Chapter 103 - Monsters Rise (Part II) (Patreon)

A single thorn remained upon the Rune of Pride, shining on the bat’s forehead and maintaining the crimson domain.

It doesn’t have blood, Lucian thought. He had a deep frown inside his dark subconscious, focusing on the Dreadful Abomination. Just as troublesome as a golem.

Within his perception, the flaming serpent behind the bat wielded more than a dozen white swords, their sharpened edges radiating freezing light that slightly slowed the bat’s wingbeats.

His thoughts, however, were faster than ever. After the second slumber of the Curse of Sloth, he could control up to thirty rats, meaning his thoughts could be enhanced just as much!

It moves quickly, possesses enhanced aim and control, and the freezing aura slows the target to facilitate piercing strikes, Lucian analyzed.

Blood surrounded the bat, but he doubted it could stop those blades, especially when one part of the blood was already freezing solid, and another evaporated under the heat.

The Runes of Greed and Gluttony are worthless here, Lucian thought, searching for a solution. I have one use of the Crown remaining before the Rune of Pride dissipates. The Rune of Sloth...

He checked the remaining amount of Blood Essence.

Losing two bats consumed far too much Blood Essence, he realized grimly. It would take too long to reconstruct my body properly and evade the attack.

Without wasting any thought on the two runes he could not activate even if he had a full reserve of Blood Essence, Lucian focused on the remaining option.

The Rune of Lust is a double-edged sword against constructs, he thought, recalling battles against inanimate beings from the distant past. Mana was outside of control, and affecting golems was impossible… But I suppose this three-headed beast isn’t made of mana.

As the icy blades approached, and the blood around the bat either froze or evaporated, Lucian was forced to act.

If the worst comes to pass, then I will at least witness the strength of an archmage-level threat, Lucian sneered inwardly, imagining that if he failed here, the Curse of Wrath would inevitably activate and draw the City Lord into the battle.

He had no confidence whatsoever in fighting a Core Formation expert, especially not while consumed by the deranged state brought by the Curse of Wrath, no matter how strong he would become. Which basically meant that, if his plans failed, he would die.

Returning his focus to the immediate danger, Lucian maintained the Rune of Greed, siphoning nearby blood, while the Rune of Pride sustained the crimson domain and the Rune of Sloth preserved his transformed state.

Then, the image of a crimson four-fingered hand grasping a neck appeared as the Rune of Lust activated.

Devilish Arts: Boon of Lust — Out of Touch

The bat flapped its wings forward, gaining a few precious milliseconds, while its left eye exploded apart as the Rune of Sloth was forcibly activated.

From the burst of blood, crimson flesh gathered together into a malformed humanoid body composed of exposed muscles, broken bones, and incomplete organs.

If Lucian attempted perfection, the transformation would be too slow for the next steps.

Next, the piercing sensation behind him warned that the swords were almost reaching him, while his reconstructed body plummeted downward. Then, gathering every remaining drop of Blood Essence and abandoning concern for his current physical state, Lucian activated the Rune of Lust with the Rune of Pride.

“Disperse," he spoke in a cold, broken, inhuman voice.

The crimson domain pulsed violently.

Dozens of swords pierced through Lucian’s back, as Qi moved to freeze his insides while flames surged from behind in an attempt to burn him into ash.

Yet the Qi never fully reached him.

Shattering sounds echoed throughout the battlefield as blood exploded outward in every direction, scattering apart into countless droplets.

Because Lucian had lost part of The Crown, represented by the blood drop previously in the sky, he could no longer properly converge all the blood into a single location.

Instead, every drop of blood now forcibly dispersed itself away from Lucian and away from other vestiges of blood.

That alone, however, was not what stopped the Dreadful Abomination. The technique was not composed of blood, nor was it directly affected by it. What truly halted the technique was the intent infused throughout the crimson domain, an intent that had spread outward and interfered directly with the surrounding Qi.

Elder Black Scale had already died, and despite issuing one final command to the Dreadful Abomination, he obviously no longer possessed control over the Qi sustaining it.

It had never even crossed the Elder’s mind that Lucian might be capable of influencing the technique itself.

In the deceased Elder's view, Lucian was nowhere near the Foundation Establishment realm, and such interference was supposedly only possible for Core Formation cultivators. After all, only Core Formation experts possessed enough mastery over their intent to command Qi on such a scale.

Smiling faintly, Lucian sensed the technique behind him gradually dissipating. With this, he fully recognized his own Qi perception was active and confirmed that his cultivation base remained intact despite his complete depletion of Qi.

His battered body crashed into the now Qi-depleted waters, which no longer carried the eerie purple glow from before, while dozens of holes throughout his back slowly regenerated.

Traces of blood drifted toward him bit by bit, entering his wounds to accelerate the healing process and gradually restoring the appearance of his skeletal, ruined body.

Without Elder Black Scale sustaining them, the waters receded into the surrounding streets, leaving Lucian’s naked, drenched form standing atop the remains of a broken warehouse.

Gazing upward to the star-filled night sky, Lucian steadied his breathing and allowed the Rune of Greed to siphon the scattered blood and replenish his reserves. Next, he turned his head slightly and spotted the mummified corpse of Elder Black Scale.

Narrowing his eyes, Lucian focused on the three artifacts the elder had used earlier. All three remained intact and still contained traces of dormant Qi. As soon as he saw the artifacts, he also remembered something else.

Looking toward the scorched remains of his clothing, silver coins, and Spirit Stones, he spotted the shattered remnants of the hornet artifact, which had never once emitted Qi within his perception.

Staring coldly at the broken object from afar, Lucian rose to his feet and dragged his wounded body toward Elder Black Scale’s corpse. He felt that something was wrong with that metallic hornet, but couldn't grasp what it was. So, he focused on the issues at hand.

After collecting the artifacts, Lucian silently departed from the devastated streets and headed toward the Broken Maze.

Remaining here is unwise, he thought calmly. The other major forces should be on their way. I ought to leave Three Feathers City—

His thoughts were interrupted by a thunderous roar that shook the clouds and the ground.

Immediately, he turned toward the northeast.

There, near the walls of the noble district, cyan and golden lights violently clashed, sending shockwaves outward, powerful enough for Lucian to feel from this distance.

Pausing briefly to estimate the location, he slowly nodded to himself.

I did not miscalculate, he thought. The Tidal Church acted, but Elder Black Scale was not with them.

Sighing from exhaustion, he resumed his walk toward the Broken Maze.

There is no need to rush, Lucian analyzed the situation. If Grandmaster Miao and Bo Qing survive, then I will proceed with the previous plan. If they die instead, I should entice the Shadow Alliance into becoming my new backers.

Lucian then remembered his encounter with Madame Ching, and frowned slightly.

She behaved very differently from the reports, Lucian thought, narrowing his eyes. Had she moved tonight, she would be tied to this conflict. I should investigate that matter later. It could lead to something interesting.

Before disappearing deeper into the Broken Maze, Lucian cast one final glance northward, toward the Feathered Serpent Castle.

I wonder whether your bottom line is deeper than I imagined, or whether you are hiding something too, City Lord, he thought as his eyes briefly gleamed crimson.

At last, Lucian vanished into the night streets, unconcerned by the countless corpses left behind. Soon, he would keep planning his next steps toward recovering his true strength and advancing further along the path of cultivation.