Blood Moon

by Patrick Laplante

  Cha Ming and Gong Lan didn’t waste any time, and neither did the black Huxian, who turned into a black pool of shadows at the base of Zhou Xian’s feet. Hundreds of mouths rushed out from the pool, threatening to devour Zhou Xian, starting with his legs.

  Cha Ming knew that his power was much weaker than everyone else’s, but he could still play a significant assisting role. He launched seventy-two pearls toward Zhou Xian, and they formed a Snowflake Manifestation, plunging the temperature well below freezing. He then rushed out toward the white Huxian and began analyzing the supressing runes.

  Gong Lan used both Huxian’s devouring pool and Cha Ming’s freezing manifestation to full effect, slashing at Zhou Xian with seven blades of blood. They froze as they entered the snowflake formation, becoming physical blades of bloody ice that threatened to eviscerate him. Zhou Xian grunted and spit out a dark-green flying sword. It zipped around him and parried each of the bloody blades in succession. Only bits and pieces of sharp ice hit him, leaving shallow flesh wounds on his arms and chest.

  After dispatching the blades, Zhou Xian ignored both Cha Ming and Gong Lan, directing his attention to the ground below. He paused for a few moments before sending his flying sword plunging down into the dark abyss beneath him. It didn’t shatter the black pool, rather, it dove down inside it and began dispatching many of the toothy maws that threatened to devour him. He was not wounded thus far, but the devouring power beneath him was sapping away at his qi reserves.

  As Gong Lan continued to launch more blades from a distance, Cha Ming transformed his Clear Sky Staff into a large Clear Sky Brush. He quickly painted a character in the air, which then shot out toward one of the characters supressing Huxian. Zhou Xian’s eyes narrowed when saw this, and he chose to send his flying sword out from the darkness to finish off Cha Ming, whom he saw as a weak fly.

  Cha Ming was forced to retreat from the sudden assault, barely deflecting the sword with the Clear Sky Brush. He instantly changed his tactics to defense, using his Seven Cloud Steps to dart away and his Shearing Staff Art to deflect the incoming sword. It continued to harass him, and occasionally, it found openings in his imperfect defense. Fortunately, his earth and wood body refining had improved his defense and regeneration. However, with every shallow slash he took, he noticed an inky black substance seeping into his veins. It was clearly poison.

  Seeing that Zhou Xian was focusing on Cha Ming, Gong Lan erupted with killing intent and charged at the restrained Zhou Xian. Zhou Xian drew another sword from his bag of holding, which he used to parry Gong Lan’s dual saber assault. He confidently deflected her first few attacks, but she was building momentum. Soon, each blow made Zhou Xian’s blood roil, and he was forced to divert attention from his flying sword to take care of the immediate threat. Meanwhile, Huxian’s black clone continued assaulting Zhou Xian, devouring the power of his shield.

  The lack of finely tuned control of the flying sword became quickly apparent to Cha Ming, who began using Burst Steps to instantaneously change directions and throw off the flying sword. After throwing it off for the fraction of a breath, he used Seven Cloud Steps to quickly move toward the white Huxian, using the opening to paint a single line in the air.

  He didn’t stop there, however. He made use of his extreme speed to slowly accumulate several lines in succession while simultaneously dodging the flying sword. After fifteen strokes, a character took shape and instantly flew out toward the second restraining character. The white Huxian roared and began assaulting the statuette with waves of purifying power.

  As Cha Ming continued his combined evasion and painting motions, he felt something click. His darting motions, his instantaneous shifting, his quick parrying blows, and his quick brushing motions fused together. Before he knew it, the embryonic form of his second staff art took shape.

  I’ll call it the Swift Staff Art.

  He immediately used his newly minted technique to good effect, completing a third rune in a few breaths’ time. Zhou Xian, despite having broken through to early foundation establishment, was unable to endure and shouted, “Merchant, you need to come out now!”

  “Useless,” the Merchant said coldly. However, he followed Zhou Xian’s request, and the golden formation around the merchant was quickly absorbed through his skin. He now looked like a man made of pure gold. The golden mist above the city disappeared with the formation, revealing a starry sky and a full moon.

  Since the Merchant was no longer retracting his aura, the restraining effect of his qi on Cha Ming and the others was much higher than Zhou Xian’s. Moreover, Cha Ming felt an additional form of suppression. His body trembled, and he felt as though his bones desired to prostrate themselves in worship.

  Is this the power of Bone Forging, the equivalent of the Foundation Establishment Realm in body cultivation? He gulped at this revelation.

  Fortunately, Han Jinlong and Zhang Yifeng appeared between them and the Merchant. They were panting heavily, and it was clear that the battle against the summoned devils had been extremely taxing. However, the summoned creatures had suddenly disappeared, and they were now available to face the Merchant with them.

  The Merchant had no chance to prepare himself before Han Jinlong threw his hammer. The Merchant received it with his body, sliding back fifty feet before finally stopping. He remained unwounded and casually tossed the hammer aside. Han Jinlong grunted, and the hammer rematerialized in his hands.

  “This is going to be a tough fight, kids,” Han Jinlong said. “You need to hold back the small fry until we finish with this ‘Merchant.’ Neither myself nor Yifeng can hold him back by ourselves.” Both he and Master Zhang darted out and began to attack the golden man with full force.

  Zhou Xian’s expression darkened when he saw he would be getting no reprieve. “You leave me no choice!” he bellowed. A dark green pill appeared in his hand. He crushed it in his hand and inhaled the resulting green dust. His aura soared instantly. Although this forbidden medicine didn’t increase his strength by a full level, both Cha Ming and Gong Lan were now firmly supressed, and Cha Ming could no longer continue freeing the white Huxian as he was now busy avoiding the flying sword’s skewering flight pattern. Without a turning point, it would be impossible to reverse the situation.

  Han Jinlong deflected a punch from the golden man with his hammer. Despite being forced back three feet, he barely left a mark on the man’s fist. It was tougher than any metal he had forged to date. In addition to the Merchant’s mid-level bone-forging body, he had also cultivated his skin, rendering it difficult to pierce or dent with metallic weapons.

  Just how did he do it? Han Jinlong wondered. His skin should not be so tough at his realm.

  The golden man was overthrowing everything Han Jinlong knew about body cultivation. He himself was a low-level bone-forging cultivator. He had been taught that body cultivators first strengthened and purified their bodies, bringing it to its most natural base state. Then came the forging of the bones and the strengthening of the tendons. This was the basis for bone-forging cultivators, and only those who completed these steps could begin cultivating their skin.

  Still, the heavens were fair. Everything under the heavens had a weakness, and Han Jinlong and Zhang Yifeng only needed to find it. What worried him most was that, while the Merchant had a cultivation base at mid-level foundation establishment, he had yet to use any qi techniques. Just what kind of trump cards did he have? And was his whole body really like a human weapon?

  Wait, a weapon! His skin is golden. Does this mean his body is like metal? To test his theory, he breathed out a plume of blue and bathed the golden man’s body in flames. This time, he didn’t shrug off the blow. A shield of qi materialized around him, resisting the scorching flames in his body’s stead.

  Yifeng, use your alchemist’s flames to attack him. He’s susceptible to fire, and he’s been reserving his qi to counter it! Han Jinlong said mentally. His partner nodded and formed many intricate hand seals. Two red flame dragons shot out from h
is hands and began attacking the skinny man in tandem with Zhang Yifeng and his spear.

  Zhang Yifeng’s arms tingled with every strike of his spear. The spear was an unusual weapon choice for an alchemist, and he usually used the spear defensively to keep his opponent at bay.

  Only when you keep your opponent away will your techniques truly shine. Instead of relying on the raw strength of his body, Zhang Yifeng imbued his weapon with qi. This made the long-ranged weapon a deadly threat to just about anyone. However, the golden man was an exception.

  They were evenly matched in qi cultivation, but the Merchant had an equivalent body cultivation to complement it. His spear strikes had little to no effect. Zhang Yifeng wondered why the man kept defending instead of attacking. With such a strong defense, he could afford to ignore whatever they threw at him. Yet, the Merchant continued to defend against the alchemist’s spear, his two meticulously controlled fire dragons, and Han Jinlong’s relentless assault with both hammer and flames.

  This really isn’t easy. I feel like my weapon is about to break from all the strain, he thought. That was when he noticed the first crack on his weapon. It had grown dull compared to its usual magnificence. This treasured spear, a precious gift from Han Jinlong, was now on the verge of shattering.

  So that’s his game, he thought. After communicating his findings to Han Jinlong, he gritted his teeth and continued attacking. Regrettably, he had expended all his wealth on the expedition and no longer had any major life-saving treasures or extra weapons. He could only endure and continue attacking the Merchant, hoping that his spear would last until the end of the battle.

  Chapter 32: Mutual Destruction

  Cha Ming was in dire straits. The sharp increase in Zhou Xian’s power had forced him to devote all his power to fleeing. Not only was he using his newly created Swift Staff Art to constantly evade and deflect the dark-green flying sword, he had also been forced to withdraw the Snowflake Manifestation for personal protection.

  He darted to the side, only to find a flying sword charging toward him. Seeing that his speed was insufficient to avoid it at close range, he conjured a Sword Manifestation to deflect it before fleeing once more.

  At this rate, I’ll never be able to free Huxian. And now that my Snowflake Manifestation is absent, Gong Lan can no longer fight toe-to-toe with Zhou Xian.

  All he needed was a few breaths to add the finishing touches to the counter-formation, then White Huxian would be free to continue his assault. Then he was caught mid-thought by a familiar green glimmer. Shit, I can’t take much more of this, he thought. Yet, to his surprise, the sword was deflected by a metallic weapon. It was a long black spear wielded by a familiar figure.

  “Feng Ming!” Cha Ming shouted. His friend didn’t answer but coughed up blood instead. Cha Ming didn’t hesitate to send his Healing Flower Manifestation to Feng Ming before darting off toward White Huxian. “Buy me three breaths,” he shouted to Feng Ming.

  The sword tried to evade Feng Ming, but the latter’s spear technique was unfathomable and unpredictable. He moved between Cha Ming and the sword, using his spear’s reach to smash it away. While his cultivation base was much lower than Cha Ming’s, his weapon was much stronger than Zhou Xian’s.

  Cha Ming wasted no time and arrived beside Huxian to paint the remaining lines. The flying sword tried to fly around Feng Ming, but to no avail. It started attacking Feng Ming directly.

  Clang. Clang. Clang. Every strike from the sword knocked Feng Ming back a few feet. The first few times caused him to cough up blood. This was due to a disparity between realms, and it was a miracle that he wasn’t instantly killed. The fourth strike caused his hands to bleed. Finally, the sword knocked his spear two dozen feet away. But it did not kill Feng Ming. Instead, it slashed his arm in passing and traveled at lightning speed toward its true goal: Cha Ming.

  However, the flying sword was too late. Cha Ming finished the last stroke of his brush when the sword was merely three feet away. Huxian, who had been attentive this entire time, jumped out in front of the flying sword, shielding Cha Ming with his body. The sword bounced off his fur with a loud clang, and Huxian’s aura of purification burst out, relieving everyone from the weakening effects of Zhou Xian’s aura.

  Feng Ming was kneeling on the floor, shaking. He had taken far too much damage in the exchange and couldn’t even stand properly, much less retrieve his spear. Furthermore, the poison had begun spreading from the wound on his arm, forcing him to circulate his cultivation base to keep it at bay. He had a satisfied smile on his face. After all, they had lost his support in exchange for Huxian’s—a worthy trade!

  Huxian’s aura continued to soar as he joined his black clone in attacking Zhou Xian. Unfortunately, he was a tad too late, and Gong Lan was struck by a poison dragon. She was forced to kneel as she grasped the right side of her chest where the poison dragon had struck her. Black lines were snaking up her right arm and neck from the exposed region. Seeing that support had arrived, she sat down in meditation and began expelling the poison from her blood with the Blood World Scripture.

  Huxian howled as he attacked Zhou Xian with both clones simultaneously. Brother, he sent mentally, I can’t defeat him, he’s much too strong. I need your help.

  How? Cha Ming responded while rushing toward him. He had absolute trust in his brother. Fortunately, Zhou Xian’s attention had been diverted and he could no longer control the flying sword.

  Stand beside my white clone and put your arm on it.

  Cha Ming complied, only to see the pool of darkness below Zhou Xian travel back toward the white clone. The two clones were superimposed momentarily, and Cha Ming felt a surge of energy pass through his hand and into his body and dantian.

  What’s this? he asked in amazement.

  That is the qi that I’ve been plundering from Zhou Xian since the beginning of the fight, Huxian replied. I absorbed it with my black clone and purified it with my white clone. You can temporarily use it as qi or to enhance your physical prowess. It will only last for the next thirty breaths. Let’s use it to gain the advantage!

  Cha Ming didn’t need to be told twice—he quickly used a Flame Manifestation, enhancing it with both wood and water qi. He needed to use these thirty seconds to deal as much damage as possible. He didn’t have time to defend.

  Blood gushed out of a wound on Zhang Yifeng’s chest as the Merchant tore through his qi defense with his bare hands. The man’s hands resembled golden claws more than anything else. They had ignored Yifeng’s defensive magic robes, which hadn’t been breached in a full decade. The older man gnashed his teeth and continued dousing the Merchant in his alchemist flames.

  The flames an alchemist could conjure far exceeded those of normal cultivators. They could achieve much higher temperatures than even blacksmiths, fueling their fires with wood qi. Further, Zhang Yifeng didn’t hesitate to use various medicinal powders, all of which enhanced the already elevated temperature of his crimson flames.

  The Merchant shrieked as a powder-enhanced burst singed his arm. For the first time in the battle, the alchemist’s flames had bypassed the golden man’s qi barrier. A thin layer of his skin melted, but it recovered soon after.

  “I hate spending more than anything else in the world, but you’ve forced me to do this!” The Merchant was livid, his face rife with madness. He brought his left hand to his mouth and bit down on his little finger. He didn’t wail as the finger was removed, and no blood leaked out from the fresh wound. It was as though the finger was never flesh to begin with, and no bone could be seen where it had previously been connected to his hand.

  The Merchant chewed loudly, and his mastication sounded like metal on metal. He quickly followed up with an incantation in a dark language. Despite not speaking the language, everyone nearby could hear the meaning in their hearts.

  “The price is paid. Almighty Greed, lend me your strength!” With these words, the Merchant’s aura soared a small step higher.

  With his newfound streng
th, he charged toward Zhang Yifeng and slashed at him with his right claw. The claw no longer resembled anything like a human hand. Instead, two-inch-long silvery nails now tipped each finger.

  No! I won’t be able to avoid this! Yifeng closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in preparation for the incoming blow, which would likely kill him. However, it never came. He opened his eyes slightly, only to see Han Jinlong standing in front of him. A golden hand protruded from his back.

  Han Jinlong coughed weakly. “You need to finish him after this, Yifeng. Save this town. Save our people.” Each word was uttered with great difficulty, and Zhang Yifeng couldn’t stop tears from streaming down his cheeks.

  “Jinlong, you fool!” he whispered. The Merchant grunted in response to the interference and flung his arm out to throw away the smith’s corpse. But the smith remained firmly attached. A panicked expression covered the Merchant’s face as Zhang Yifeng noticed a frightening energy quickly rising. Han Jinlong had chosen to sacrifice himself via self-detonation!

  Yifeng was able to retreat fifty feet before a massive explosion buffeted him. His qi shield soaked up the shock wave. He had no attention to spare for the fighting children and could only wish them the best. The only thought on his mind was to avenge his dear friend, to avenge his friends and family and the countless villagers who had perished at the Merchant’s hands.

  No pieces of Han Jinlong could be found amid the wreckage near the middle of the explosion. Only the Merchant stood there, or what was left of him. Half his torso and a full arm were missing. Yifeng no longer wondered how that thing was still standing. He could see no organs, or bones, or blood. The Merchant was only bleeding one thing, and that was gold.

  Yifeng didn’t hesitate to swallow a magic qi recovery pill and throw out a large packet of green powder. He channeled his wood-fueled fire qi to ignite the powder, which created a vivid green flame. This flame was double the temperature of anything he had used previously. The Merchant shrieked as his skin and extremities melted. The alchemist wasn’t sure if it was due to pain or due to the realization that its demise was imminent.