by M. Q. Kajack
“Master, from the south, there is someone running,” Shu Er exclaimed.
“You Ye, let’s head south.”
“How do you know there is someone there?” she asked, confused.
“Secret!” I said, laughing.
She harrumphed. “You have too many secrets.”
For some reason, it was very fun to tease this girl.
The city was so damn big. It took us three more hours to reach that person. We saw Xiao Wu being chased by some other unknown girl. Xiao Wu would be in a pretty bad situation if we didn’t arrive—she would have died. Xiao Wu had wounds over all her body, even though she was a rank higher than the girl attacking her. The other girl was about to catch her and kill her when we arrived.
“Brother Ye, help me out!” Xiao Wu came, crying and running in circles around me.
“All right, calm down. Stop with the crying.” I then turned to You Ye. “Take care of that girl for your third kill. Don’t worry, I will take care of Xiao Wu.”
Seeing us, the girl who was chasing Xiao Wu tried to run away, but You Ye was faster. It was clear You Ye’s arts were of a higher tier than that girl’s. A few minutes later, that girl turned into a cold corpse on the dark floor of this shadow city.
Ding!
Death Points +20
You Ye was coming toward us when a ball of light suddenly covered her and she disappeared. It seemed that after having completed her third kill, You Ye was immediately teleported.
Standing next to me, Xiao Wu calmed down after seeing her chaser got killed. I kept the corpse as its owner was at the Qi Refining 7th Rank.
Ding!
Quest #5. Be the last man standing on the Death Side. Rewards: None
Quest #5. Be the last man standing on the Death Side. Rewards: None.
“Are you kidding me? You want me to be the last man standing but there are no rewards? What kind of quest is this? I will not do it!”
Your pride is at stake. If the host doesn’t complete the quest, the host will lose 5M EXP points and earn the title ‘Coward’.
Coward: Someone who gets intimidated easily.
“Are you insane? 5 million! My cultivation will be destroyed, not to mention that everything will be gone! I prefer you better when you are a quiet system...”
“Brother Ye... Are you okay?” Xiao Wu was tugging my arm.
“Yeah, sorry. I was thinking.” I turned to look at her.
Pride, eh? To win or to die—is this what you mean, System? Why are you pushing me now?
I realized that Xiao Wu looked frightened, and I could even see her shiver a little. I expanded my soul to search for the cause. There was nothing near me to make her that scared. Could it be me? I calmed down. Indeed, it wasn’t the System but the Death Core. I could feel it pulsing through the veins in my body.
I sighed. It was doing whatever it wanted. It probably got provoked by the Death Aura that was trying to suppress me.
“Your eyes...” Xiao Wu was in a defensive stance.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. It’s just my bloodline. Sometimes, it goes out of control,” I said with a forced smile on my face.
Xiao Wu calmed down. “Everyone has their secrets. I trust you.”
“Rest, we will wait for the hours to pass by...”
“But what about you? As you’re on the death side, don’t you need to kill?” Xiao Wu asked, showing her concern for me.
“Silly girl. Do you think the same rules apply to me? Don’t forget I came in without a token.” There aren’t many hours left anyway.
As we waited, Xiao Wu stood there calmly, telling stories about her life. Well, she was a good girl, just that once she talked, she just wouldn’t shut up at all. She was like Li Qi.
One thing I learned about her was that she came from a humble background. Her dad struggled as a mercenary to earn spirit stones and money for her precious daughter. With her dad’s efforts and her diligence, she managed to enter the Moon Lake Sect. Another interesting fact was that, well, she wasn’t interested in me like You Ye was. She was into girls! When I found out, I laughed. She was in a sect full of girls—yep, the Moon Lake Sect was an all-girls sect.
Xiao Wu also mentioned that You Ye was born inside the sect. Her mother was an awesome Nascent Soul cultivator, although she faced many troubles because she returned to the sect bearing a child. Many elders tried to suppress her and her child. It was rumored that You Ye’s father was worthless.
Since this test started, twelve hours had passed. There were only twelve more hours left. I still didn’t understand how to solve my current situation. How was I supposed to be the last man standing?
Time seemed to flash by.
“Brother Ye, it’s been twenty-four hours. Are you sure you will be okay?”
“Don’t worry about that. Your Brother Ye has many trump cards.”
It wasn’t long before a light covered her entire body and she disappeared, just like how You Ye disappeared.
“Shu Yi, Shu Er, do you see white dots?”
Shu Yi answered me. “Yes, there is only one white dot remaining. It’s Li Qi. He seems to be in an enlightenment. All the black dots stopped. Some of them started to slowly disappear. They must be getting crushed by the pressure.”
Shu Er couldn’t help but warn, “Master, be careful.”
So that’s how it is.
The pressure increased with every second that passed. The death aura was getting thicker. This aura was something different from when I absorbed the Death Points. Its origins should be far purer. An ancient being… I don’t think so. Perhaps, it was related to some antique items.
I was getting uncomfortable with the pressure surrounding my body, but I had to tolerate it as the System told me to be the ‘last man standing’. For the past hour, I was in a trance, analyzing this Death Aura pressing against me. Releasing my Qi against it didn’t work. The Death Core was restless, but I understood nothing at all. What was I supposed to do? The only thought I had right now was to endure it to complete the quest.
Gradually, I couldn’t endure it anymore—the pressure would crush my body. Death wasn’t affecting me. I was a corpse and a master of Death, or that was what I thought.
I released all my Qi but it didn’t even buy me a second. The Death Aura got mixed with my meridians, and I couldn’t control it. I understood something then. I wasn’t altogether immune to Death—the only part of my body which wasn’t affected was the Death Core.
At this rate, I would not be able to fulfill the quest. Technically, I was the last man standing on the death side, but it seemed that unless I defeated this pressure, the quest wouldn’t end. I was in trouble. This kind of Death Aura was something of a higher level than I could control. Upon having this thought, I had a sudden flash of inspiration. I could not control it, but what about the Death Core?
The Death Scripture!
Through the Death Scripture, I tried to control the Death Aura inside me; it took a while, but it was working. The Death Aura was getting absorbed by the Death Core. I smiled when I realized that the Death Aura I was absorbing tried to escape.
Too late...
Every Death Aura inside the city was getting absorbed by the Death Core. As the Death Aura decreased, the pressure also decreased…
After a few hours, there was no Death Aura left in the city. The Death Core ate it all. I could feel the Death Core refilling the Qi in my meridians, but this time, it was purer. The Death element was purer than before, its thickness increased, just like the Death Aura it absorbed. I could feel that my Qi had gotten stronger. The characteristics of Death were more present.
Ding!
Quest #5. Completed. You maintained your pride.
Yeah, I understood. Having the Death Core and being crushed by Death Aura... it was honestly laughable. No wonder the System issued this kind of quest.
The quest didn’t give me a reward but fulfilling it made my Qi purer. Hmm, perhaps the Death Core needed to be awakened…
> “System, compare my previous Qi with the Qi I have now.”
Ding!
Density increased, purity higher, estimating a 10% increase of Qi power.
I almost ceased to exist two times, but it was worth the trip. I laughed quietly.
Oh, crap! Poor Li Qi!
Li Qi must have finished his enlightenment. I guess I had interfered with it by absorbing all the Death Aura around him. Now that the Death Aura was gone, the darkness of the city was also gone. The city looked so old that there was not much building standing.
I was still confused. The Death Aura was also mixed with the darkness attribute? Li Qi’s attribute was related to light which was an antagonist of darkness and something related to life. Would this count as having passed the test? I destroyed the test. I guess it could count.
The old man appeared before me. One of his eyes was gone. Now, I could see that his other eye was white.
“Since I was created, there has been no one who can complete the Death Game, let alone destroy it.”
The two of us got teleported out, and we appeared before Li Qi. He was still in an enlightened state.
How can this be? I was confused. I destroyed the Death Aura. His enlightening should have been stopped by the environment change. Why was he still getting his enlightenment and getting a deeper comprehension? I turned my head to look at the old man puppet.
“It seems you are still too young. This Death Game was originally created for the purpose of training Light and Darkness cultivators. The precious reward from the test is not survival, but the chance to get enlightened.”
“But I didn’t get any darkness enlightening moment, yet Li Qi’s enlightenment is getting stronger.”
“You still don’t understand. Death maintained the darkness in the city and from the darkness of this city, the light gathered and condensed. You guys are the life powering it, providing a reason for the Death Aura to exist. Everything must be in a balance. This test will never cease as long as balance is maintained. That is until a person finds enlightenment in something above light and darkness and breaks the balance of the test. As you broke the test, the death and the darkness elements were gone, so logically, your friend’s enlightened state got even better without the opposite attribute bothering him.”
“I get it now. Who would have thought that I actually helped him? So that’s the reason why your eye is gone.”
“Not only my eye. I was the core of the game. This boy is absorbing the light element. When his enlightenment ends, this test shall never appear in the Ancient Ruins again.”
I could see his other eye getting more and more lifeless. Li Qi was getting stronger with each passing moment. He was about to breakthrough!
After a while, he opened his 9th meridian. It may be due to his element or his enlightening state, but it was as if I could see his meridians on his body. They were shining. A little white ball passed near me and submerged inside Li Qi’s body. In a brief instant, I saw a 10th meridian shining. This time, Li Qi earned big.
“Congratulations,” I said with a wide smile on my face.
Li Qi had awoken from his enlightened state. I could see mixed emotions flickering on his face. Li Qi was about to open his mouth to talk, but I waved my hand to stop him.
“Keep your secrets as secrets.”
I could see his expression change, but then he nodded his head. A man must be always careful. You never know how many people would hunt you down and pursue you for your secrets so it’s better to bring them to your tomb.
“Congratulations to the both of you. Keep working hard and you will have a bright future.”
The old man was decaying, his body parts deteriorating at a fast speed. Before we could see him crumble into dust, the old man waved his hands, and then we got teleported out.
We arrived inside a big room. Each wall had different colors, making it look weird. The one who designed this room must had been out of his mind. Too ugly.
Li Qi and I found ourselves surrounded by hundreds of people.
Okay, bad place to be teleported to. There are lots of people missing. Many people have died. Bad luck if they picked the death side.
Thanks to my soul, I spotted Chu Xian, Xiao Wu, and You Ye. The three of them were together. Li Qi and I passed through the crowd of youths to reach the place where they were. Everyone was looking at us with a hateful and vengeful gaze. A young man, tall and muscular, stopped me with a commanding voice.
“Stop right there! You aren’t allowed to approach Lu Xin! You are only a country bumpkin from that trashy country.”
“Huh? Who is willing to approach that idiot? Get out of my sight or I’m going to crush your skull and feed it to the dogs.”
The man remained silent with a mocking smile on his face. He was looking down on me.
“Brother Ye, this doesn’t suit...” Li Qi advised me.
“Are you moving or not? You are pissing me off.” The man was still looking down on me. I could see everyone mocking me like I was a dumb kid.
“Fuck all of you! You are going to die! I’m going to erase every one of you from this continent.”
“Stop! Brother Ye!” The voice of You Ye rang in my ears, but it was too late. I was already punching the imbecile in front of me.
BOOM!
He wasn’t the only one that was sent flying. I was also sent flying by some force. The moment I punched him, I could feel the strength that should have killed him partially rebounded to me.
“You are an idiot.”
It was Lu Xin’s voice. The crowd was laughing at me.
However, the laughter abruptly stopped when the young man I punched started coughing blood. He looked almost at death’s doors. The crowd was stunned as Lu Xin trembled.
“Brother Ye, are you okay?” Xiao Wu’s warm voice helped to calm me down a little.
“It’s not good. Brother Ye, they were provoking you on purpose. In this room, when hitting another person, a force of equal strength hits you as well. The other person bears only 90% of the damage you do, more or less. In this room, no one can kill another without being severely hurt.”
You Ye’s voice was interrupted by my laugh.
“They are all going to die.”
As the echo of my words rang out inside the room, the faces of those present blanched, and it looked as though many had felt a shiver run down their spine. Seconds later, however, they recouped, laughing. But these fools had underestimated me. They knew nothing of my capabilities—I was confident in delivering what I said.
“Brother Ye, please don’t. We know you’re strong, but we can’t do anything about it right now, so please, please endure it!” You Ye’s pleading voice fell upon my deaf ears as she helped me stand.
I appreciated her help, but it was unnecessary. The only reason I was sent flying was because of my own lack of awareness. No damage was done to me at all. For that matter, even if I had been hurt, why should I care? I wasn’t alive. My body could be fixed with no real effort.
I glared at these youths who foolishly enraged me. “You needn’t worry,” I told You Ye, “I’m a man of my word. I said I would kill them, and I will.”
I didn’t know if this room was set up as a test or not, but the rules here couldn’t stop me from killing these fools. After all, I had plenty of aces in the hole, still. I only needed two thousand jin of strength to crush and kill any of them. With my speed, they wouldn’t have any time to react and protect themselves with Qi. I had nothing to fear if the force was rebounded to my own body as I could almost take a hit with ten thousand jin of force.
“You provoked the wrong person.”
A whistle pierced everyone’s ears, and the slaughter began as my shadow kept drawing closer to my body. A fat boy nearby was the unluckiest of the bunch—he was the closest one to me. Grabbing his head with one hand, I spat in his face and sneered.
“It’s your unlucky day.”
Before his face even had time to express disbelief, I crushed his skull with
my grip. A fountain of blood burst from the carcass and painted my precious white skin with dark red splotches.
“But you don’t need to worry. Hundred more will accompany you soon.”
Ding!
Killed Qi Refining 6th Rank. +900 XP.
Death Point +50.
Death Core +1.
In line with my expectations, I felt a force pressing on my skull. I snickered in derision at the annoyance. My body’s capacity was five times that of the force I had used to kill that weakling. The discomfort left as fast as it had come. A mad toothy grin spread across my face as the fat carcass slumped to the ground.
The nearby youths stood still, as though petrified, as they watched me disappear and immediately reappear next to a small girl. I shaped my hand into the likeness of a dagger’s tip, piercing her chest and grasping her beating heart. The girl’s large eyes bulged as she coughed up blood.
“I’m sorry—” she managed to choke out in horrified regret, finally realizing the grave mistake they had committed.
Ding!
Killed Qi Refining 5th Rank. +750 XP.
Death Point +20.
Death Core +1.
Chu Xian, Li Qi, Xiao Wu and You Ye stood frozen, stunned, clearly unable to understand how I had slaughtered two of the enemies in the blink of an eye. What rules? I didn’t care.
“Why is he unaffected? What’s going on?!” someone within the crowd screamed.
“The force isn’t acting on him!” yelled another.
“No, you’re wrong. He’s a body cultivator!” Lu Xin’s response was deliberate, hanging on every word as she herself didn’t want to believe what she was seeing.
Their faces flushed with fear and apprehension, realizing their error at last. It was obvious to all those present that if you couldn’t match a body-cultivating opponent in speed or reaction time, you were as good as dead. That was the fearsome law of body cultivation.
”Run!”
I had thrown the crowd into chaos, just as I wanted. Through the swarm of bodies, I noticed a young man and woman sprinting hand in hand. An instant later, they felt my hands running through their hair.
