“Leylines?” Cha Ming asked. “Dying world?”
Go, the spider said again.
Cha Ming considered prodding further but decided again it. He flew up to the fissure and flew up it. Within hours, he saw sweet, blissful daylight.
Interlude: Unstoppable
Feng Ming clutched his chest, gasping for breath. Gong Xuandi did the same beside him. He regulated his breathing and sat cross-legged to regenerate his depleted qi. They were exhausted. Many months of chasing the Taotie had taxed both their minds and their bodies. As they rested, they heard screams in the distance. Domesticated animals bleated as the creature advanced, taking advantage of their break to feast on nearby living things. They heard ripping sounds as plants were torn from the earth, and even fertile soil was sucked into the creature’s ghastly body.
But what could they do? What alternative did they have? They were mere mortals, and that creature was a god. They fought, rested, fought, rested. The cycle continued, but the creature still grew stronger.
“Has your dearest sister, the Sea God’s Herald, heard back from the Sea God Realm?” Feng Ming asked the resting Gong Xuandi.
The large man opened an eye and shook his head. “Not since last time. It seems like it will take much time to manufacture a countermeasure, and even more time to send it over. The process isn’t easy, and it only gets worse when you have to transport something across planar boundaries.”
Feng Ming groaned. He’d heard similar answers from the Alabaster Group. Both transcendent powers were doing everything they could to contain the creature. And judging from the fact that the South had yet to send anyone remotely powerful enough to intercept or help them, they were also aware of the problem.
“This can’t continue,” Feng Ming said. “The constant fighting. It’s wearing down on us. Even you, a mighty half-step-blood-awakening cultivator, can’t keep it up.”
The former Sea God Emperor shrugged. “If you sent a force from the North, I’m sure the South would indulge you and let them pass to join the battle. They might even clear a path for you, laying down carpets to mark the way here.”
They’d dug deep into Southern territory while chasing the beast. So deep, in fact, that even the peasants knew of their coming. Only stragglers were left behind, those deemed not important enough to warn.
“We need to force them to help us,” Feng Ming said. He stood up and stretched. Though his qi had recovered, his body was stiff. He wasn’t a body cultivator like Gong Xuandi, as much as he fought like one. His muscles were stressed from overuse, taut in a way that could easily lead to injury. As he stretched, he peered out into the distance, where red lights shone in a darkening sky.
“I’m done,” the Sea God Emperor said, summoning his trident. The weapon, though mighty, had evidently seen better days. It was the fifth such weapon he’d used since starting. Feng Ming’s Magma God’s Spear was no different. Despite his ungodly luck, a weapon could only last so long under constant abuse. It was only a matter of time until the cracks on it widened and the weapon shattered.
“I’ve heard that blood masters are excellent fighters,” Feng Ming said, gazing intently at the red-lit area. “Do you have any experience with them?”
“I don’t,” the Gong Xuandi said. “Though I’ve heard they have quite the temper.”
“I’ve heard the same as well,” Feng Ming said. “And it seems the South has grown too complacent. They know we guide it toward areas of lower energy density, avoiding demonic mountains, cities, and other important outposts. I think it’s high time we change that.”
Gong Xuandi nodded. “Do you want to be the carrot or the stick?” He hefted his trident over his shoulder. There was no opposition or complaint. Their months of fighting the beast had made pragmatists of both of them.
“The stick,” Feng Ming said, readying his spear. “The beast gets rather frustrated when it keeps missing. It needs a little taste every once in a while to keep it wanting.”
“I can’t promise to make a good carrot,” Gong Xuandi said. “But let’s see if it likes seafood.” He charged, exchanging a few blows with the frustrated creature before heading off in the monastery’s direction. They’d done this many times before and knew the answer to his question: The beast loved seafood, along with anything else they fed it.
Chapter 27: Return
The journey back through the Shattered Lands was swift and unencumbered. Though mentally exhausted from his extended cultivation, as well as the trip through the rocky underground fissures, Cha Ming now knew that Director Yong had taken the Gold Source Marrow. More likely than not, he’d been aided by none other than Tian Zhi.
The theft didn’t bother him; that was between them and the spiders. Truth be told, he might have done the same himself if the spider had refused to cooperate. But it did make him wonder what had happened to the precious treasure. Wang Jun hadn’t alerted him about its discovery, and the Greenwind Pavilion, who he’d commissioned to watch out for the treasure, hadn’t told him about it either. That meant it was still in the Blackthorn Conglomerate, likely in their vault. He’d have to get access somehow and retrieve it. Conveniently, he’d also need to raid it to call his plan a success. The pieces were coming together.
The air was free of dust when he finally arrived at the surface. There was no one around the fissure when he exited, which made sense given that he was in the uncharted zones.
“It’s deserted but not unexpected,” Sun Wukong said, appearing outside the Clear Sky World. Here in the Shattered Lands, he was free to wander about. The Spirit Temple had no wards or spies this far in demon territory.
I hope they
