Chapter 85 - Breakthrough (Part IV) (Patreon)

While Lucian was fighting in the warehouse, a young woman called Shui Song was holding back her tears, her heart beating like a galloping horse.

Submerged near the shore, Shui Song continuously circulated Qi through her Root and Sacral Chakras. She was strengthening her stamina and endurance so she could remain underwater longer, without breathing. And, with her eyes closed, she controlled an insect-like artifact to surveil the burned warehouse ahead.

Inwardly, besides praying to the Nine Heavens for her older sister’s safety and cursing the guards, she tried to keep her thoughts on the situation unfolding before her.

She had come near the burned warehouse because the previous day, Shui Shan, her older sister, had insisted they visit a vendor selling a sweetened fruit dessert they would surely love. These two things shouldn't be connected at all! But, surprisingly, when Shui Song arrived at the vendor, her sister announced she would be meeting a friend at the abandoned warehouse and told Shui Song not to follow her!

That was very surprising, because Shui San knew very well that Shui Song was too meddling and never possessed enough self-restraint to resist her own curiosity.

Shui Song had immediately become convinced her older sister was secretly meeting a lover and naturally felt obligated to evaluate the man herself.

Who could have expected that upon approaching the warehouse she would sense Qi techniques erupting from within?

Alarmed, Shui Song had rushed to the city guards for help, only to be dismissed outright. Afterward, when she decided to investigate on her own, a bunch of people suddenly burst out of the building, screaming and attracting the attention of everyone nearby, before going back inside.

She was almost certain her sister was one of the people inside. Looking around, Shui Song noticed that almost everyone except the guards had reacted in one way or another. This awareness made her feel fear. She didn't know what sort of force could make the guards ignore such a chaotic scene. That's why she retreated to the shore, concealed herself beneath the water, and used an artifact to investigate from afar.

In her mind, there were only two possibilities.

Either her sister was still alive inside, in which case Shui Song would devise a plan to save her.

Or Shui Shan was already dead.

If that proved true, Shui Song swore she would memorize every face involved and beg the Azure Royal Fleet for revenge.

As her insect artifact approached the warehouse, an image of collapsed beams and broken walls solidified in her mind, along with a single spot radiating faint purple light. The artifact itself was at the Qi Refining Realm and one of her two most valuable possessions.

She never traveled without it. And, for the first time in her life, she felt grateful for that habit.

Guiding the artifact into the warehouse, Shui Song was surprised to detect only one active Qi source. The artifact transmitted no sound, but the visual image remained clear enough for observation. Then, directing the insect upward onto one of the wooden beams, she gained a broader view of the warehouse.

Black smoke filled the interior, and dozens of human silhouettes moved within it, their forms unsettling.

More horrifying, however, were the scattered bodies littering the floor. She assumed they had been dead before being brought there, as they looked strange to her, too thin and dry, almost like unburied corpses.

As she guided the artifact toward another beam, the lone Qi source abruptly vanished. Instantly, Shui Song commanded the artifact to stop. Her first thought was that the culprit had noticed the artifact and concealed their Qi presence. Then, before she could decide what to do next, she spotted a woman moving calmly through the smoke.

The woman appeared slightly older than twenty but not yet thirty.

Through her clothing, hair length, and the occasional glimpse of her face, Shui Song immediately recognized her as her elder sister, Shui Shan.

Relief struck her so intensely she nearly cried underwater. However, after the wave of relief, came a crushing concern. Shui Shan’s behavior was deeply unnatural. Despite the smoke, corpses, and destruction surrounding her, Shui Song's sister moved with eerie calmness, as though nothing about the situation was strange at all.

Shui Song found herself facing a hard decision. If she left to seek help, she feared her sister would die before anyone arrived. Yet, if she barged in without understanding the situation, she had no confidence she could survive. This way, saving Shui Shan from whatever strange state she was in would be impossible.

The fact that she could no longer detect any Qi source inside the warehouse only made the situation more terrifying. It was like something extremely dangerous was hiding there.

As Shui Song struggled to decide, she noticed a figure dragging what appeared to be a corpse across the floor. She carefully guided the insect artifact closer, using the smoke to remain hidden. After a few seconds, she saw the figure move with unnatural agility, and from the ease with which it dragged the bodies, Shui Song realized it possessed tremendous physical strength.

Only after the figure stacked a fifth corpse behind a broken wooden crate did the artifact finally obtain a clear view of its face. This almost caused Shui Song to open her mouth and swallow seawater in terror.

The being wore a black robe whose hood had burned away, and its entire body was drenched in blood.

Its face was hairless in the front, and black hair filled the back of its head. Charred flesh peeled back to reveal exposed muscle and bone beneath layers of blackened and crimson tissue, everything scorched. Adding to its gruesome features, its left eye had burned away completely, leaving behind only a fused socket, and the right eye lacked any eyelid at all.

It simply stared at the surroundings with cold apathy.

At last, this being's nose had been destroyed, reduced to a hollow cavity, and its teeth were exposed due to the absence of lips.

Shui Song felt certain that if the artifact approached any closer, the sheer detail of the creature’s appearance would haunt her even in the underworld. Worse, this being's appearance made her next choice harder to make!

Her sister was inside the warehouse with that monster, a thing casually piling corpses as though they were sacks of rice! She had to decide what to do!

Eventually, the creature finished arranging the bodies and became motionless.

Shui Song repeatedly clenched her fists, forcing herself to maintain the technique sustaining her underwater. If she lost focus now, she could suffer Qi deviation and drown before making any decision at all. Amidst her fear and desperation, she saw the creature turn its head slightly.

With a blink of her eyes, Shui Song realized it was looking at the shore. Directly toward the location where she hid beneath the water.

Her heart nearly burst from her chest.

The terror of death clashed violently against the fear of losing her sister, leaving her frozen for a brief moment. 

Then, the creature took a single step forward, as though preparing to move toward her.

She almost passed out.

Quickly, Shui Song activated her second artifact while simultaneously giving one final command to the Qi Refining insect artifact.  A translucent bubble formed around her body, and as it enveloped her, Shui Song watched the insect artifact fly in search of Shui Shan.

After that, she severed her Qi connection to it and expanded the bubble. Then, she moved deeper into the sea. In her mind, Shui Song insisted she was only retreating so she could survive and bring help. She told herself that she had even left behind a precious artifact to track Shui Shan afterward.

Yet beneath those excuses, her heart ached unbearably.

Because in truth, she felt as though she had abandoned the only person she truly loved to death.