Zarthos

063 - Deadly Combination

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“As long as we destroy it, victory is ours!”

This cry was heard in the distance. Somehow, it seemed to originate from much too far away compared to the distance that truly sep...

062 - Battle in the Mist

“Are you sure the target is in there?”

Five men wearing black clothes and masks, hiding their features, were quietly hidden within the vegetation near Qin Yun's residence, observing the situation. One of them was perched on a tree overlooking the compound. Using his qi, the man relayed his words so that only his companions could hear them.

"Affirmative! The target is confirmed." the man said as he rushed down the tree, making sure to erase any traces of his presence. In fact, ...

061 - A Pact Sealed

Silence reigned as the two men stared at each other. While based on logic, what Qin Yun had asserted was only his own conjecture. Whether or not Sun Yang truly knew where Feng Xia was located, yet never told his daughter, was unclear. In fact, this seemed almost like a gamble.

Qin Yun could only rely on the fact that most people couldn't resist the allure of Paradise. He hoped to bring that man to his side through this exchange. He only brought this up because Qin Yun wasn't concerned a...

060 - Hidden Intentions

Just as Qin Yun pushed open the doors to the city lord's chambers, he felt a suffocating pressure assault him. His eyes narrowed as he saw a middle-aged man quietly seated on an ordinary wooden chair, slowly sipping a cup of tea.

Contrary to the imposing sight he had witnessed days prior, the man before him looked akin to a middle-aged scholar teaching the neighbourhood kids. While clean and well-adjusted, his clothes were much too ordinary compared to the splendour Qin Yun had witnesse...

059 - Unexpected Encounter

“Here we are,” Sun Yu said, yet Qin Yun noticed a hint of uneasiness in her voice despite trying to hide it before she added, "Are you sure you wish to see my father? Now isn't the best time after all that happened recently. Why don't you come back another time?"

"And live with the thought that you all could keep interfering with my life?" Qin Yun replied, slightly exasperated. "I'd rather not. Let's just finish this so I can return to my wife. This has taken too much of my time alr...

058 - A Small Respite

“Should I take my leave?” Sun Yu asked, her gaze lowered, unwilling to meet Qin Yun’s.

Following their latest altercations, Qin Yun had finally managed to get his point across. The couple now knew not to cross him as he could take their lives whenever he wished.

The sight of Liao Cheng crawling on the floor as his limbs were severed again and again while he was unable to defend himself was seared into Sun Yu’s memory. She couldn’t find the courage to see Qin Yun as an eq...

057 - The Imprint of Destiny

Qin Yun's self-satisfied grin didn't last long, as Liao Cheng never stopped his assault. He pounced on him, his fists laced with murderous intent. Qin Yun's eyes widened as he rose to his feet in a hurry, barely avoiding the strike aimed at his head.

The runes, present on the wall, flashed with effervescence, then quickly dimmed as they expended their energy, dispersing the concentrated force of Liao Cheng’s blow on its whole surface. The walls creaked as they deformed from the impact...

056 - Life as a Gamble

Despite Qin Yun's injury from the dissipating vortex, his fist never stopped rushing forward, ripping through space as it barrelled toward its target. Yet, a peculiar object barred its path. An orb, not larger than an egg, laid nestled between Liao Cheng's fingers.

On its surface, countless white clouds rotated, hiding whatever was concealed beneath. Strong waves of energy pulsed from its depths, making Qin Yun reconsider his actions. Still, it was already too late, as the strike had al...

055 - A Clash of Wills

Qin Yun’s eyes narrowed as he watched an angry Liao Cheng rush toward him, a whirling vortex spinning within the crux of his hand. At least, that was what he expected. Yet, his opponent’s expression seemed to only exude indifference instead of frustration.

Using only the briefest moment before the collision, Qin Yun eyed the swirling mass of energy, attempting to uncover its mysteries. Yet, even for him, it proved much too esoteric to uncover at a glance.

The black mass spun, ...

054 - Rising Tensions

“Why don't you have a seat? We have much to talk about," Qin Yun said, motioning to the wooden chair before him, yet Liao Cheng did not move.

He remained standing in the doorway with a single hand behind his back. He was slowly pooling his Qi into it, forming a dark vortex. His eyes had dilated briefly, only to narrow soon after, becoming the coldest glare Sun Yu had ever seen.

Qin Yun could feel the room's temperature drop from the man's presence alone. It wasn't something phys...

053 - Hidden in Plain Sight

“Senior brother, I’ve returned,” a woman said as her foot landed on the rocky path of a high mountain.

Below her vantage point, she could see a sea of clouds reaching the horizon. Occasionally, they would part from each other, offering a glimpse of the wilderness below. In front of her was a middle-aged man sitting on an elevated stone slab in a lotus position.

He had his eyes closed and seemed to be cultivating. The laws of the world bent and weaved as he breathed in the wo...

052 - Waking Up in a Cozy Jail

Qin Yun's pounding headache slowly subsided, yet it never disappeared, remaining a dull pain. He opened his eyes, yet his sight was blurry; getting his bearings took him a while. Meanwhile, he tried to remember memories that had ingrained themselves into his mind while he was unconscious, yet most were missing. Only some very distinct scenes remained vivid—and fish. He remembered fish, yet he didn't know what they meant.

"Was that a dream or some other reality?" Qin Yun mused out loud...

051 - The Edge of Reality

“Master, are you sure we are going the right way?" a young man asked a woman who looked only slightly older than himself.

The young man wore white robes with trimmed blue edges. Despite his neat appearance, the edges of his robes were frayed and torn. They had travelled for so long that they had lost count of days. The void through which they travelled resembled an abyss that would swallow anything within its depths. Not even time would be spared.

To his side was his master, wea...

050 - Creatures from Beyond

The sky split, and creatures from beyond sought to invade the land, spreading their filth and corruption. While giant grey tentacles held the spatial crack in place, countless deformed limbs of various sizes sought to push their way through the opening. Yet, in their zeal, they remained stuck in the narrow breach.

The sky flickered as if in resistance, and a loud ripping noise echoed in the atmosphere as the tear began to widen from the concentrated forces applied to it. Furthermore, a ...

049 - The Meaning of Slaughter

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Lian Qian screamed at Ma Yongzheng.

While he wanted nothing more than to attack him right then and there, he could still feel the city lord's presence overhead. Lian Qian still remembered his words and couldn't bring himself to disobey him, as he couldn't antagonize two great clans at the same time. All he could do was grit his teeth and let this slide, no matter how unwilling he was.

Lian Huiling rushed to Qin Yun's side, only to find his ma...

048 - The End of Hostilities

All the world raised their gazes as the rain receded, yet they were blinded by this light hovering over them. While it might have seemed like a second sun, Qin Yun could discern that it resembled more of a halo surrounding a figure hidden within the light. Yet, the individual within seemed intangible, as if reality had been blurred, and no one could hope to gaze upon it.

While Qin Yun wasn't entirely sure of the individual's identity, he could infer some hints only by looking at the fac...

047 - A Light to Pierce the Clouds

Lian Qian could scarcely believe what he saw, yet he couldn't deny reality. This was indeed one of the few black tokens that he and his daughter were the only ones allowed to issue. As for which one it was, that was easy to determine. Each black token had a special mark engraved on it that could only be viewed through a special technique, and each mark was different.

Still, if anything, Lian Qian had expected this black token to be Sun Yu's father's token. While sharing black tokens was...

046 - Unexpected Discovery

“Lady Sun Yu, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Lian Qian asked, trying his best to retain a neutral expression.

On the inside, he couldn't help but feel conflicted. Why would the Sun Clan wish to involve themselves in this mess at this juncture? If they wanted to prevent damage to the city, why did she wait until the battle was won to take action? Lian Qian couldn't help but think this had been premeditated on their part to help the Ma Clan, yet he found that ludicrous....

045 - The Storm's Climax

Qin Yun's eyes didn't even have time to narrow as a fierce gale crashed into a shimmering film of light hovering just above the hole he stood in. A giant flag hovered above his head, protecting both him and Lin Huiling from the destructive green waves drowning the world.

“Lian Qian! How dare you stop me from seeking justice for my clan’s junior’s demise?!” Ma Yongzheng howled, his deep voice clearly piercing through the high winds.

"You really should learn to hide your hyp...

044 - The Advent of a Bloody Path

Qin Yun's joy at this unexpected encounter soon faded, replaced by his usual apathy. While he briefly felt alive, the feeling was fleeting, and all that remained was boredom. This victory had been far from difficult to achieve. In fact, Qin Yun regretted ending it so soon.

While killing one’s enemies was the norm in this world, he mostly saw no reason to do so. Besides, he was much too sick of blood. Qin Yun couldn’t help but shake his head at how twisted his thought process was. 2024-07-25 15:04:04 +0000 UTC View Post

043 - A Blaze in a Storm

Seeing the blade quickly speeding toward his neck, Qin Yun let his instincts take over. He raised his hand in a jerking motion, barely meeting the deadly instrument in time, swatting it away at the last second.

Adrenaline rushed to his brain, heightening his senses as he sought to discover his assailant's location. Unfortunately, Qin Yun saw no signs of him; only the endless rain pouring onto him and the hurricane overhead deafened the world. He only just now noticed blood flowing from ...

042 - Rebirth of a Small Flame

Ma Yongzheng's expression was grim, to say the least. He hadn't expected Lian Qian to be so overbearing in his stance. He couldn't help but think that the recent silence of the Lian Clan over the incident with the black token was just a ruse to lure them into a sense of complacency.

Still, Ma Yongzheng couldn't back down from this blatant provocation—at least, not before this audience. After all, he was an elder of the Ma Clan, the brother of the current Patriarch; he represented the ...

041 - The Storm's Second Coming

Qin Yun's eyes narrowed as he watched the incoming palm strike barrelling toward him. With barely any time to think, he did the only thing he could to resist. While he knew it was mostly futile as the strength gap was much too wide for him to overcome through strength alone, he would still try to struggle. At least, he was confident he could survive this strike.

Qin Yun's feet dug into the soft ground as he braced himself for the impact. While most would only passively receive this stri...

040 - To Hold up the Sky

An old man emerged from the sea of soldiers at the foot of Qin Yun's small hill. His white hair was dishevelled, and a thin white goatee covered his face. He wore black and gold sleeveless robes that had seen better days. Yet, Qin Yun was much too astute to believe that old man was simply as he seemed. His aura was suffocating him despite the distance separating them.

Sometimes, the long flow of time leads some cultivators to eccentricities. It seemed this old man was no exception. Stil...

039 - Facing the Aftermath

The pillar of scalding light that rose toward the sky suddenly changed. The white light competing against the sun shifted to different colours as if two entities within were battling for dominion. Qin Yun remained silent as he watched those sights; they filled him with a sense of wonder as well as dread. He knew that light could erase their very existence if it were to engulf them.

On the other hand, Yun Jingfei was agitated. She struggled within Qin Yun’s arms, wishing to rush to Fen...

038 - Incurring Heaven's Wrath

Qin Yun was still mulling over what his new project lacked as dark thunderclouds gathered overhead. A foreboding sense of oppression hung over Jin City as its inhabitants remained indoors, fearfully looking overhead, waiting for the incoming calamity. It had only been less than a month since the last time such a catastrophe occurred. Some couldn't help but wonder if the Heavens had cursed them for their arrogance.

Yun Jingfei frowned, wondering what was the cause of it. Somehow, she had...

037 - Danger Looming Over the Horizon

The sun had just risen on another day when a young man rolled in bed, still weary from last night's events. To his side was a young woman with bright blonde hair, whose skin was exposed to rays of morning light. Only a slight satin sheet covered her forbidden area. She moaned slightly as the man's hand inadvertently grabbed something soft in his drowsiness.

Feeling the presence of another beside him, the man jolted awake as dread filled his mind and sweat poured down his naked body, sli...

036 - The Girl From a Foreign Land

“You want to bring a young, unknown, demonic beast into our home?” Yun Jingfei said, clearly displeased.

Qin Yun knew her doubts, as the conflict between cultivators and demonic beasts had been rampant for as long as this continent existed. For one, demonic beast was only a derogatory term cultivators used out of ignorance or pure malice. Anything they disagreed with would be deemed demonic.

However, these creatures preferred to refer to themselves as Spirits, as what they cul...

035 - Being Exposed by the Light

Qin Yun was intrigued by this new revelation. Causality was such an obscure path that he had never encountered it before. Altering causality would allow one to always choose the best path.

Like in this case, Yun Jingfei's opponent could alter her blade's path by choosing a reality where her blade had missed its target. While such an ability could be world-shattering, it also possessed restrictions. After all, the heavens wouldn't allow someone to mess around and rewrite all of existence...

034 - Bathed in Coloured Light

Qin Yun was in no hurry to go to his wife's rescue. She was no child or damsel in distress; she was more than capable of looking after herself. Of course, Qin Yun wouldn't truly let her come to any harm, but hardships were necessary on the path she had chosen to walk. If he were to shelter her, she might never reach her desired heights. Besides, Qin Yun would regret it if she were to lose the edge she possessed if she were to get too used to peace. A slight hint of danger was required to keep...