Torsten Hewson
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v4c73: Place of Defeat
🕑 Added 2023-12-19 05:50:33 +0000 UTCZhou Yingwen was in darkness.
He had been in darkness since Fenxian had caused the avalanche that hid them. He didn’t know how much time had passed as he faded in and out of consciousness. The stumps that were his legs had long since been tended to at least.
They had survived, for now, but… Yingwen knew in his soul that this was the end. That this cave, covered by snow, was to be his tomb.
It was an almost comforting thought. It was peaceful here. There was no more terror, no more pain.
It was silent; save for the occasionally crunching sound as the snow settled a bit.
They both lacked the strength to dig themselves out before they had no more air… and even if they had enough air, they were likely already being slowly poisoned by the ripped off arm of the beast Fenxian had taken with them. It was sharp enough to be a weapon, and neither of them had their swords.
Yingwen let out a breath. It was wheezy and rattling.
The initial assault had gone well. They had stormed the last base, their lightning burning everything in their path, as it had in every base before.
Then it all went wrong. First the ripping explosion. Then, the Qi of the world went mad as a giant formation activated—and then the secret side tunnels opened up, disgorging horrors.
Perhaps, they had once been men or women. But instead, they were something terrible. Half man, and half demon. Chitinous blades sprung from their arms or their backs. Black armor covered random bits of exposed flesh. Their breaths were raspy, and their faces were twisted not with agony, but joy and amusement.
They looked happy, as they tore into the Shrouded Mountain Sect Disciples. They were not particularly strong, but they had durability and numbers on their side, and cared nothing for taking damage so that they could strike in return.
They literally buried people under them, grabbing cultivators and dragging them down.
But those were not the only beasts.
There were far more insidious ones. Demonic Cultivators. Demonic Cultivators who were not crazed beasts, but cold, efficient, and ruthless. They looked more like an Imperial Execution squad than any Demonic cultivator Yingwen had ever heard about.
Yingwen shuddered as he remembered the battle, and the screams of his fellow Disciples listening as the snow shifted overhead.
Their brother and sister Disciples had fought back as best they could… but it was overwhelming.
They had honestly done well to survive as long as they had—for even Elder Shenhe had fallen to a man with burning purple eyes. She had been limp in his grasp, her body smoking, and constellations of light floating around her body.
Yingwen’s only regret was that he wouldn’t be able to warn the sect that had taken him in and practically raised him.
He stared into the darkness, and the steady, almost rhythmic shifting of snow.
Crunch, crunch, crunch, it went.
….that wasn’t the snow shifting. That was something digging.
“Fenxian.” Yingwen rasped, his voice weak.
“Yeah, I hear it, brother. Looks like they found us.” Fenxian’s voice was calm, and Yingwen heard him shuffle around and stand. At once, there was an almost blinding light as Fenxian ignited a small spark in his hand, just enough to see. “Looks like my plan was shit, as always.”
His brother Disciple was smiling ruefully. His plans had always been harebrained. His brother Disciple was an idiot of the highest order, after all.
“It was a fine plan. The Lode Iron trap especially was inspired.” Yingwen stated. “You used up all your good ideas at the last moment, it seems.”
Fenxian chuckled. “It truly is the end if you’re complimenting me.”
The sound of digging was getting louder.
“Well. Shall we perform one last charge?” Yingwen asked. “You always said a man should go out like a man.”
Fenxian nodded. “For the Shrouded Mountain Sect.” he declared.
“For the Shrouded Mountain Sect.” Yingwen agreed, pushing himself into a seated position with his good arm. He could not die standing…. But he could at least spit defiance one last time.
A limb punched through the snow. The cave erupted with light.
Yingwen gathered all the Qi he could, his skin cracking from the energy, and as soon as a figure appeared in the portal, he unleashed it
Fenxian roared and charged.
The shadow dodged the lightning bolt—and caught Fenxian’s blow.
Yingwen stared, determined to look his death in the eye.
=============================================
The snow crunched under Bi De’s feet, and his breath came out in great steaming gouts that were instantly swept away by the howling wind.
The worst storm Bi De had ever experienced before was the Devil Storm, at the end of winter back in the Azure Hills. It had been the true fury of nature, with its savage winds and bitter cold. Yet while it had concerned normal people, it had only been an interesting distraction for Bi De. As a cultivator he could have waltzed through it without a care in the world.
The storms of the Howling Fang Mountains started as strong as a Devil Storm.
The province was aptly named, for with the jagged mountains that looked like rows of serrated teeth combined with the roaring bellow of the wind, it was like they were in the mouth of a massive predator proclaiming its dominance for all the world to hear.
For the first time since he had ascended past the Initiate’s Realm, Bi De felt truly cold. The outer layer of his skin was trying to freeze over, and he could feel the icy tendrils of the Qi-empowered storm reaching for his dantian.
To the left and right of him were what looked like parodies of Tigu’s sculptures; humanoid forms hunched over like he was and trying to trudge forwards, interspersed with others holding out their hands in the direction of the wind.
Except these were not sculptures. Each frozen statue had once been a human, an Imperial Army regiment, before the entire group had been frozen in minutes.
And this was mild weather for Forlorn Sculpture Pass.
He was near blind from the driving snow and near-deaf from the screaming wind, but he glanced to the side as Shao Heng tapped his shoulder.. He made a hand signal that indicated “cave” and pointed off to the left side of the pass. Bi De nodded, sparing a glance at the others behind him. As the one with the strongest cultivation, Bi De was the “bulwark”, a shield for his companions against the wind… and other things. His hand lashed out as he caught an icicle as long as his forearm, and absently crushed it.
Bi De forged ahead, flaring his own Qi and shoving the storm aside as best he could, yet the world knew that a man must be humble. The storm refused to bow before him, and kept venting its fury.
After only a minute, he found the cave Shao Heng had indicated. The wind cut off swiftly, as they entered it, and the air warmed as Shao Heng immediately pulled out a fire crystal.
All of their party let out a sigh of relief.
Bi De himself started undoing buttons on his jacket, a gift from the foxes before they had left. At first Bi De had been confused about the gift… but then Shao Heng and Yushang had insisted they take them.
They received thick, puffy jackets, boots with nails poking out of the bottom, specially treated rope, and ice-picks. The clothes were lined with the fur of Emperor Wolves, or stuffed with Blaze Bird down. They additionally had a pocket specifically for a minor fire crystal in the chest area.
Now, Bi De was rather glad that they had taken them.
Yun Ren groaned as he collapsed against the wall, rubbing his hands together.
“Wish my brother was here. He kicks out heat like a fire crystal,” he grumbled.
“You have fluff if you want it. Stop complaining.” Han grumped, while Yushang sighed heavily, draping herself over Ri Zu.
“I never thought we’d actually take Forlorn Sculpture Pass. I thought you were joking, Uncle!” Yushang complained.
“Lord Shen Yu demanded the fastest pace we could make. Forlorn Sculpture Pass is the fastest.” Shao Heng replied, as he pulled out the map. The pass was marked with numerous skulls… but the route cut a week off their journey to the last place Elder Shenhe had been spotted.
“The speediest paths are oft fraught with danger,” Shen Yu said as he casually walked into the cave, not looking cold at all. He wasn’t wearing anything different from his usual clothes. Nezan was behind him, similarly no worse for wear. “One always must consider this while traveling, especially when they have somewhere to be; as the shortest path can sometimes be the longest path, if things go wrong.” Shen Yu’s eyes roved over them all. “I will allow a short rest, but we will continue within the hour.”
And with that, he turned, and walked back out into the storm.
All of them sighed.
“Couldn’t he have just flown us?” Han complained, but his heart wasn’t in it.
After all, Shen Yu had told them why he wasn’t allowing them a “shortcut”.
“Traveling through hardship is good for you,” Bi De said to Han, repeating Shen Yu’s words. All of them let out a chuckle… but it was true. “Now. Let us recover ourselves. Master Shen Yu wishes for our best speed.”
Bi De sat beside Yun Ren, and the other man pressed slightly up against them. Ri Zu sat on Bi De’s lap, and Yushang sat beside Bi De. Then the woman turned to Shao Heng, and patted the ground beside her.
The Healing Sage, if she could see him, most likely would have made a joke about how many people Bi De shared his bed with… but in the Howling Fang Mountains, multiple people crammed together and sharing heat was the norm.
He closed his eyes and meditated upon their journey north.
At first, the weather had been mild, and their pace had seen them reach the first town Shenhe had visited within half a day of departing. The locations had been recorded by Yun Ren, when he had raided the archives for knowledge.
It had been a small town. The mortals had all been evacuated by the Shrouded Mountain Sect, leaving it completely abandoned.
It looked mostly unharmed… until they got to a building built into the side of a mountain. The building had been sealed entirely by a formation, but Shen Yu had made short work of it, allowing them entry.
“Hm. She's thorough.” Shen Yu had said, with what sounded like a mild amount of praise. The halls were blackened and slagged, like the woman had ordered every inch cleansed with electricity. There were seals plastered all over the walls, and in quite a few of the rooms, there were prayer offerings to cleanse tortured spirits. Bi De couldn’t feel any lingering demonic taint at all, and even Shen Yu had to actually focus to find any lingering Qi—and even that was the barest hint of corruption.
After that, they had gone to where the mortals had been evacuated, and spoke to them. Apparently none of them had known anything at all had been amiss until the mountain they had lived on started rumbling, and the Shrouded Mountain Sect Disciples had thoroughly examined all of them for a “Qi Plague”.
They visited three other locations, each one as thoroughly cleansed as the last, and each with the same story.
After that the old man had commanded they were changing their methods. Instead of taking a look at every place she had cleansed, they were traveling to Zang Shenhe directly.
And that meant taking the dangerous routes with all speed north.
It was exhausting and freezing.
Yet though it was a tiring journey… he was enjoying himself. He was enjoying the challenge of the routes.
But he was also curious at what they might find with Shenhe.
==================================
It was when they were an hour away when they started to feel ill at ease.
Bi De glanced at his companions, and sped up. They exploded into motion, making all due haste, until, on the horizon, they saw smoke, and stopped dead.
Shen Yu and Nezan were already there; both of them were frowning heavily. They were standing in the middle of a ransacked camp. The banners of the Shrouded Mountain Sect had been tossed into a pile and burned.
But more than the camp, there was a mountain.
Half its top had been blown off, or had collapsed inward, and even now, smoke poured out of it. The entire area felt off.
There was no grand demonic taint. If anything, Bi De felt only the occasional whisper that was so faint it may as well not have been there.
Bi De’s eyes went from the mountain to the area around it.
There had been a storm through here recently, but there was still the occasional patch of red blood visible.
Red blood… and what oddly looked like where patches of snow had been scooped out.
Shen Yu’s face was grim as he glared at the mountain.
“Disperse and search for survivors. If you see anything amiss, flee immediately and break this talisman; it shall call me to it.” Shen Yu said bluntly, his voice brooking no disagreement as he handed out talismans and transmission stones to them. “I shall be going into the mountain to investigate. Nezan, keep an eye upon them.”
“Yes.” the fox replied tersely.
“Yushang, with Yun Ren. Han, with Ri Zu. Shao Heng, with me.” Bi De said, evenly splitting their combat power… as much as it could be split. An extra pair of eyes would help him out as well.
His companions swallowed thickly, but made ready. Yun Ren’s ears and tail popped out, while Yushang drew her sword. Han let out a breath, while Shao Heng simply bowed his head.
Ri Zu closed her eyes, and a legion of little squeaking shadows boiled out of her sleeves.
“They have a good sense of smell.” Ri Zu said. “And if need be, they can scout ahead.”
The shadow rats lined up like an army regiment, and gave them all little salutes before running over to cling onto pants or hide under jackets.
Then, they dispersed in their pairs. Shao Heng was a lot slower than Bi De, but his knowledge of the mountains was still superior.
The first thing Bi De noticed was the lack of corpses. Bi De saw places where bodies fell, the pools of frozen blood, but no one lay in them. Every single corpse was just… gone.
For an hour they searched, in a winding pattern, but it seemed to be fruitless. All the trails ended quite close to the mountain. They were just contemplating going to tell the others, when Bi De’s transmission stone buzzed.
“Yushang say—chrrzzzz.” Bi De winced as Yun Ren’s voice hissed harshly from the stone; interference from the disrupted Qi around the mountain. “—trail of somebody—Possible survivors?”
“We shall head over to you immediately.” Bi De replied.
“Yo—shhhhh— sittin’ tight.”
Bi De nodded to Shao Heng, and they both took off. Bi De sent a transmission to Nezan, as well; and soon enough they were all assembled again.
Yushang pointed at a trail. “It goes off further than the other ones.” The woman replied tersely. Normally bubbly Yushang was grim, her eyes hard. To Bi De it seemed the trail terminated, but Shao Heng gave it one glance and nodded.
“Good eye, Yushang,” he praised.
They set off together, following the trail; or rather Yushang and Shao Heng followed the trail, as it often broke completely, and then Shao Heng or Yushang spent several minutes searching, before one called them over again.
They followed the trail for half an hour—until Bi De felt something. He was casting his Qi out, searching, trying to help his companions…when he touched something that made his guts roil.
He stepped off the path, to an unassuming patch of snow. Carefully, Bi De pushed the snow away, and revealed a patch of darkness.
A drop of black sludge, buried and frozen, yet emitting a demonic taint. Bi De swallowed at the sight of it. His Qi shuddered in his body, revulsion sweeping over him.
“It is concerning that our enemy is so thorough in removing traces of themselves,” Nezan said, as he approached Bi De, and pulled out a vial. He then broke off a piece of rock, and used it to push the drop of frozen sludge into it.
They continued their search, before they came to a ravine that had been filled in by a rockslide… but some of them had clearly been moved, dug out of where they had fallen, before whatever had been digging had clearly given up.
“Lode Iron,” Shao Heng stated. The same weight increasing metal Yushang’s sword was made of. “A normal rockslide is largely ineffective against most in the Profound Realm, but Lode Iron is a different story. When each rock weighs as much as one a hundred times its size…”
Bi De glanced to Ri Zu, who nodded. Her little helpers squeaked, and shot into the shadows of the rocks.
Five minutes later, one returned.
“There is wicked-evil sludge at the bottom,” she narrated as the little shadow beast squeaked. “The only solid piece is one off to the side. It's like a dark beetle but sharp. Should we try to dig it up?”
Nezan shook his head. “Unless Shen Yu does it, this will take weeks. Lode Iron is difficult to shift at the best of times.”
“Then we keep searching,” Bi De replied. “Perhaps the ones who brought down the iron still live?”
And so they did. For an hour, they searched to see if there was another trail.
They were just about to give up, when Shao Heng let out a shout of triumph.
“They doubled back,” the man reported, pointing at the snow, and at something Bi De did not recognise. “It's an old Outrider gambit—to double back upon one’s own trail, and get closer to the enemy before breaking off into another direction. It's a move of desperation, but…”
“They were clearly desperate,” Han muttered. The portly man looked ill.
Thus they reversed course, back along the trail, and began to search again.
It took another hour, for those that were evading their pursuers had some skill, but Shao Heng eventually found their trail.
A trail that led partway up to a mountain… until that too disappeared, as the mountain had been covered by an avalanche.
Bi De was ready for another few hours of searching, when Nezan put his ear to the ground, and simply waited for a few moments.
“Breathing. This way.”
=========================
And so they dug. The snow was deep; but it did not take them long to excavate enough so that Ri Zu could start to smell them.
“Blood. Lots of it,” Ri Zu reported, and began to fish in her bag for medical supplies.
Soon enough, Bi De could feel weak, flickering Qi.
And then they broke through into the mouth of a cave.
Bi De jerked his head to the side, dodging a weak lightning bolt.
A roar sounded out as a body surged towards him. Bi De nearly reflexively struck the creature moving towards him before he realised it was not a creature at all, but a man with half his face missing. Burned and blackened bone was visible through flesh, and his eyes were wide and delirious, as he made a desperate charge.
Bi De gently caught his arm, and let his Qi flow into the other man. Demonic poison that had been festering within the man’s blood was destroyed.
“Hold! You are among friends,” Bi De said, his voice strong and commanding. “We are here to aid you.”
The man, who had been on the verge of madness, suddenly calmed. He gaped at Bi De, before a smile spread across his face.
“Thank the Heavens,” he breathed out.
Ri Zu was on him in an instant, but the man shook his head. “My brother Disciple is more injured than I. Tend to him first, Lady Healer.” Ri Zu squinted at him, but nodded, and brushed past, deeper into the cave.
The man sighed, and collapsed onto his rear, a smile coming to his face. “Am I ever glad to see you lot—” He suddenly froze, as he laid eyes on Yun Ren. “—fox?!”
Yun Ren blinked. “Fenxian?!”
Bi De blinked, suddenly recognising the man. He was one of those that had been with Zang Li.
The man gaped at Yun Ren… until his eyes rolled back into his head, and he fainted.
Yun Ren and Bi De stared at each other.
“Small world, eh?” Yun Ren asked, trying for some levity.
Bi De was about to respond when Ri Zu came back out of the cave, her face grim.
“You will wish to see this,” she commented.
Bi De did as she bid, and laid eyes upon a twisted, corrupted arm.
==========================
They retired to the camp, taking both patients, Yingwen and Fenxian, with them. Moving the arm had been harder, and required the sacrifice of a few sets of clothes to the ugly-looking thing.
Ri Zu worked her skills on the two injured Disciples of the Shrouded Mountain Sect, while the rest of them were silent.
Shen Yu returned not long after, his face like stone.
“We shall not be returning back to Jin yet.” Shen Yu stated simply. “Their goal was to capture, not kill, and that is slightly concerning. Whatever they are planning will be stopped. Though the orchestrator of this trap was skilled, I have managed to get a hold of their trail. It heads further north. To the Sea of Snow.”
His voice was steady, and his words straightforward.
“So.. what are we going to do now?” Yun Ren asked.
Shen Yu looked at him. “I have sensed their power and taken their measure. Bi De and myself will be going further, and we shall tear this out by the root. If you are not confident in your strength, stay here. We shall camp here for the night. Make your decision by the morrow.”
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Editors: BargleNawdleZouss, Ayje
And now I break until the 15th!
Comments
Truedragon5374
Except that might not be very stealthy. From what I understand sensing chi is like sensing the light or heat emanating off a candle flame. And suppressing your chi for stealthy mostly involves keeping it calm and keeping if from leaking out. So I would imagine that projecting enough chi to for a 10 person size flying sword would be like a bonfire to chi senses.
Melanie Me
Hmmm... is this on par with "Who shot J.R. ?" Wow I think I just dated myself hahaha
Akki
An army marches on its' stomach. Jin would eventually become invaluable for logistics.
Duke of Coffee
(Zhou Yingwen was in darkness) Thus Zhou Yingwen Heartless is born. 😜
Randall Brynsvold
Electric Moose and Electric Fox!
swishmcfish
It was previously established that Bi De's Moon Qi does have Anti-Demon Properties and actively purifies it, back during the Lu Ban fight.
swishmcfish
Shen Yu isn't just your average mentor character trope, he's the walking WMD.
Randall Brynsvold
Yes, rocks. That's what was implied to be in the ravine after a rockslide filled it in. The rockslide is singular, but there's usually a variety of stuff (individual pieces) in the final wreckage of the mass that slides down the hill.
Randall Brynsvold
This would be more clear: "Yingwen shuddered as he remembered the battle and the screams of his fellow Disciples, while he listened as the snow shifted overhead."
Randall Brynsvold
Zang Li's squad, including these two, was sent off with Shenhe (or allowed to volunteer) to get them away from possible attack or harassment by agents of Zang Li's father.
Randall Brynsvold
The amount of poison must have been small or incidental. Their main problems were gross physical damage and Qi exhaustion.
Randall Brynsvold
Perhaps the Shen Yu/Fa Ram/Shrouded Mountain team will foil the demons' plans, but they may eventually need Meiling to truly counter whatever subtle talents Constellation Boy (Yulong) can bring to bear.
Randall Brynsvold
The section in Epilogue: Butterfly's Wings (2/8/23) that describes Yulong finding the clue left by one of his people does say that the bodies were "charred corpses". Perhaps the vice captain who left the clue was able to hide that he was barely alive after being "killed" and charred and left the clue with his remaining bodily fluids ("the last of his breath and blood") after the area had been cleaned up.
T. Lewison
Yingwen is the one who interrupted Xianghua and Gou Ren, and he became Jin's point of contact for negotiations with sMS. Fenxian went after Yun and got a sword in the ass, then Jin broke his jaw. These guys have had a very stressful year.
T. Lewison
Hmmm. There are a few possibilities! Bi De's Spiritual Realm now, so his purification effect might have leveled up? And/or it might be an issue of timing. They reached these guys fairly quickly, so they're not dealing with demonic qi in days-old wounds (Xiulan & Shen Yu).
ekwood
I . . . yes obviously: I don't understand how you think I needed to be told that. That was what I was talking about. But he got there after they had already moved on. My point was if the site had been thoroughly cleaned up and downright purged like what Big D found, there is no way that message could have been left behind for him to discover. It would have been either discovered and intentionally removed or inadvertently removed when they scoured every inch of the place with lightning, melting all surfaces.
D375
That would be an awesome Christmas gift!
WonderBread459
The cuckoo technique died with Lu Ban, at least for this group of demonic cultivators. It will still be some nasty stuff Shenhe is going though, but she’ll still be Shenhe if she survives
John Grizzly
Hopefully with some plot armor shenanigans, shenhe will still be kind of alive, which should be enough to kinda get a cool character back. Like with ri zu's demonic taint removal trchnique and shen yu there to help along, and bi de's cleansing ki. But it sounds like the prep for the big bad to Jins elevation to a farmer god amongst men where he can feed and empower the fight and as well as protect the back lines.
Gracias por esta historia, disfruta mucho tus vacaciones
linkhyrule5
I believe they're the two mooks who accompanied Zang Li to hassle the Dueling Peaks.
linkhyrule5
"Alive", yes. The things that attacked them were mostly human-demon hybrid things. I don't think Zang Li 2.0 is the worry so much as just generic demonic monsters. >.>;
Sam a Goat
Can someone remind me who yingwen and fenxian are?
D J Meigs
I mean at least we know most of that team including Shenhe is alive. Here’s to hoping the cuckoo technique takes time to implement and they won’t all be Zang Li 2.0 by the time the rescue team gets there.
Jonathan Ponce
To leave us on such a cliff hanger for that long you sir are diabolical... bravo With that out of my system, here's to hoping shenhe is still alive.
Duke of Coffee
Welp here comes the biggest cliffhanger ever.
Just A Dude
The heavens are breaking out the popcorn and crying "This is gonna be good!"
Adam Ford
Merry Christmas
Ch W
I would guess at this point, they don't need to grow through hardship. Shen Yu should be able to travel by flying sword, unless tracking makes that inadvisable.
WonderBread459
It’s probably completely inconsequential what Bi De did, closer to running a finger over a dusty surface leaving a clean spot. The typical, inferior way if the cloudy sword sect is to be believed , is to use qi to grind down and destroy the demonic qi. They stated this is typically done with the victim’s own qi because of the risks involved with demonic qi latching onto the healer, risks Meiling’s formation bypasses.
Truedragon5374
Exactly. If Celestial Moon chi could just nullify demonic chi, then Shen Yu wouldn't have been so impressed by Meimei's formation. I mean, Bi De can't be the only moon cultivator right? And just because his chi is practically poisonous to demons doesn't mean just shoving it into the guy would work very well. Shoving chi into another person tends to do bad things, like bursting meridians. That's one of the things that makes Medicinal chi so special is that it can enter a body without harm to do things.
Truedragon5374
Nah, Nurgle cultists are jolly. These bastards are punch wizards full of hate and spite who practice blood arts. Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne!
Truedragon5374
Just paint an ogre green
Javier van der westhuizen
Happy Holidays, I may go stark crazy waiting for the next chapter but it will be worth it
Matt Pendragon
I'm assuming that since they mentioned alot of capturing not killing that Shenhe still lives
John D Jones
This is going to be an extremely long four weeks. Still, I guess that gives me to reread (and rereread) the entire saga from the beginning. I wonder how Fenxian and Yingwen will react to realizing that they've been rescued by Jin's Spirit Beasts along with his granddad who is Shen Yu. Also, well in advance, I'm now 'shipping Nezan/Shenhe.
Matt Pendragon
yeah but he's saying if Bi De can just cleanse demonic chi, why did Meiling have to bother with the formation, perhaps the poison isnt demonic chi in this case or its from a weaker demon, or because it's fresh he can do it and once it sets in the wound it needs much more to cleanse,
Floyd
I mean, Chow Ji was pretty much a Skaven. My question is what the hell the inevitable Xianxia Orks are going to be like.
BlueMage_VT
Nearly a month wait now?!?!?! ARRRGGG!!!! Gonna be hard, but, enjoy your break! You have earned it! Happy Holidays!
Zach Cooper
Oh what a long month this is gonna be
Echo Sparksong
Maybe we get to hear from the Moose Yun Ren met before? They travel the sea of snow, right?
Old Dog
Another form of the Twilight Cuckoo.
Old Dog
As always, thank you for the chapter....even though you are SUPPOSED to be on break! Awesome chapter BTW @Casualfarmer. And what Kat Wilton said.
Vector
Having Shen Yu die would be a massive escalation. The devastation caused by his death would wreck half the Province. Then half the Empires top Cultivators would be up there ready for battle as anything that could kill Shen Yu is an existential threat to the Empire.
Vector
It was mentioned in an earlier interlude he was tracking the inquisitors progress as they attacked his bases.
Npad11111
It was previously established, back when Big D fought Lu Ban to save Xiulan.
WarStrider72
It had to be a zombie apocalypse for winter
David Giles
Nurgle loves you.
MockingBird
The standard trope would dictate the protagonists losing, and possibly having the master die. The purple eyed antagonist has just been introduced, so if they meet I doubt either side would come with no losses. The plot lines been building up for sometime, to see it get resolved this fast would feel unearned.
Kat Wilton
Yes, likely, but I think smelling Shen Yu's qi would make these demons piss themselves...
Kat Wilton
(lays cliff hanger down in front of us) "And now I start my break!" Us: "aaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiggghhhhh!!!!!!" Thanks, CF! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Anyway, CF, hope you have a blessed Christmas and a joyous new year - see you next month 🎄🎊 Edit: "... Bi De and myself will be going..." should be "Bi De and ***I***" because you wouldn't say "myself will be going"
ekwood
This isn't impossible to reconcile, but if Shenhe and company were so thorough in cleansing and sealing the sites they had cleared: how was there anything left for the purple eyed big-bad to find i.e. that message left for him that let him set up the ambush? Otherwise, another fantastic chapter.
DrNutella
But if he has Meimei’s special bloodline isn't he going to smell Shen Yu coming?
Sami Bautista
Thanks for the chapter. Enjoy the holidays. 😁
Katrina McNicol
Thank you for the chapters and happy holidays!
Apeljohn
It's a consistent occupational hazard of the story's premise. As readers, our brains latch on to _plot_... but the base story subverts the very idea that plot is required for a Xianxia story, substituting slice-of-life instead. Downside: whenever there's even the hint of a actual continuous series of causally-linked events (le gasp!), it's like dropping a rabbit in front of a greyhound. Convincing our brains to de-focus on any one part of the fic, once it has the narrative bit between its teeth, is a right pain.
Truedragon5374
I think Nezan will go. He is strong, plus i think the whole reason he came on this trip is so that he could "rescue" a Shrouded Mountain elder as a way to weasel ... i mean, fox his way into the sect diplomatically. Huh, what would an Ascended Spirit Weasel would be like? According to Chinese myth, they can steal your soul and replace it. With what i don't know.
Demian Buckle
Thank you for the Chapters.
Truedragon5374
Beware of Chicken. ... ... ... Holy Crap! I was tricked with Truth in Advertising! Casual Farmer you sly dog!
Truedragon5374
I think the Azure Hills and the Howling Fang Mountains are both provinces on the Phoenix Empire's northern boarder. We know the Empire is huge and controls almost the entire continent, key word being Almost. And from the memory crystal we know that the demons that weren't destroyed by the failed super ritual were driven North into the Sea of Snow. We also know the Empire was created via a massive crusade to drive demons out of all parts of what is now the Empire at about the same time, thats what the Lightning Brigade that founded the Shrouded Mountain Sect was doing. And we know the Empire wasn;t able to kill all the demons, some were driven out of the Empire or deep underground at places like that canyon near Jin's hometown. Heck besides hunting foxes, i think the SMS was acting as a border fortress for the Empire. So i don't think these areas are staging grounds so much as the demons thought that the Azure Hills was a convenient weak spot in the Empire's defenses.
Weird 3dud
Every break you have is like spiritual cbt
Truedragon5374
"Bi De gently caught his arm, and let his Qi flow into the other man. Demonic poison that had been festering within the man’s blood was destroyed." Destroyed? Sorry but that seems to easy. Sure, Bi De's moon chi doesn't play nice with demonic chi but even with his strength, wouldn't he need Ri Zu's help to safely run his chi through the guy using the copper wire formation. Maybe instead Bi De's chi could Calm the demonic chi, easing the guy's pain until Ri Zu could work some medical magic.
Truedragon5374
"They continued their search, before they came to a ravine that had been filled in by a rockslide… but some of them had clearly been moved, dug out of where they had fallen, before whatever had been digging had clearly given up." This is an unclear sentence. "some of THEM had clearly been moved". What THEM? Rockslide is singular. Do you mean some of The Rocks had been moved?
Truedragon5374
"Perhaps, they had once been men or women. But instead, they were something terrible. Half man, and half demon. Chitinous blades sprung from their arms or their backs. Black armor covered random bits of exposed flesh. Their breaths were raspy, and their faces were twisted not with agony, but joy and amusement." OK, who spilled Warhammer 40k Chaos Spawn all over this nice wholesome story!? Great chapter BTW!
Nick
Tftc, Merry Christmas!
WyrdWizard
and the screams of his fellow Disciples listening as the snow shifted overhead. I'm afraid this line doesn't make sense to me.
Justin
Maybe surprise bonus Jin farm chapter as a Christmas gift to us all??? I'll keep dreaming.
swishmcfish
Azure Hills isn't part of the Shrouded Mountain. We have had no indication of Demonic Force Presence in the Azure Hills either, just 2 of them from the Howling Fang Mountain Region.
Quixotic
You're just mistaken thinking that Jin is the protag. The story is and always has been Bi De's. You've been tricked into reading about a chicken.
CringeWorthyStudios
Oooh, they’re finally going to get to find out what Meimei’s special bloodline thing is. When they meet the freckle boy with the same colour eyes I hope they get to find something to teach Meimei… and save Shenhe as well because the SM sect needs a new leader.
Melanie Me
Yeah!!!! They were rescued. Woohoo hehe. Now to rescue the rest and back to the Sect. Shen Yu is gonna destroy the guy with purple eyes who laid the trap. Hmmm is the place beyond the Sea of Snow still in the Empire? I mean how north is too far north to still be in the empire. Answers will be in next season. Hehe
Featherweight
it’s gonna be a looooooong night
Ham
Love the Xianxia arcs, love the slice of life arcs, and love when they collide! Thanks for the stories and have a great break!
Memememe
The story is not titled “Beware of First Time Father”, after all.
TheSFReader
Thank you! And have a good vacation!
D375
Solid chapter, but it's a bummer that we didn't finish the year with Jin. I like Bi De, as a supporting character, but not as much as Jin.
TPG
Yeah, I liked this chapter more, and loved the shrouded mountian arc, but tbh the fox chapters really bored me, didn’t really compell me or feel that interesting
Eric Hicks
I suppose giving them survivors to heal would be the only way to get Ri Zu to maybe not go with Bi De... but I would still bet on Ri Zu tagging along... although her being royally pissed at having to stay and save those two might work well for the story.
Andrew Tanner
The chicken is the protagonist
Tom
Shen Yu is all business when demons are involved!
Ch W
I'm gonna guess Shen Yu and Bi De goes north, the rest stay or retreat back the way they came. This started at the farm as a trip for just Shen Yu and Bi De, the other three just asked to tag along. Demon hunt was suppose to be unlikely to occur, now there's too many injured and/or profound level folks to keep with the other two in speed and endurance.
Marta Barańska
Same here, love the tension but I'd like to see how Jin and others are doing on Fa Ram
MatrixM
Oh ,man. I get the impression a Sea of Snow journey could maybe be a book 5 thing. Gah I want more of this reunion but these guys are probably gonna be in a coma for a bit. Really liked this chapter.
Sebastian Rubin
Enjoy your break, and happy holidays!
Fervent Fiend
I’m not saying this arc is bad, it isn’t, but it also doesn’t quite follow the previous tone of the story. Our Protagonist is taking a major side role, to seeming obsolescence. If it’s to let the baby stuff not clutter up the plot, I get it, but the last we really heard about the group that stayed at the farm was that major construction was ongoing…
Kasinki
Lets goooooo!!! Enjoy the break, CF, and Merry Christmas!!! Take care and have rest~
Justus Saucedo
I love this arc, but at the same time am excited to see then get back to Fa ram. Thanks for the chapter
Kat
Ooooohooo! Small world, and yea capture over kill is a different level of concerning!
Xander Williams
Can’t wait to see Shen yu absolutely wreck house
Ch W
Thanks for the chapter. May you end the year with peace and joy, then start next year on a high note
Sean Ulrich
Looks like the Azure hills/ Shrouded Mountain area was meant to become a reserve area for demonic forces. Hide out and rebuild after the previous war. Maybe even try to drain the mountain spirit…
Len
Gah! More!!! Great chapter.
QuietlyObserving
Enjoy the break! You know, if they weren't obviously evil, I'd almost feel sorry for the demon cultivators. Imagine your plan and trap working flawlessly, capturing plenty of bodies...and then SHEN MOTHERF'N (literally) YU shows up to ruin the party, by what is basically a series of ludicrous coincidences. The heavens...probably aren't laughing, but I'm preeeetty sure I heard a giggle or two.
Nicholas Grey
A bit darker than the usual fare! A good place to end the year, not *too* cliffy.
Grant Daniel
Small world indeed that their rescue was also people who were a part of the start of the mess.
Aaron
Wow.
Hong Zhou
Have a nice break! I’m sure you will start out the new year with an absolute banger!
Thanks for the chapter!
