Drums of War

by Tinalynge

  Looking at the branch he just arrived on Hui Yue sighed deeply as he knew clearly his own inability to fight; how weak he truly was. He sat down and popped a medicinal pill from his bag into his mouth.

  ‘Wait. Hold on a moment,’ Lan Feng said with a frantic voice, ‘I know we want to get stronger, but you can’t just use pills to increase your strength. Your cultivation base will be unbalanced and eventually broken. You need to fight on your own!’

  Hearing the worry in the voice of the phoenix Hui Yue could not help but laugh, ‘I know.’ He said with a gentle voice, however, I’m going to stay here until we break through into the Duke rank. What I’ll do is take one pill a week and spend the rest of the week battling against magical beasts. This way I can gain more real battle experience. I will be able to look after my cultivation base to ensure that it does not break down due to the overuse of pills, and I will also be able to get my hands on more demon cores and materials.’

  Hearing his reply, the bird harrumphed a few times but said no more as Hui Yue popped the pill into his mouth where it instantly turned to liquid which entered his meridians. Hui Yue sat down and started to move his Qi Swirl. This made strands of Qi rush through his meridians and as they did the liquid energy latched onto the Qi strands and ever so slowly took on the same color as the strand. It had the same size and feel after a while.

  As it finished copying the original strand, the newly created Qi strand let go of the original strand and together they moved back into the Qi swirl within his body.

  It had been years since Hui Yue last used medicinal pills as he prefered to use his own strength to cultivate. Using pills, even just one, had the possibility of bringing one’s cultivation base into an unbalanced state; a state which was incredibly hard to get free from.

  An unbalanced cultivation base did not mean that one could not use their energy, it meant that the energy within them was of various qualities. This in turn caused their attacks to be of various quality. Something which could lead to your death the moment you entered a serious battle.

  Although it sounded terrible, there was a very slim chance for this to happen which was why medicinal pills were still incredibly popular. The stronger the pill was the less likely it was to cause any incidents.

  Although Hui Yue knew all this, he also knew that if he relied on one pill a week and then battled beasts afterwards he would likely be able to balance even the slightest imbalance within himself.

  As Hui Yue ate the pill, he ensured to activate the blue cloud which was inside his dantian cave. His entire body suddenly felt light as the blue gentle feeling shrouded him. The energies from the heavens and the earth flooded against his body trying to force him to absorb more than what he physically could.

  Shrouding himself with the blue cloud, Hui Yue entered into deep meditation while Lan Feng kept watch. He devoted himself to cultivate for some time to truly finish refining the energy he had gained from the medicinal pill.

  Being seated for approximately seven hours the day turned to night. Hui Yue exhaled deeply causing a pearl white steam to suddenly appearing from his mouth. This caused both man and phoenix to be taken aback. The steam slowly ascended into the air before it dissipated, turning into nothingness.

  As soon as the white steam vanished into thin air, the blue cloud around Hui Yue turned much more solid than it had been before, and sparkling stars started to shine within it. Looking at the cloud, it no longer looked like one, but instead it now resembled a moonless night lit up by thousands of stars.

  Looking at this breathtakingly beautiful scenery, Hui Yue was gaping as he reached out his hand and felt a soft, gentle texture. A texture which he had never felt before making him quite confused. As he touched the cloud, which now looked like a sky, a profound tremor ran through it before the stars all entered into Hui Yue’s body. They moved all over his body and easily bypassing his clothes before they turned into nothingness. It was as if those stars had never existed in the first place.

  ‘Uhm Lan Feng,’ Hui Yue called out, but the phoenix just shook his head. Even he was dumbfounded. His theory was that each of the gates and items within his dantian came from the lives he had lived previously. So far there was the red mist which clearly belonged to a bloodthirsty magical beast. Then there was the green pearl which most likely belonged to a greedy healer back when he was alive. The Wu Wei wings were still questionable where they came from, however, the biggest question concerned this blue cloud which constantly evolved.

  At first, Lan Feng imagined that it belonged to one of those priests who gave their lives to cultivation. It was tranquil and beautiful, and it improved cultivation speed. Everything matched perfectly. That was until today. Lan Feng had never seen anything like it, and obviously neither had Hui Yue. But currently he was feeling much better than he had ever before. It felt as though deep within him something was growing, but he could not explain what it was.

  Instead, he decided to leave the sea of leaves and return to the forest floor where he could go looking for beasts. Although it was no longer early morning Hui Yue did not mind. The beasts were awake by now and he needed to train.

  Jumping down the hundred meters from the tree branch to the ground, Hui Yue managed it without making any sound at all. He quickly looked around him and with a quick scan of his spiritual energy he felt that quite a few beasts were within his range.

  There were a lot of lower ranked beasts, but Hui Yue’s attention was caught by a Lynx-like beast which Hui Yue had never seen before. A beast which was slightly stronger than himself and determination grew in his eyes, Hui Yue rushed towards the lynx, silent as a shadow and nimble as a cat. The sounds he made were so minuscule that even the lynx which was stronger than him would have a hard time noticing the human.

  Hui Yue felt that his senses were sharper than usual. His body emanated a small humming sound from within, a sound which only Hui Yue and Lan Feng could hear. This humming sound was new, however, it was incredibly gentle. So gentle that every move made from Hui Yue seemed gentle as well.

  As he felt the humming inside of him his movement speed increased rapidly. Although he had moved somewhat fast before he had been more focus on being quiet, but after this humming sound appeared it was as though his body was now incapable of making noise.

  Rushing closer and closer, Hui Yue was able to see the lynx. It was a young male and it had a strength equal to that of a Duke ranked expert. Its eyes were red, its fur golden, and its fangs were incredibly sharp as were its claws. Fighting this beast would require Hui Yue to completely focus. Although he had fought Duke ranked beasts before, the lynx in front of him was without a doubt the most dangerous opponent he could fight on his own.

  Standing in the shadows while the lynx was laying down relaxing after having successfully caught a beast earlier that day. The remainder of that beast was still next to the lynx, blood still adorning his mouth.

  Seeing this a grin appeared on Hui Yue’s face as he stomped the ground and shot towards the lynx. A whole cloud of dust appeared and finally the sound of breaking branches was heard.

  The previously relaxed lynx finally opened its eyes and with vigilance look at Hui Yue who was rushing forward with a dagger in his hand.

  Its agility and speed was astonishing as it instantly came to its legs, and with a swift screeching sound, his terrifying claws unsheathed and scratched at the air where Hui Yue was moments before.

  Fortunately, Hui Yue was as swift as the cat and he managed to use Velocity Flow to help him evade. The claws flashing through the air and released energy waves causing Hui Yue to shudder. Even if he used spiritual energy to defend himself, he was very unlikely to be able to protecting himself against the sharp claws in front of him.

  Man and lynx were standing in front of one another their eyes were locked together, and as Hui Yue determined that the claws were too sharp he decided that it would be impossible to fight in close combat. He flicked his hand and stored Black Blood within his storage stone before a blu
e and yellow flame appeared above his hands.

  Chapter 5 – Lynx

  The Lynx quickly retreated as though it was capable of feeling the danger which the blue and yellow flames contained. Both flames radiated an intense energy, an energy which promised to take the lives of whomever they touched, a promise to devour anything until only ashes remained.

  Seeing how the Lynx retreated, Hui Yue instantly understood that the beast in front of him was not just a beast. It was not a creature which lived purely on instincts, instead, it was a beast which had an intelligence equal to that of man; its cat-like eyes were with knowledge.

  Seeing this, Hui Yue became even more vigilant as he held the two flames, one in each hand. He then threw them into the air, and both of them hovered behind the body. Smaller fireballs were produced from within and they starting to swirl around Hui Yue’s body. As time went by more and more Fire Orbs were created and the lynx retreated further and further away.

  Looking at Hui Yue, the lynx sneered at him before it turned around to leave, however, Hui Yue refused to let it go so easily and threw a bigger than normal Fire Orbs towards the lynx. It seemed to move as fast as light and quickly a ring of fire encompassed the two blocking the escape of the lynx. It trapped both man and beast inside, no one could escape before one or the other had been killed.

  Seeing this the lynx no longer attempted to escape, instead, it decided to fight. Turning around its eyes gleamed in the flames, its fur standing on end and it’s mouth opened in a sneer. The lynx understood that fighting at a distance was not a good idea considering that the Fire Orbs that the man controlled were best for long range combat. The lynx decided to fight close up but every time he threw himself forwards, Hui Yue would dodge to the side or backwards. Hui Yue did everything in his power to not fight close up as he understood that the lynx’s claws could not be allowed to touch him.

  Every time the large lynx charged forward, Hui Yue felt a chill run down his spine along with cold sweat on his forehead. The lynx was intelligent and much larger than Hui Yue himself, and its attack speed was so swift that Hui Yue had to use Velocity Flow to its limits to avoid the sharp claws which caused ripples of energy to spread out.

  Neither the beast nor Hui Yue had the advantage. The Lynx was incredibly swift as it dodged the Fire Orbs. The orbs which were being made caused the fire ring to soar in strength. The trees close by started to burn, but no fur on the lynx had been touched by the fire just as Hu Yue had not been touched by the claws.

  Seeing that they were getting nowhere and that both man and beast were just wasting away their energy, Hui Yue retreated all the way to the blazing flame ring which surrounded them.

  As he did, he withdrew his two flames which was currently resting behind him, and a savage smile appeared on his face.

  Hui Yue had long since decided that he was going to battle on his own, not relying on either Lan Feng nor the nine mysterious energies within his body. He breathed heavily before he once more withdrew the dagger from his storage stone.

  Originally, his plan was to rely on distance to use his flames, both the blue flame and the merged Earth and Metal flame. These two flames should be capable of dealing with the beast, unfortunately, although they were capable of dealing with the beast, it was of no help because the speed with which the beast moved was simply far too swift. Looking at it now, Hui Yue understood how lucky he had been to entrap the beast beforehand within the circle of flames.

  Wielding the black dagger in his hand, the young man made a rapid dash towards his opponent. A move which both surprised and pleased the giant lynx in front of him. Just as Hui Yue was about to reach the lynx he changed his direction and rushed to the side of the beast, dodging under the paw which swiped towards him with a force that would kill him right on the spot.

  Although the force was great, Hui Yue knew that with great danger came possibilities as well. As the lynx although still able to move had just exposed its entire side to Hui Yue who did not wait for a better opportunity and thrust the dagger into its tough skin. The blade cut through and entering the flesh within.

  The wound was not deep enough to be considered fatal, but in spite of that, it was still a wound which caused the lynx to let out an agonizing scream as blood gushed from its side. Using its mist-like energy to stop the bleeding, the lynx now looked far more agonized than before, its eyes now filled with hate and anger.

  Although the beast had intelligence much similar to humans it also still had its beastly instincts. Although the lynx was not completely overwhelmed by its beastly instincts, it was clear that the urge to kill Hui Yue awoke something deep inside the beast. Something which Hui Yue noticed instantly.

  Running away once more, Hui Yue kicked up small rocks from the forest floor like a barrage towards the lynx. He constantly forced it to either keep moving or to take the hits head on. Being injured already caused the beast to not wish to take any damage and he avoided every stone. Hui Yue retreating attacks caused the lynx to be incapable of advancing. Its entire focus was given to avoid these stones which came raining down upon him.

  Suddenly a crackling sound was heard and looking at the lynx, Hui Yue was easily able to see the difference from before. Previously the lynx’s body was filled with beautiful golden fur, golden fur with a silver line down its spine; however, right now the pitch black mist surrounded its body and he no longer avoided the stones. One after another was blown to pieces as they came into contact with the shield around the beast. Hui Yue could not help but be astonished at the strength of the lynx’s defense it now possessed. But he noticed that now the beast was no longer as swift at it had been before. It was obvious that using this energy to protect himself, it was impossible for him to use the same energy to move about swiftly. Having this shield around him, the lynx no longer needed his speed as he could take the majority of the damage head on.

  With a roar, the lynx shot forward towards the dagger wielding young man. Its mouth open ready to bite down upon the young man, and its claws fully exposed sweeping towards the unprotected parts of Hui Yue’s body.

  Seeing the teeth and the claw coming towards him, Hui Yue knew it was impossible for him to avoid both. His hand clenched around the dagger where he infused every bit of his spiritual energy, and he swiftly avoided the claws, but as soon as he narrowly dodged the claws , the lynx’s teeth sunk deep into his shoulder. A crunching sound was heard as his shoulder blade shattered from the sheer pressure of the strong jaws.

  Blood welled up within his mouth and his eyes turned red, but Hui Yue suppressed the red mist. Instead he lifted his still functional arm and wielded Black Blood and with his full strength as he thrust the dagger into the forehead of the lynx, right between the eyes.

  At first his speed was slow; he felt as the dagger penetrated through countless layers of crystal before it reached the soft fur and skin. As soon as the dagger passed through the crystal layer, the protective layer of the beast, the dagger no longer struggled and easily entered the skull.

  The fierce red eyes of the magical beast slowly turned dim as all light left them, the soul lost to the Netherworld.

  Looking at the beast, Hui Yue slowly made his way towards a tree where he fell down. He was currently very injured so he had no intention of removing the flaming ring around the location he was in right now. The flame had kept the lynx inside, but it also kept every other beast outside, something which was crucial for Hui Yue currently as his right shoulder was completely shattered.

  Looking at the wound Hui Yue could not help but hiss in pain, and after waiting a few minutes he took a pill. He hoped that the green pearl within his body would help him out, however, seeing that it would not, with a sigh, the strongest healing medicinal pill Hui Yue possessed ended up within his mouth.

  As soon as the pill was eaten something strange happened within. Usually the energy should enter the dantian after which it would merge with his Qi and move through the Dai Mei meridian to the place within his body where the wound was. But as
soon as the energy entered his dantian cave, it did not merge with the Qi spiral, instead, it was all sucked into the cave in which the green pearl resided. Seeing this, Hui Yue was completely taken aback, his eyes round and his anger rising.

  Hui Yue was severely injured and he needed help from either a healer, or a medicinal pill. He had a healer within his body who refused to heal him, and when he used medicinal pills, the green pearl was consuming the energy which was meant to heal him.

  This had never happened before. Hui Yue assumed that this was due to the fact that he had never used strong medicinal pills before, instead, he normally took the less effective pills but in greater quantity. Just as he expected, the green pearl showed no interest in these pills, and after eating them Hui Yue crossed his legs and started to control the Qi in his body. Controlling it enough to make it move through the body and arrive at the shoulder where it ever so slowly started to repair the crushed bone and tissue.

  Seated like this, Hui Yue waited for a couple of days. During these days he ended up eating twenty nine low grade medicinal pills to heal his shoulder. Although it had now been healed, the bone was still not strong enough to allow Hui Yue to participate in any battles.