostly apparition opened its eyes, smiling warmly at Bi De. “It shall aid you in any way it can, for the ascendance of the —”
The spirit blinked. Consternation stretched across its features.
Then it blinked again, squinting, and striking the side of his head twice.
“...A chicken?” the spirit asked, incredulously.
====================
==========================
And thus ends the flashback arc. I hope there was some entertainment, but in the end, you did already know the ending, sort of.
Phew! now I'm gonna sleep.
Edited by: Brandon “Philosophysics” Zhang-Leong, Oshi, Massgamer
Comments
Nick Marini
WOOOOOOO!
Mickey Phoenix
Gimro, that was incredibly rude. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Mickey Phoenix
"of what her pain" to "of her pain" "staches" to "stashes"
Logrus
Gotta say, that last line was an absolutely perfect ending to this mini-arc.
paul Emmer
So any news on the next chapter just curious I'm ready to feed
paul Emmer
We are getting to the heart of the story keeping the slice of life as the story moves forward may prove to be challenging
AG
Is the chapter delayed again?
Chris
That final line made it all worth it.
Imspinnennetz
Delay is incoming
Harley Shockley
Actually, I think that the flashback showed us more than you may think. The shrouded mountain sect has been infiltrated by demons. Now we know how they did that. The demon hidden in the prime minister shows us the method that they can infiltrate the world at large.
Randall Randall
The series is *named* after him. Of course he's the main character.
Bryan Ortiz Ramos
So, this explains the betrayal, the emperor, the formations, the demons, and the harem to be (possibly). As Jin was already planning on leading, although through accident, the clans and such, i see many ways that this could go. Jin has to fight the demons with his grandad. Jin uses the consuming formation for his allies (doubtful). Jin tries to undo the mistakes of Xiaoshi (or Big D). Or a combination of all with a load of comedy, a rooster becoming emperor, and a really nice farming story.
paul Emmer
So the flash back was needed and would be a good place to end book 3 The monkey chapters should be moved to the end of book 2 right before Jin shows up at Duel peaks This is assuming CF still plans to break volume 2 into 2 books Just my thoughts on the matter
BaguaBrady
That was a beautiful flashback, hard to read and glad the last dose came in one big gulp. It'll at depth to the more joyous present I believe
paul Emmer
So could Ruolan or her descendent be the old lady in the story with the goat
paul Emmer
I think you got the balance right with the information we needed it was really well done and I look forward to see were we go from here I'm suspecting and extended series as they build a new version of an old world it has all been enjoyable to me thus far
Jacob
Man I read that all in one go and it was grand but poor Tianlan
Doctor Xerox
Oof, really good ending to the flashbacks. I think for me (and maybe also those who disliked the flashbacks, but aren’t managing to give constructive criticism) my struggle to enjoy the earlier chapters came from failing to emphasize with these long dead characters. Perhaps when these chapters receive their eventual edits, the first chapter can be tweaked to pull us more quickly into Xiaoshi’s shoes? The other issue is that I think this flashback suffers from being too close to the flashback to the gang fixing the crystal. That’s the flashback that I think could benefit from finding a new place for it in the story. I’m not sure where, because I can see why it doesn’t work directly before the tournament’s climax, but the current placement for it also seems incorrect. And having just completed a flashback that felt awkwardly placed, it made me slow to accept that we were diving straight into another flashback.
Holden
When it turns out Bi De is actually the main character
mag28
Also Jin doesn't have a goodest boy,temple dog, and now that is all I want now. Oh the possibilities are so good too. Like him/her would have a rivalry of the ages with tigu. Also temple dog and Chun ke come on it has to happen or my heart would break from sadness
mag28
Like I get it in story wise it makes big d was the one who looked for it. So yeah it makes sense it's his crystal. But like logically it was a precautionary tale for Jin but was given to big d so kinda lessens it effectiveness. I'm not complaining I'm just saying isn't it kinda like if this was Harry Potter and instead of giving the prophesy to Harry you gave it to Ron. Yeah its useful and important and it will get to to the MC but something are gonna get left out or lost a long the way. And I know that comparison int exact but it gets my point across I think
mag28
So I have a questions. Can other people see what's in the crystal? Or was it destroyed? Because if it was destroyed then it was not a smart decision for big d to get it right?
Geese
Thank you for the chapter. I’ve enjoyed seeing what happened in the past. I’m probably wrong but these last few chapters have left me with some thoughts. Were the Azure Hills where life began so to speak? It seemed like there was nothing outside the mist wall but demons. Then the cataclysm happened, killing most of the demons and weakening the ones that survived. Did the mist wall dissipate and people started leaving? Maybe much of the qi from Azure Hills got shot outside the mist wall into the surrounding land. This leaving the Azure Hills as a qi dead area. Until Jim started healing her anyway.
Randall Norman Pick
Well it is Beware of Chicken, not Beware of the Farmer. Fantastic chapter
wiggster
thanks for the chapter! glad we finally got the story of what happened
Chad Champion
Awesome chapter! My only last remaining question is how Meimei is related to the old Emperor. That is going to be a fun dynamic! Also, does anyone remember the name of the demon young master Jin destroyed? I’m remembering something similar to Zhong, further connecting to Xiaoshi’s memories, but I’m not sure and too lazy to check.
Daniel Gesualdi
Ok so the normal cultivator style novle bits where... Depressing to be honest. Always hated how betraying and the like is so common in those stories. Though that ending .... A chicken?! Was the best payoff I could have asked for.
stargibilet Scott
I'll admit that I've missed the usual story. But I loved all the flashback stuff! It really enhances the world as it is and the characters.
Ivan Elyshev
Probably you right. But thats the thing, why the story needs to have parts that feels that way. And I understand that not every part of the story could be equally fun. From my point of view may be it should not be done at all? I got it that at this point we alredy had no choise, only bad and worther one. Also I not fully agree that the issue lies with absence of MC. Me personally do not like multiple POVs, but I was ok with long Tigu interlude, they were fun. The issue here that the flashback MC is unlikeble, we got his resoning, but for me emperor was more sympathetic in the end. To make this work it needed more time, or maybe more skill, I do not know. And if this took more chapters it probably only made things worth.
Pebble
I feel like telling it all at once helped it keep the momentum it was building up. Splitting it into smaller parts told with some time in-between them could have drained some of that energy. Given how some people didn't really like that the main cast wasn't part of that story, I think of it as pulling out a tooth. Do it all at once with one hard pull, instead of wiggling it around, pulling bit by bit. :)
Ivan Elyshev
The more I think about it the more I begin to doubt that this flashback was really nessesary. This could be told from earth spirit point of view, and later the demon for example would reveal the truth. For me it would be intresting, may be a bit cliche, but fun. And it would take less time to tell it. Its ok to have it this way, in the end we got all the answers. But it is different from the rest of the story, and thats makes it worth for me.
Ivan Elyshev
Yes, I wanted to skip last chapters, it was so unintresting for me. Only that it was just 3 small parts of the chapter and it is the end flashback kept me. If the main story was the same I would have droped it. In previous comment I wrote that it completly lacks what I want from the story, also we already know the outline of it. There ware little twists that I did not expect, like emperors being not bad and MC wanting to back off. But thats it.
Gimro
Quention Long, 1. "Do you often pass judgment on material you have deliberately avoided exposing yourself to?" I have a hard time understanding this question. So I will assume you are asking if I have a habit of skipping chapters or story arcs. Well yes I do, for example, reading A Song of Ice and Fire, I skip chapters about characters I do not like like Denaerys and Bran. Now those are only parts of the book and I accept there will be lost plot developments that I will miss but I can accept. Do I like the book? Of course. Its just that some parts I skim over or skip because its not that "strong" or exciting. Same with Beware of Chicken, I do not like the memory crystal arc and found it boring, therefore I lost interest when I read the first part of The Breaking of [天] which I mentioned reading on the comments above. I do however, love the earlier slice of life and farm/settlement building as mentioned it on my first comment. 2. "Do you expect the author, or anyone else, to care about your utterly uninformed opinion on stuff you haven't even read?" First, this is the comment section. I am free to express my opinion. Second, your words here could be applied to any comments under here. Lastly, this does not make sense, I am not trying to incite a revolution or something. All I did was state my opinion. There was no call for action in it. I did not pressure anyone to do anything. It was literally just my opinion. The argument of "you didn't read ALL of it so your opinion is useless and nobody should care" does not apply here. I mean, come on, we all went to the bookstore or the library to skim or read the first few chapters of a book to see if we like it. If you don't like it, then go grab another. In my opinion, there are highs and lows for this story, this arc is part of the low and I found it 'boring'.
Quentin Long
"…the problem for me that delivery is boring." Wow. "Boring". I can see why someone might conclude that this flashback arc just isn't their cup of tea… but "boring"? Seriously?
Quentin Long
Okay, Gimro. You "found the current story arc boring". That would be the "current story arc" that you acknowledge <i>not having read</i> most of. Do you often pass judgment on material you have deliberately avoided exposing yourself to? Do you expect the author, or anyone else, to <i>care</i> about your utterly uninformed opinion on stuff you haven't even read?
Pebble
The flashback arc wasn't bad, it's just a different type of story than most people here have come to expect of BoC. I also agree that it was necessary. If we didn't get the full backstory on Tianlan it would have to be revealed bit by bit. Given how much there was to tell, it would have been a choice between cutting out most of the stuff, which would remove most of the impact; or it would take so long to tell, everyone would get frustrated by always getting only small pieces of the story, but still unable to see where it's going. Now that we know what happened we also have a foundation on which the story can keep building, without needing to bring up the past all the time. At the very least I expect the demon that took over the Formation is still around. It probably got permanently damaged and is unable to act freely so it's sending out its minions, like the demon Jin killed at the dueling peaks, and the other one that recovered its essence. That demon will likely come after Jin once it finds out Tianlan is making a comeback. In part to drain her power, in part to seek revenge on her (since Tianlan is the only one left from back then), and finally to prevent a new threat from arising in form of Jin.
Ivan Elyshev
Mmmm I do not agree, for me traditional cultivator was an emperor, and he was not really wrong in the end, the problem for me that delivery is boring. In main story we have slice of life of ex-cultivator and adventure, character development, powerleveling of sidekicks the good stuff. Even Jin is getting stronger. In this flashback we got almost none of the good parts but mostly drama and not so interesting development. The only thing that made me read this cause it give answers to some questions from main story. I was not invested in their story. I have no answer how to do it better. May be cut it shorter or make it longer so we could be more invested. And your point about no possibility to get stronger is also moot, it is always possible to get better. Lots of stories based on unorthodox ways of getting OP. Here we got roads for earth veins, and thats it. But it is boring we do not really see the point, how he got stronger with it, how he got better with manipulating energy or something. It just boils to do X then beat the emperor, all his friends and army were a distraction, it is kind of disappointing and all their value is that they are progenitors/reflections or current charecters
Ichypa
The flashbacks could have been broken up a bit more, but in Terms of total content I think they were just the right length to give us all the information we needed and to make what happens to these characters an impact, while not being so long that it dragged on.
Munirah Hutchinson
I love the world building. This history is truly fascinating and tragic
Munirah Hutchinson
I mean, that's sort of the point. Falling into the trap of traditional cultivation lead to the breaking. By stepping off the path of returning to the earth after he plateaus and returning to the conventional cultivation style after his power leveling, his return to the tradition of the triple caused calamity. This story is about a dude who chooses not to follow that path and the flash back sort of shows the ultimate result of what you wanted.
That Guy
I liked these flashbacks ty
The Dapper Lemon
The problem isn't so much your opinion, which is completely valid, but with the way you chose to share it. You came across as entitled, whiney, and a bit hostile. It's perfectly fine to say these chapters aren't to your liking. The author even stated he didn't want to drag things out as it wasn't the type of story he wanted to share but that it was important to the overall plot and world building. Complaining and saying you skipped the chapters, calling people that disagree with you idiot, and claiming the author is only writing this portion for "that Amazon money " is uncalled for. This is a chill community built around a chill story. That kind of crap is going to rub people the wrong way. Please feel free to share your thoughts but try to be civil, eh?
Khress
I really appreciate the background information. But i missed the regular chapters with the homely feeling. Maybe if the chapters were a bit more spaces out with regular chapters?
Gimro
Yes, I found the current story arc boring, so I skip it. I will read other chapters that I find more exciting. This story arc is not as interesting as the others before it. So I use the word 'boring', what is wrong with that?
Quentin Long
'Utterly boring", the dude says. Seriously? Of all the adjectives you could choose to apply, the one you <i>did</i> choose was <i>"boring"?</i>
Ivan Elyshev
It's ok for flashback I guess, maybe it couldbe smaller but its not unbearable. I do not like it because you took all good part of powerleveling and goods acquisition out of the genre and left the drama. It is fine because we kind of need this information but this is just not my cup of tea.
B L
No, we didn't. We discovered an inflection point, where one choice may lead down to that. I think the story would be better if Bi De continued the theme of refusal, and do what's right for the long term. Jin did that; and Meimei did that a bit with her appearance, and towards some archaic expectations on her.
Anzer'ke
What are you trying to accomplish by posting this? This isn't expressing frustration, this is just being rude and cruel for no reason.
Guy L.
Wow. That was *dark*. Good. but dark.
BelligerentGnu
Casualfarmer, I have literal goosebumps. This tied together so many mysteries, and set up something truly incredible. At last, we discover Bi De truly *is* the protagonist of this novel.
BelligerentGnu
Farmer, I sincerely hope you ignore this guy, given how astonishingly wrong he is on all counts.
B L
If it's forced upon Bi De, I hope he takes on ideas from Jin and makes the position constitutionally constitutional as constitutionally possible. And let democracy be the real power. After all, Canada is a constitutional monarchy. Ideas and their representatives should be the beacon. Not one person. I hope that is the difference this time around; leave them to a more peaceful life. And I hope Bi De can outright refuse.
Yunru
Think you meant to post this as a reply.
Eric Manwill
And now the full picture is revealed. I rather like how it hangs together.
Robert Davidson
I'm glad Xiaoshi didn't betray Tianlan, in the end. He went right up to the precipice, and turned away. Shame about the demon wearing his friend's skin.
Tribe
Jeez, bro. I prefer the main story too, and would prefer this backstory to be all coming forward in implicit details instead of the info flashback. But like, it's still a fun story, and the author is exploring their world and I'm here for it. Your complaining about their complaining is infinitely more annoying. And also, the ending payoff was absolutely worth. So now we'll see how Tianlan is doing next spring.
Liam Wilton
I really enjoyed this sequence. Very well done, and interesting seeing the mention of blood and oil again. It seems that the demons are still around, trying to infiltrate and corrupt. Potential conflict for the future, foreshadowed in a flashback. Very nice! You really tied up a lot of the loose threads that Bi De gathered quite well, it'll be interesting to see where things go from here.
Gimro
Fair, I will update my comments.
Colin
Admittedly it is more drama, as opposed to slice of life, but it’s still well written.
Colin
Maybe try reading them? They are still very good. I don’t have too much hope of getting through to you, but it’s still CF’s excellent writing. He’s not doing much “blockbuster action” shit like you fear. It’s good character-driven writing.
Noble Defect
you're comments contribute nothing and you discourage the author from trying anything different.
Gimro
Umm... have you been to reddit?
Gimro
I read the first part at least of The Breaking of [天], Earth-chan backstory if I remember correct. The others of the sequences, I skipped.
Noble Defect
I know you're just voicing your opinion but the way you are saying it is only making you seem like an ass.
Colin
So you skipped the past chapters, but also have declared them boring and are calling them trash? Is that really what you’re saying? That you’ve not read them but hate them anyway?
Gimro
Also, yes, I skipped the past chapters. Ill read back once we get to slow-paced.
Gimro
I said I found the flashback chapters boring idiot. I love the story, why do you think I am a patreon.
Baines
I figured the dance tied into the mist wall and the lost of qi in the area but I was thinking he betrayed Tianlan out of desperation to save the people from the demons not that he was conned into changing the formation by the demons. I like this background story.
Gimro
Comment redacted.
Colin
This is some real whining right here. If you don’t like it don’t read it, there’s plenty of us who do.
Gimro
These last few chapters about flashbacks is utterly boring. I came hear to read a slice of life story about a rooster and a humble farm. Author wants them Amazon money to bitch and complain so he made it blockbuster action-type shit.
Kyfe
So if the qi was drying up and dissipating from the earth, did it slowly recover as more descended from the heavens? Or what happened? That would make sense to me. Millenia pass, and slowly more qi from the universe finds its way to the planet.
Seaspike
Welp, that also explains why the fox tribe are the only ones who remember the cataclysm.
Seaspike
No, just had one hidden inside. It had not supplanted him. More like a parasite on steroids.
Len
Awesome. Sad but awesome. I KNEW kong was going to be a demon.
Imspinnennetz
That is how a rooster became the emperor of Azure Hills.
Teatime42
He will learn to beware the chicken XD
Sean Ulrich
Not just a chicken! Lord Bi De!
