163 - First Bloom of an Earthen Lotus

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Qin Yun stood unyielding against this behemoth. The creature he had deemed as Kai stood over ten meters tall, easily dwarfing Qin Yun, but was also impressive against the majesty of the manor behind the shimmering barrier.

Countless long and agile tentacles flailed against the ground, producing tremors that propagated into all directions, yet these disturbing limbs were more than just objects of warfare. Through microscopic openings all along the flesh, the creature could inhale the surrounding vaporized Corruption until nothing remained, enhancing itself as it stared down Qin Yun. Some were even plunged into the ground, sapping the strength deeply infused within the crust over millennia.

All nearby flowers had been destroyed, leaving the land completely barren except for a bed of grey dust that a mere slight breeze might lift off to create a storm. Yet no such wind existed on this land of death—even weather itself had perished long ago. This bleak land had already lost all its vitality.

The only trace of life stood above Qin Yun’s head, slowly rotating in the form of a hazy brown lotus with but a single blooming leaf. It stood firm in this world devoid of colour, yet not even it was spared of Corruption.

A third of the brown had given way to grey in the form of veins upon the leaf. Despite being but an external manifestation of Qin Yun's internal qi centre, the lotus seemed lush with life, even pulsing with radiant golden energy. It displayed a tri-colour spectrum where each of them vied for supremacy.

Qin Yun frowned, for retaining balance was strenuous, even for an individual like him who possessed much greater control over his strength than the average cultivator. He could feel the grey wishing to overthrow the brown—his lotus's original element—yet the golden energy that swam upon the leaf, always rushing up and down, was always there to keep it in check.

Thus, the balance had been maintained until now, yet Qin Yun’s current environment proved slightly detrimental.

My lotus seems to hold, yet a mere mid-grade earth spiritual root was never meant to withstand such fierce forces. While the flow of Corruption from this beast can be offset by the tribulation streaming out of the crystal heart, merging those three forces doesn't make it any less dangerous. Besides, there's no telling when the crystal heart will finally dry out. I can already see the cracks forming...

Indeed. While the crystal heart formed from the ravenous egg's existence could be likened to miraculous, allowing Qin Yun to make the Corruption his own, the tribulation within was by no means inexhaustible. It was merely the remnants of the Heavenly Dao's last strike before throwing Qin Yun into the abyss.

Once it finally ran out, Qin Yun had no idea what might occur. Would his blooming lotus be able to combat the Corruption on its own, or would he require the aid of the world's qi? For now, however, such concerns weren't necessary.

The crystal heart was a massive receptacle that utilized the innate ability of the crystal bugs, namely the subspace through which they communicated. By focusing inwards, Qin Yun could feel a slight connection through this passageway, allowing him to tap into the ocean of tribulation contained within. He also noticed multiple streams of consciousness trying to transmit through.

Qin Yun had no idea what they tried to convey, for he had no frame of reference for their language, yet he could feel a single emotion. After all, from what he knew, the sub-space channel of those crystal bugs served as some sort of hive mind, allowing their countless diverging thoughts to become unified within that realm.

They had always been connected from birth, allowing their rapid expansion to become a scourge large enough to threaten an entire world. In this way, they weren't much different than the Corruption: a massive entity seeking a singular goal.

While both entities' goals eluded him, Qin Yun was sure of one thing, for the crystal bugs had been constantly streaming it through the sub-space channel since he became aware of it. Longing. A single emotion possessed by trillions of individuals, breaking the bounds between universes, only to reach him now in this barren land.

A longing for a cherished individual. The reason for their mad quest across the galaxies spreading death and destruction in their wake.

It should be the first time I've heard of it, Qin Yun thought with a frown. Despite having battled this old enemy for generations, this wasn't in any of the Commonwealth's records. Forget it... she was just a small ship's captain. There were many records she didn't have access to. I may never truly know the truth of what they are.

Pushing those thoughts at the back of his mind, Qin Yun focused on the present and the unstable lotus that had just one of its leaves blooming for the first time.

Qin Yun's foundation was a singularity born of the world's providence and of the corrosive Corruption balanced through the crystal heart. Without any one of those three factors, the blooming of Qin Yun's lotus would have been impossible, resulting in Qin Yun's demise. Even now, the merger was extremely unstable, threatening to crumble at any moment.

Unlike any regular foundation, born when a cultivator slowly accumulated the world's qi into the seed growing in the core of their qi centre, allowing the lotus to bloom, Qin Yun's process was rife with the unexpected, even more so as it was done amid battle as he quickly clawed away at the Corruption forming the body of his opponent.

Despite having bloomed, his lotus was merely one step away from unravelling. One wrong move, just a single instant of carelessness and the worst could occur, resulting in years of efforts being lost, or even worse, his death.

Still, Qin Yun felt no pressure, for this was hardly the first time he had walked such a thorny path. Even now, pressed by a horrid creature towering over him, stranded at the edge of the world, his future uncertain, Qin Yun smiled, for he felt alive, more than he had felt in many lifetimes. He had a goal to strive for, more than mere survival, more than just breaking the cycle. There were answers he sought, many of them.

One of the giant's two frontal tentacles came crashing down, denting the ground as it left its large imprint. A cloud of grey dust rose to block Qin Yun's sight. Fortunately, the creature's enhanced size had made it much slower and even easier to predict, allowing Qin Yun to dodge with ease.

He only took a single step to the side, lightly tapping the ground with the tip of his foot so the limb would miss him altogether. In its frustration, the creature roared. Following its many regenerations, the beast's head had changed substantially from humanoid to draconian.

Scales had appeared on his flesh, yet they were far from uniform, for pustules also littered the flesh. Some were broken, spilling a black liquid that seemed to absorb all light, emitting a putrid stench of death and decay.

Colourless flames spilled from its open maw yet were far from scorching. In fact, Qin Yun even felt the temperature drop, but not enough to produce ice. It was a chill that grabbed his soul, telling him that the slightest touch would befall his doom. Without the slightest hesitation, he punched.

His fist struck the air, but at the exact moment when his arm was fully extended, his hovering lotus shone for just a moment. Its colour was a mix of grey and brown, but surprisingly, no trace of the gold enveloping the leaf could be seen in the light surrounding the lotus.

His fist struck the flames, yet they were instantly pushed back. Only an explosion rang, creating a gale that pushed away massive amounts of the dust covering the land, revealing what lay beneath.

More than a meter below the surface, underneath a blanket of dust, was a most revolting sight. The ground was a purplish grey but also uneven, formed of bumps and divots, almost like countless entangled roots.

But the worst of it all was that Qin Yun could feel a heat rise from below his feet—a peculiar heat coming from a dead world. Those roots seemed made of flesh, not unlike the creature standing before him. They pulsed at regular intervals as if possessing hearts of their own.

However, with but a single glance, Qin Yun knew no life dwelled in these, for they were no different than the lifeless creature he had battled until now. They were but constructs made of Corruption, given shape so that they might be instruments of its will. As for what that will was, Qin Yun had yet to find out.

Still, he knew this world had become the source of that creature’s existence. As long as this world remained, or the connection between them wasn't severed, no matter how many times he destroyed that creature, it would return once again. And yet, Qin Yun had no intention of doing so, for this creature was the perfect instrument. It was his best opportunity to hone himself.

The flames had no opportunity to reach his fist, for multiple layers of compacted dust lay on top of it, protecting him. These layers existed briefly, for at the moment of impact, they were shattered and pushed back alongside the wind created by that strike. It was thrust back into the creature's open maw, creating an intense explosion when added to the increased pressure still coming out of its mouth.

The creature's head was almost ripped away, hanging on by just a sliver of flesh, yet it still stood firm, swinging another of its tentacles aimed at Qin Yun, nearly as if it couldn't care less about the loss of its head. As for Qin Yun, all he felt was a slight sting on his knuckles, but it swiftly disappeared, only for the layer of dust to wrap once again around them.

Qin Yun's spiritual root was of the Earth element, a common one mostly suited for defence. This allowed most practitioners at the Foundation Building realm to create rudimentary constructs made of rocks and metals, moulding them as they pleased.

Some might think the earth element to be plain, not as flashy as fire, nor as versatile as water, yet it complemented Qin Yun’s fighting style. He had always preferred to be up close and personal instead of relying on complicated spells. This simple spiritual root allowed all of this for him.

Qin Yun stepped forward, only for the lotus above his head to shine brightly. The surrounding dust formed into sharp needles as they rose from the ground. They dug straight into the creature's lower limbs, promptly stopping its movement.

It couldn't stop its momentum and fell forward, yet it made no effort to break its fall. Instead, one of its tentacles struck Qin Yun. He could have simply dodged, yet chose to form a wall of compacted dust as a shield. His goal wasn't merely to vanquish this creature but also to grow accustomed to his new realm. He sought to use his lotus as much as possible, even if it wasn't the more efficient option.

With a single swipe, Qin Yun's wall was destroyed, but as the strike came sideways, the wall worked as a ramp that nudged the strike just slightly out of the way, allowing Qin Yun to duck underneath. Then, with another step, a new spike rose from the ground, skewering the creature in the chest just as it fell.

This was far from enough to slay it, as once it began to trash around, the many dust spikes hindering it merely broke down, returning to dust, but they carved away at its flesh, resulting in a massive fog of grey particles spewing from the wound only to have Qin Yun absorb it all.

Qin Yun smiled, for from the very beginning, he had only seen this mindless creature as sustenance for his cultivation.

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