146 - Speaking Nothing But the Truth

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Despite the amiable words that had been spoken, Qin Yun didn't relax a bit, for the pressure emitting from the old man's body hadn't diminished in any way. It wasn't the strong coercion of qi waves striking his body like when he met a cultivator approaching the peak of the Soul Formation realm, someone like the master of Jin City, Sun Yang. It felt more like space itself bent to the old man's every whim, like his presence alone was enough to distort reality itself.

This old man’s not to be trifled with, Qin Yun thought as he swallowed with difficulty. Despite his outward apathy, he could barely stop his body from shivering out of instinctual fear.

He has long broken the bounds of the Soul Formation Realm. I wonder how far along the transformation he is...

The Soul Formation realm was meant to integrate one's complete domain into one's soul. Once achieved, a cultivator would reach the first transformation, allowing his strength to bloom to greater heights while strengthening his connection to the Heavenly Dao even further. However, this old man had achieved this spectacular act with strength alone. He had broken the bounds of his own mortality.

I wonder how old he truly is...

“You've come a long way, stranger," the old man said as he stepped away from a nearby tree, yet all that the three of them saw was reality warp from a single one of his steps as he stopped right next to Ressa, who was still bound to a tree.

With but a touch of a finger, the chain keeping her in place snapped and fell to the ground with a clang. Neither Qin Yun nor Kerak thought about opposing the old man, for they knew they couldn't. Qin Yun didn't even know if he could guarantee his life should the old man prove hostile, yet he spoke with confidence.

“I didn’t come here by choice,” he said. “But, I need your help, and I can pay the price. I’ve already shown you my sincerity.”

"That you did," the old man said as he looked down at Ressa, but fortunately, despite being bound to the tree, she didn't show any external wounds. All she had was frustration as she looked toward Kerak.

"The tribe trusted you with our whereabouts, and this is how you repay us?" the old man said, addressing Kerak, yet there was nothing but disappointment in his eyes.

Kerak felt his body rooted in place, unable to move. All he could do was utter, “Elder, I...” but the rest was stuck in his throat, unable to be verbalized. Despite having a good reason for his actions, his shame knew no bounds, for he had betrayed their trust. He had known all along this reckoning would come.

The old man made a palm before slamming the air that separated him from Kerak. A wave of compressed wind struck Kerak's body so fast that he couldn't even protect himself. All he could do was tighten his body, hoping the impact wouldn't be enough to kill him.

The pressure struck him square in the chest, lifting him off his feet as he was barrelled backwards until his back crashed into a giant tree, toppling it. Qin Yun had seen a mouthful of blood being ejected from Kerak’s mouth at the moment of impact, yet this wouldn’t be enough to permanently hurt him, for the Outsiders were known for their resilience and their immense vitality, allowing him to heal most wounds in a matter of hours. Kerak’s wound wouldn’t be any different. As such, Qin Yun had no intentions to help, and this caught the old man’s eyes as Qin Yun had remained much too calm.

“Let this be a lesson, Young Kerak. The tribe's laws aren't meant to be broken lightly," the old man said before turning to face Qin Yun. "As for you, you made him bring you here, yet you show no trace of concern for him. I must say, as expected of those vile Avaads. You think of our kind as something you can use then dispose of."

The old man paused, looking Qin Yun straight in the eyes. The pressure he exerted on his surroundings only continued to mount, and despite standing up becoming harder, Qin Yun showed no signs of weakness, yet the old man wasn't done.

“Kerak isn’t the type to ignore our laws without cause,” the old man added. “I wonder, how did you do it? I wouldn’t put it past one of those Avaads to be responsible for what happened to his clan.”

“Is this your kind’s concept of negotiations? If so, I’m not impressed,” Qin Yun scoffed, which prompted the old man to show but the slightest hint of emotion.

The pressure on Qin Yun's body suddenly doubled, almost forcing him to take a knee, yet he resisted with all his might. He couldn't hide his struggle anymore, as his teeth were clenched against each other, and his muscles shivered under the strain. Yet he remained upright, to Ressa's surprise, as she watched the events, hoping for Qin Yun to get what was coming to him.

On the other hand, the old man only showed a hint of interest, for he could see there wasn’t a single ounce of qi flowing through Qin Yun’s body, yet he could still fight through his pressure, something that no Avaads had done before, even those at the Soul Formation realm.

Still, it would only be correct to say that none of those who had reached that stage would be foolish enough to delve so far out from the continent's core where they received their strength. This was a land that cultivators had no claim over, where strength alone was law, yet Qin Yun's strength had simply impressed the old man.

Slowly, the pressure increased as the old man wished to probe Qin Yun’s depths, wanting to know when he would buckle under the pressure. Yet, to his surprise, Qin Yun quickly acclimated to the increase.

Despite the old man's overwhelming strength, his control was found lacking. If one were to be judged by experience alone, Qin Yun was miles ahead of the old man. In fact, probably nobody in this world could compare to him.

By shifting his body ever so slightly, Qin Yun found gaps within the ever-changing waves of pressure. Each time the old man breathed in, a slight negative pressure wave collided with stronger ones. This created an ever-changing field of low and high pressure, whereas by finding those low-pressure waves, Qin Yun could calculate the best way to position his body to distribute the force evenly. It was by no means simple, but as he could barely move, Qin Yun only needed to concentrate on this, which allowed him to resist much longer, even as the pressure increased.

However, even that had its limits.

All his muscles were tensed to their breaking point. They were almost about to snap. He could feel his blood boil inside his veins, and without the help of his qi to keep them steady, they might burst. As such, Qin Yun had no choice but to take drastic measures.

Once again, his vitality was converted into qi. This procedure was akin to self-harm. It shaved a few months of his life for just a pocket of qi, yet this qi was like an oasis in a harsh desert. It was indispensable.

By making those few strands of qi rotate around his lotus, Qin Yun could bring it to life. The golden characters on the bulb’s surface began to shine, bathing his qi centre in a golden light with a trace of grey lost within.

This light spread throughout his body, fighting back against the ever-encroaching pressure. The golden characters were then imprinted onto his skin and reflected into his eyes. His whole body shone with a golden light as lightning arced on his skin.

This phenomenon lasted for but an instant before disappearing with a whimper when the small amount of qi he possessed was exhausted, yet it had the intended effect. The old man was taken aback by the change, prompting a flaw to appear in his pressure, allowing Qin Yun to retrieve his black sword from storage.

With his sword in hand, Qin Yun could have fled, but he didn't, for he didn't want this trip to have been in vain. He still hoped, maybe foolishly, that these people could be reasoned with.

“Must it come down to this?” Qin Yun asked, holding tight to his sword.

“Of course it does," the old man said in a voice devoid of all emotions. "Our people have been persecuted by yours for who knows how long. You've come into our lands, killed our men, enslaved our women and children, and now you expect us to forget about it all? This grudge isn't that easy to resolve. In the first place, if you wanted us to hear you out, you should kneel and announce your guilt."

Ressa looked upon Qin Yun with a sneer. She couldn't wait to see an Avaad being brought to his knee and beg for mercy. Her heart was elated at the mere thought. However, Qin Yun wouldn't be bullied that easily.

"Why should I?" he spat, sporting a mocking expression. "Why should the actions of others have anything to do with me? If you wish to speak of guilt, what about yours? Wars are a common occurrence throughout this continent. Which nation hasn't had its citizens butchered by another? And yet, you people are the only ones with the gall to retaliate by seeking the world's destruction. What about all the innocent women and children who will have to die to fulfill your perverse need to be seen as the victims? Have some shame!"

For the first time, the old man exploded into anger. Qin Yun felt the old man's strength grow stronger. His once slim and somewhat feeble muscles bulged to at least twice their size as grey characters appeared temporarily on his bronze skin, just long enough for the man to launch a single finger strike toward Qin Yun.

Qin Yun's expression darkened, and his eyes narrowed, yet he didn't avert his gaze. He faced this maelstrom of physical force head-on. The image of that finger strike flew through the air, accompanied by such an intense pressing that space itself broke as it passed yet restored itself soon after.

Qin Yun's eyes were drawn to those ripples, as he could feel a strange power woven directly into the very fabric of this dimension that kept this wave of power in check, even decreasing its strength the further it travelled. Still, it wasn't nearly enough for Qin Yun to contend against this strike. The only thing he could do to survive was to use his indestructible black sword as a shield, which was precisely what he did.

Once the finger strike reached the black sword's edge, it was cut in two right in the middle. With one hand held tight around the handle and the other pushing against the back of the blade, Qin Yun stood his ground despite the strain on his muscles as they screamed for release. They incessantly ruptured, only to be repaired almost immediately by the swarm of nanomachines rushing throughout his body.

This hurricane lasted but an instant, yet to Qin Yun, it seemed like an eternity. Countless cuts appeared on his skin, drenching his clothes in blood, only to be healed. Yet the wind picked up this blood, creating a red gale that flew past Qin Yun and into the jungle.

It was a macabre experience for all those involved, so much so that Kerak feared the worst, thinking that Qin Yun had perished in a red mist. Yet, he couldn't help but be stunned when the wind receded, and he saw Qin Yun standing in the same place, feet anchored to the ground, holding his black sword in front of him. He looked ghastly, yet he was still alive.

“The truth hurts, doesn’t it?” Qin Yun said with a slight smile.

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