Demonic Tribulations - Chapter 45 preview (Patreon)

Chapter 45 – Yin Xue

A large snout came along, prodded Yin Xue’s sprawled out body. He stared upwards from the dark soil he lay upon, glaring at the black dragon that lay above him, coiled over his body protectively. Baihuan had never stopped cultivating, drawing in energy from hundreds, maybe thousands of li- to him as he worked towards his own progression and growth.

At the same time, at some point when Yin Xue had completed his consumption of the remnant soul within the stolen king’s heart, when he had collapsed, the elder dragon had moved to protect him from the effects of an increased level of cultivation.

In the heart of the coiled dragon, Yin Xue had fallen unconscious and slept, until his rude awakening. Now, he glared up into the dinner plate sized eyes hovering over him, the snout dropping to nudge him again.

“Enough,” Yin Xue groused, rolling away and sitting up. He moved smoothly, more smoothly and swiftly than he had been able to do so in years. He nearly threw himself into the other side of the tightly packed coils and impacted the dragon, only a hasty planting of his foot and the deep depression he created as he did so allowing him to save his dignity.

“Good. You’re awake.” Head dropped low, staring into Yin Xue’s heterochromiatic eyes, before nodding slowly. “And still the annoying cultivator, I see.”

“Cultivator?” Yin Xue murmured, slowly. Testing himself and his body. He could feel how his body snatched at the chi in the air, the one exuded into the surroundings by the dragon, by the remnant demonic chi and the trace elements of heavenly immortal chi. It was reinforcing his body and bones, though he noted how gaunt he had grown, his robes hanging off him like a starved farmer. “Not for much longer…”

“Do not get ahead of yourself,” Baihuan said. “You have but taken a half-dozen steps on your journey to being an immortal. The task before you is still monumental and while the tribulations the Jade Empire will send after you in this realm muted, they have other ways of handling demonic cultivators.”

“What ways?” Yin Xue said, his red demonic arm flexing, claws springing forth.

“You know it.” Baihuan sniffed, the motion enough to send Yin Xue’s hair and robes gusting backwards. “Now, time for you to go. You’ve interrupted my own cultivation long enough.”

Yin Xue could take a hint. He bowed deeply as he spoke. “Thank you, Great One, for your mercy, knowledge and wisdom. I would not have been able to progress as far without your aid.” He hesitated, but noted the knowing look in the dragon’s eyes. Mentally gritting his teeth, he added. “This humble servant owes the Great One much, and if there is any small matter…”

“Many.” Baihuan interrupted. “But you can start with two things.”

Yin Xue could not help but wince at the first word, though he had been braced for it. Not acknowledging the dragon’s help would have been a fatal mistake, but he understood that he was now caught. He could only hope that the dragon was merciful and willing to allow him to

“There was another that came through with you. A worm of significant strength, but who does not belong in this realm, no matter what he thinks.” Eyes narrowed, as Baihuan stared at Yin Xue’s torso, a little harumph coming from him moments later. “You are closer, though one would think you could learn to do better.”

“Closer to…?”

Baihuan ignored him. “You should deal with him and rid this world of his infestation. Secondly, though the wound in the realm has closed, the area that it had been has been significantly weakened. You will reinforce the barrier between realms there.”

“Reinforce how?”

Again, Yin Xue was ignored as Baihuan continued. “Lastly, for interrupting my own cultivation, I expect a gift. One of sufficient strength and size to make up for the loss time dealing with you.”

Yin Xue worked his jaw, as he realised the enormity of the task. The Elder Dragon had been cultivating while they had talked but the difference between active cultivation and the passive form that he undertook while talking was massive. To replace all that energy, it would take more than any normal treasure, but something unique and rare.

“Is that all, Great One?”

“For now.” A big, wide grin was returned at the slightly peevish tone that Yin Xue had utilized. Before Yin Xue could apologize or react further, he felt the creature’s aura clamp around his own. It was a firm, but unbreakable grip on him, and fear surged through the newly merged demon.

Before he could react or do anything foolish, however, Baihuan jerked its head upwards. Yin Xue was catapulted in the air through the grip, following the line of movement of the dragon, sent flying through the air and out of the coiled body.

Cold air rushed across Yin Xue’s face, the thunder and rain of before never having let up. A flash of light caught Yin Xue as he raced through the air, electricity racing through his flying body and emerging the other way.

He managed to reorient himself, place his feet beneath him and angle his body just in time for the apogee of his ascent ended, and the world began to rush towards him. Quickly, he triggered the light body art that he utilized, pulling upon the tumultuous chi of the world to help bear him aloft. It was a strange art, one he had found in the back of the Verdant Green Waters society and was not necessarily better than the one they offered to most, but at least scaled with his strength.

In particular, pushing with his own chi downwards, he was able to repulse himself from the ground in such a way that his descent was slowed. He still struck the earth with some force, skidding across the ground as his booted feet tore up the muddy earth. Cold earth congealed around his body, as he slid, thrown up and around and entering the tops of his worn boots, leaving him annoyed and disgusted.

Wading through the mud like some farmer…

He shuddered, pulsed his chi to throw it all away and clean himself. He breathed in then, noted how far the dragon had tossed him. Outside of the zone of the furious raincloud, though Yin Xue could still feel the rushing whirlwind of air all around him.

Strong, but no longer a hindrance for him. Not since his healing and reforging of his body, the integration of the heart into his soul and his further ascent into immortality. Only a couple of steps into the equivalent of Nascent Soul integration for body and soul, and he found the difference in strength immense.

He could not help but wonder, how much stronger he would grow as he progressed.

Yin Xue knew he would need it, to deal with the Cai magistrate that had been thrown in here with him. After all, that man too trod the same path as Yin Xue, but had more years of experience in it.

Surveying the surroundings one last time, the cultivator noted where his point of initial entry had been. He threw his aura out, searching the surroundings. There would be no trace after so much time of his opponent’s path, but if the other was like him, finding civilization would be high on his list of needs.

Finding a dirt road not far away, nearly washed away by the heavy rains, Yin Xue started walking. One end or the other, there would be demons at the end of that road.