DDD Chapter 133: Inside the Painting (Patreon)

After being pulled into the Myriad Landscapes Painting, it took me a moment to regain my bearing. The moment I did, I searched the area around me with both my mundane senses and my spirit sense. If there were any other participants nearby, I didn’t want them to catch me off guard. However, after searching around, I realized that I was the only person in the immediate area.

Without any threats nearby, I took a moment to take a closer look at my surroundings. For a hidden realm within a painting, this place seemed real enough. I stood on the shore of a wide river. It flowed between a series of grassy hills. The smell of water teased my nostrils. A light breeze brushed past me, rustling the grass. Unlike North King City, it felt warm in here.

I noticed that there wasn’t a sun in this place. It took me a while to realize this, since there was light everywhere. However, this light didn’t have a source. At least not one that I could see. The blue sky above was empty. There was nothing up there. No clouds, no sun, nothing. It was a big blue void that stretched off into eternity.

Still, this wasn’t that strange. I was in a hidden realm contained within a painting. Of course there would be something unusual about it. I was sure that if I explored more of this hidden realm, I would find other strange phenomena. Perhaps I would gain some insights from the experience.

Afterwards, I searched for a secure hiding spot so I could read the rules for this stage of the Rising Heroes without being attacked. During the preliminaries, there were many rules that restricted the participants’ actions. However, after Senior Gordon revealed that we were supposed to try and kill each other, I suspected that the rules had changed.

To my dismay, there weren’t any good hiding places nearby. After searching for five minutes, I decided to stop wasting time and jumped into the river. The water was opaque enough to hide me from sight, even from the senses of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Together with my Cloak of Dusk innate ability, this made it a decent hiding spot, in the short term at least. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, I could hold my breath for a while.

The river water felt cool and pleasant against my skin. For a moment, I just floated there and indulged myself in the sensation. It almost felt like flying, but not quite. However, I soon remembered one important fact: I didn’t know how to swim. I wanted to smack myself for my stupidity. At least I jumped in the shallow end of the river and the current wasn’t strong. To get out, I just needed to walk along the bottom.

I pulled my tournament token out of my storage ring, placed it against my forehead, and took a closer look at the rules for this stage of the Rising Heroes Tournament. As I suspected, they differed from the rules for the preliminaries. There were still some restrictions in place to prevent the participants from going too far, such as the rule forbidding the use of Golden Core talismans. However, most of them were gone. It appeared that the participants were free to use whatever magic treasures, pills, and other items they owned.

When I saw this, I frowned. Why the sudden change? While the rules for the preliminaries weren’t perfect, they helped keep things as fair as possible. However, these new rules did away with all that. Why? Did the North King do this for his own entertainment? I doubted it. He didn’t seem like a malicious person to me, so I assumed he had a good reason for making these changes. Of course, I could be completely wrong. Still, was there a deeper purpose to his actions?

A possibility came to mind. The North King said that he wanted this stage of the Rising Heroes Tournament to resemble a real battle. Did that mean he wanted the younger generation to have more experience with combat? If so, why? Was there some kind of conflict or threat looming on the horizon? That seemed possible. However, this was all speculation on my part. Perhaps the North King really did all this just for his own entertainment.

In the end, the answer didn’t matter. As a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, I wasn’t in a position to guess the North King’s motivations. Instead, I needed to focus on my own goals. That meant earning as many points as possible by hunting down my fellow participants and eliminating them.

I had to admit, a part of me felt thrilled at the idea. As the North King said, the Rising Heroes Tournament felt neat and tidy with all its rules. I enjoyed myself. However, I also felt constrained by the old rules. With these new rules, I no longer felt that way. Regardless of his reasoning, I approved of the North King’s decision. 

Thankfully, the tournament token would help me keep track of my points, so I didn’t have to bother with it myself. From what I saw, it would record the details of my victories, including the cultivation base of anyone I defeated. I could fight to my heart’s content.

With a grin on my face, I pulled my flying carpet out of my storage ring and flew out of the river. The moment I emerged from the water, I took a deep breath and summoned a flame to dry myself off. Afterwards, I picked a random direction and flew off to find some prey-… I meant some other participants.

I was in luck. Just a minute later, I sensed two other cultivators nearby: a woman in early Foundation Establishment and a man in mid Foundation Establishment. From their garb, they appeared to be rogue cultivators. Both rode atop flying swords. The woman was wounded and fleeing from the man. She had a good head start, but her pursuer was closing the gap between them at a rapid rate. He would catch up with her in less than a minute.

“Just make this easier on yourself and surrender!” The man called out. “I promise to make your defeat quick and painless! Otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite!”

The woman threw a hateful glare at him, but otherwise didn’t respond. Soon, the two of them noticed my presence. The woman looked relieved, while the man’s expression darkened.

“Help me, Fellow Cultivator!” the woman called out.

She flew in my direction without waiting for my answer. The man followed right after her.

“If you know what’s good for you, stay out of this!” He shouted.

I acted hesitant, as if I couldn’t decide what to do.

“If you help me, I will be yours for the night!” The woman said.

I nodded with an eager expression on my face.

“Don’t worry, Fellow Cultivator!” I shouted, flying towards the woman. “I’ll save you!”

I almost laughed as I said those words, but I maintained my composure. After all, these two were putting in so much effort into their act, that I felt compelled to do so the same.

“Arrogant fool!” The man barked out a laugh. “No matter. This just means that I can earn even more points!”

The gap between us shrank as the woman and I flew towards each other, while the man chased after the woman. I pulled my flying sword out my storage ring, the one I received from Big Sis Sidra, and prepared to attack. The moment my opponent drew close enough, I launched it forward.

The woman wore a triumphant expression on her face. However, it turned to horror when she realized that I aimed my flying sword at her. She tried to evade it, but we were too close. The split second before it pierced through her neck and decapitated her, she disappeared in a flash of white light.

The man’s jaw dropped and he stared at me in disbelief. However, that didn’t stop him from reacting as I redirected my flying sword towards him. Unlike the woman, he managed to avoid my attack. A moment later, a green barrier sprang to existence around him as he activated some kind of defensive magic treasure.

“Why did you attack?” The man cried out. “I thought you wanted to save her!”

I let out a derisive snort.

“Did you really think I would fall for your tricks?” I asked with a sneer.

The moment I saw the man and the woman, I suspected that the two of them were working together to lure me into a trap. This wasn’t the first time I encountered a scenario like this. Cultivator Davina, the disciple from the Ancient Blood Sect that I met in the Sacred Ironwood province, came to mind.

Besides, I still would’ve attacked the woman even if it hadn’t been a trick. We were all enemies here. Everyone was competing against one another. Why would I bother saving someone that I was going to fight anyway?

“You’ll pay for that!” The man snarled.

He pulled a wooden spear magic treasure out of his storage ring, before throwing it at me. The spear transformed into a beam of green light as it rushed towards me. I pulled my steel buckler magic treasure out of my storage ring and used it to block the spear. The two collided with a loud clang.

Almost at the same time, I redirected my flying sword to attack my opponent. His green barrier blocked my strike, though it suffered severe damage in doing so. I guess that it would shatter after another attack or two.

The wooden spear started to fly back towards my opponent, but I grabbed it before it could. It struggled against me, but couldn’t escape my grasp. Instead, I let it drag me towards my opponent. I kept attacking him with my flying sword, forcing him to evade, so he didn’t notice anything wrong until it was too late.

When I was close enough, I let go of the spear and launched myself at my opponent using Wind Dash Shoulder Slam. He tried to form a hand seal in order to use a mystic art, but my flying sword shattered his green barrier at that exact moment. This distracted him long enough for me to slam into him and knock him off of his flying sword.

The two of us tumbled towards the ground. The man fought against me, but I overpowered him with ease. I wrapped my hands around his throat. However, I paused before I snapped his neck. Instead, I grabbed his hand and pulled his storage ring off of his finger. Then I went to snap his neck. He disappeared in a flash of white light.

To my dismay, the man’s items disappeared with him. I let out a disappointed sigh as I directed my flying carpet to catch me before I hit the ground. Afterwards, I placed my flying sword and my steel buckler back into my storage ring, before I flew off to find more opponents to fight.

***

Interlude: North King

The North King sat within the pavilion tent that had been set up atop the massive floating platform meant for his kin. Inside the tent was a special seating area reserved for special guests of the Northern King. After the Rising Heroes Tournament resumed and he sent all of the participants into the Myriad Landscapes Painting, the North King invited the leaders of the Seven Great Northern Sects to join him inside the tent. He also invited many of the most prominent cultivators within the entirety of the Northern Region.

Most of the seats were occupied, with only a few remaining empty. Either because the intended occupant wasn’t in North King City, or because they refused the North King’s invitation. Not that he minded. The North King despised sycophants. He preferred those who were honest about their disdain for him over leeches who wanted to take advantage of him and his position.

Most of the North King’s special guests sat together in groups, either with others from their sect or with their friends and acquaintances. A few sat alone and didn’t socialize with the others. Servants moved about, offering various kinds of refreshments to the guests.

Behind the North King and to his right stood a talented junior from his clan. The boy’s skin was grayish, meaning that he had achieved significant progress in the Black Iron Body physical refining technique, one of Clan Black Iron’s signature techniques. For this reason, the North King had decided to mentor the boy for a little while and offer some guidance. So far, the results had been promising.

The North King wore a small smile on his face as he sat atop his throne. It was a monstrosity made from high-grade Black Iron, a natural treasure that could only be found within the depths of Black Iron Mountain.

Some might call it arrogant and egotistical to have a throne made from a high-grade material, which were used to create Golden Core and Nascent Soul level magic treasures. However, the North King considered it a requirement of his position. He needed to remind people that he was the king of the Northern Region. His throne was just one of the methods he used.

Everyone in the tent watched as events played out within the Myriad Landscapes Painting. What made this particular magic treasure special, other than the hidden realm contained within, was that cultivators could connect with it using their spirit sense, allowing them to spectate what was going on inside. The various sect leaders, elders, and rogue cultivators chattered about as the tournament participants fought one another and eliminated each other. Some wore jubilant expressions, some looked furious, and others wore neutral masks.

It had been a little over an hour since the tournament resumed, and already over a third of the participants had been eliminated. At this rate, they wouldn’t have to wait until tomorrow morning before the tournament ended. However, the North King knew that the rate of elimination would slow down after a certain point. By then, the participants would spend more time looking for each other instead of fighting. The hidden realm within the Myriad Landscapes Painting rivaled entire mortal nations in size.

“That’s my boy!” A boisterous voice called out.

The North King glanced over at Nova, one of the most… interesting people he had ever encountered in his centuries-long life. She was famous, or infamous, for her crass and vulgar behavior. Picking fights with other cultivators, seducing whoever caught her eye, causing wanton destruction during her drunken rampages, etc.

Despite this, Nova was one of the most reliable allies one could have. She protected those she considered her own with the tenacity of a mother bear defending her cubs. The North King fought by her side on two separate occasions. Nova’s strength proved invaluable both times. No wonder Sect Leader Twinheart tolerated her antics, despite the trouble she caused.

When Nova’s voice rang out, several of the North King’s other guests eyed her with anger, resentment, and disdain. This wasn’t surprising, since she had defeated most of them at one point or another. And robbed them. The North King couldn’t forget that part. Nova called it compensation, but she wasn’t fooling anyone. It was theft, pure and simple.

At the moment, she was cheering for her son, a young man named Darian. He was performing well, despite his lackluster cultivation base. From what the North King saw, Darian racked up a large number of points by defeating many participants with higher cultivation bases than him.

“Look at my boy,” Nova said, nudging the man sitting next to her, “Isn’t he amazing?”

The man in question was Cultivator Sky Splitter, the peak master of Tyrannical Blade Peak and Nova’s so-called rival. Honestly, they acted more like best friends than rivals. Yes, they often competed and fought with one another. However, outside of that, they were as thick as thieves.

So much so that the two of them were sitting together instead of with their respective sects. Blade Emperor, the leader of the Thousand Blade Sect, seemed upset about this. However, he didn’t say or do anything about the situation, which the North King found amusing.

“Your son is impressive, yes.” Peak Master Sky Splitter said. “However, he is nowhere close to my daughter. Look! She’s already ahead of him in points.”

Nova snorted.

“Only by a third.” She said. “A little disappointing, considering she’s in mid Foundation Establishment while he’s in early Foundation Establishment.”

Peak Master Sky Splitter harrumphed and crossed his arms. Nova just laughed, before ordering a bottle of spirit wine.

A thousand similar conversations were playing out all throughout the tent. The various clans and sects of the Northern Region, the Seven Great Northern Sects in particular, used the Rising Heroes Tournament as an opportunity to show off their most promising disciples. It was all a game of posturing and one-upmanship.

As tiresome as they could be, the North King welcomed such games. It enabled a competitive spirit between the various clans and sects of the Northern Region. This made it easier to keep them all in check, since they were all focused on each other rather than Clan Black Iron. However, this iteration of the Rising Heroes Tournament was special. The North King’s smile faded away as he recalled the real reason why he deviated from the usual tournament format.

“Hey, Baldy.” Nova’s voice called out.

It was obvious who she was referring to. Silence fell over the tent as everyone looked at her with varying expressions on their faces. Anger, annoyance, resignation, anticipation, and so on. The promising junior standing behind the North King practically vibrated with rage.

“You dare call His Majesty such an insulting name?!” The boy asked, almost shouting. “You insolent-…”

The boy’s head snapped to the side as Nova slapped him across the face with her intent.

“Silence.” She said in an icy tone. “The adults are talking. Baldy here can defend himself if he feels like it. He doesn’t need a little pissant like you to do it for him.”

The promising junior opened his mouth to respond, but the North King held up a hand to silence him.

“Hall Master Nova,” the North King said, an edge to his voice, “I would appreciate it if you didn’t assault the juniors of my clan right in front of me.”

Nova snorted.

“Assault?” She said. “That was just a gentle reminder.”

The North King narrowed his eyes at her. After a moment, Nova sighed.

“Fine.” She said. “As long as your junior minds his tongue, I’ll behave myself.”

The North King nodded, before glancing back at his promising junior.

“As for you,” he said, “Hall Master Nova is right. You should mind your tongue. I won’t always be around to defend you. Be aware of who you’re talking to before you open your mouth.” He gestured to Nova. “For example, Hall Master Nova is the only one allowed to call me ‘Baldy.’”

“It’s because I won a wager.” Nova said with a smug expression on her face.

The North King resisted the urge to roll his eyes. When they were both younger, Nova challenged him to a drinking contest. In his arrogance, he accepted, thinking he would have an easy victory. He ended up passing out within the first hour.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” the promising junior said, looking at the ground. “Thank you for your advice.”

The North King noticed the resentment in the promising junior’s eyes and almost sighed. It looked like Nova had earned another grudge.

“Anyway, Baldy,” the woman in question said, “Why did you really change the Rising Heroes Tournament? I mean the real reason, not the excuse you made up earlier.”

Everyone looked at the North King, eager to hear his answer, though they pretended otherwise. For a moment, he considered whether or not to share what he knew. He planned on doing so later, after the tournament ended. However, he saw no reason to keep it to himself. It made little difference if everyone found out now or later on.

“I received a message from His Imperial Majesty.” The North King said in a solemn voice.

The atmosphere in the tent grew heavy. Even Nova, who preferred to lounge about, sat up straighter. A message from the Azure Dragon Emperor was always significant, no matter the circumstances.

“Did His Imperial Majesty notice something during his travels?” Sect Leader Blade Emperor asked.

The North King nodded. The Azure Dragon Emperor, leader of Clan Azure Dragon and ruler of the Azure Dragon Empire, was a Demigod. It was the highest possible cultivation base one could achieve without becoming an immortal and ascending to the heavens above; or descending to the Underworld as a devil. Demigods were immensely powerful. They could also travel in the void between the various worlds that constituted the mortal realm. The Azure Dragon Emperor had spent the past few centuries traveling about, as he prepared for his immortal tribulation.

“His Imperial Majesty has discovered that a Demon King from the Underworld plans to invade the Northern Region,” the North King said.

Everyone in the tent reacted to this news with shock and dismay. Demon Kings were the Underworld equivalent of Path Seeking cultivators. They were second only to Demon Emperors, which were equivalent to Demigods. An invasion led by such a being would bring about a lot of death and destruction. The North King was sure that they would be able to repel this invasion, especially since the Northern Region had a few Path Seeking cultivators of its own. However, this would come at a great cost.

“Did His Imperial Majesty say when this invasion would occur?” Sect Leader Twinheart asked.

The North King shook his head.

“No.” He said. “However, based on the records I’ve consulted, it should happen within the next century or two.”

This wasn’t the first time demons from the Underworld had invaded the Northern Region. It happened every thousand years or so, and Clan Black Iron had extensive records on each one. These invasions followed a similar pattern.

Lesser Demons, which were equivalent to Foundation Establishment cultivators, would show up in large numbers. Their purpose was to cause chaos and havoc, paving the way for the main army, which would arrive about a century later.

However, an invasion led by a Demon King was a rare occurrence. From what the North King knew, the last one took place tens of thousands of years ago. So, this invasion might follow a different pattern than the other ones.

“The younger generation will be the first ones to encounter the demons.” the North King said, nodding towards the Myriad Landscapes Painting. “That was why I changed the format of the Rising Heroes Tournament, to better prepare them for what’s to come.”

The mood in the tent turned somber as everyone realized that their precious disciples, the best and brightest of the younger generation, would soon be embroiled in a bloody conflict. Not all of them would survive. Some might flee to other parts of the Azure Dragon Empire, but the rest would stay. This was their home. If they didn’t defend it, who would?

And that was just the beginning. When the invasion’s main army arrived, the entire Northern Region would be engulfed in war. A heavy weight settled over the North King’s shoulders when he thought about this.

“Why is everyone acting so morose?” Nova asked. “This is good news!”

That earned her ugly looks from almost everyone in the tent.

“How is this good news?” One of the other guests snapped. “A Demon King is going to invade our home!”

Nova snorted.

“Because it’s better than no news.” She said. “Forewarned is forearmed. Now that we know an invasion is coming, we can get ready for it.” She nodded towards the Myriad Landscapes Painting. “We can prepare our disciples, so that when the Lesser Demons start appearing, they aren’t caught unawares. If His Imperial Majesty hadn’t warned us ahead of time, we wouldn’t have had this opportunity.”

The mood in the tent shifted as everyone considered Nova’s words and realized that she was right. The situation wasn’t as dire as it could have been.

“Hall Master Nova is right,” the North King said, “This is an opportunity. Let us not waste it. We have a lot of preparations to make, and I expect everyone’s full cooperation in this matter.” He looked at everyone in the tent. “I know that there are plenty of conflicts and grudges between all of you. However, we must stand united when faced with a common enemy. Understood?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Everyone said in unison.

The North King nodded with a satisfied smile on his face.

“Good.” He said, before letting out a boisterous laugh. “Now then, let us see what sort of mischief the younger generation will get up to.”

The atmosphere in the tent lightened as everyone focused on the events playing out within the Myriad Landscapes Painting once more.