Chapter 255: The Unlucky Ones

~~~

The damage done by those in higher realms is not easily fixed.

The phenomenon is not purely an aspect of raw power. A cultivator in the Heaven Realm can grab a normal knife, use normal strength to slice someone’s cheek, and leave behind a normal cut. So long as that person is in the Nascent Realm or below, the cut will not heal. The blood might clot, but the flesh will never mend. The wound will keep opening and bleeding throughout the years.

Mud has seen it happen.

The wounds Bright Sword left on him do not have that degree of permanence, yet Mud still winces with every step he takes. It has already been nearly an hour since he fought Bright Sword, but it is only recently that his legs have healed enough to support his weight. Normally, it’d be unthinkable for someone in the Heaven Realm to remain wounded for this long. Bright Sword’s grasp on his Dao must be profound.

That or he’s not in the Heaven Realm at all.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t another one of the annoyances from the Dead Plains.”

It is the first time Mud sees the Fleshcrafter in person. When they fought in the Dead Plains, the man was always inside his creations. Despite that, Mud has no trouble recognizing him. A Qi like his is unmistakable. Mud knew he was there from the moment he crossed the doorway.

“This spatial realm is quite something. To make so many brilliant flowers cross my path… This Mud feels a little too blessed,” Mud says as he bows his head in greeting.

The Fleshcrafter does not reciprocate the gesture.

“Blessed?” He scoffs. “Say what you truly mean. Providence has abandoned you.”

Mud keeps his face blank. Then he thinks about it a little more and allows himself a weak smile. What point is there in denying the obvious? He cannot possibly hide his wounds from someone as skilled as the Fleshcrafter, nor is he blind to how unfortunate this situation is.

Mud is in no condition to fight someone like him.

“It is as you say,” Mud admits. “This is unfortunate.”

“One would think you would be used to it,” the Fleshcrafter says. “An abomination like you cannot possibly have known fortune. I, however, am a favored son of Heaven. This encounter proves it. I have already killed one of the annoyances from the Dead Plains. You shall be the second one. Truly, I am blessed.”

The smile falls off Mud’s face.

“I beg your pardon. This Mud seems to be having some trouble comprehending your meaning.” He tilts his head. “It almost sounds as if you’re saying-”

“I am saying I already killed the upstart who dared to try to usurp my creations,” the Fleshcrafter cuts him off. “Do not tell me that makes you angry. Why would a Heaven Realm cultivator care about someone not even in the Earth Realm?”

Mud is hundreds of years old. The time he has known Qing Jin is minuscule compared to that. He’s simply a promising junior. In that sense, the Fleshcrafter is not wrong.

And yet…

“I do not believe you are right,” Mud says.

“Denial will not help you.”

“No, you misunderstand this Mud’s words,” he said, raising his Qi. “Beyond a shadow of a doubt, you are the most unfortunate person here. This Mud will guarantee it.”

~~~

The soldier who dies with his neck crushed by Murong Bang is truly unfortunate. Brave, but unfortunate. He only has himself to blame. Had he not been so brave, Murong Bang would have never found him.

As a man in the Emperor Realm, Murong Bang could have easily gotten out of the way the moment he sensed the Storm Dragon’s spatial realm expanding. However, why would he ever do something so boring? He wants He Bin’s still beating heart in his hand, and the only way to get it is by going forward.

Now, if only the coward would bother showing his face.

“He Bin! You spineless son of a diseased sow! At least have the stones to come out and fight!”

Predictably, He Bin does not show up to answer his challenge. In this spatial realm, he cannot possibly hear him, and even if he could, he’d probably run the other way. The only thing Murong Bang can do is rely on that which he has always relied on.

Violence.

Always and without fail, Murong Bang can continuously head to the path that will result in the most violence. His path has served him well multiple times throughout his life, but it falls short under these circumstances. It keeps leading him to those with the courage to face him instead of those who are hiding from him.

The only person who can lead him to He Bin is the Storm Dragon, and that’s another bastard who hasn’t reacted to any of his insults. He’s probably busy having fun with the brat right now. Not that he hasn’t been guilty of the same thing lately.

Weak. Naive. Stupid. There is no denying the brat is all three of those things, but if that was all there was to him, he’d have killed him already.

Murong Bang can see it. All those who met the Black Dragon can see it

He kicks down a door and stops.

He feels it. He senses it. A presence he has never felt before, yet completely unmistakable. Immediately, Murong Bang knows exactly who is inside this room.

He steps into it regardless.

It is a simple room illuminated by a lit fireplace. There is not much furniture, and the only person there is sitting on the floor, their body covered by a simple green cloak.

“So that’s how it is,” Murong Bang says, chuckling. “I get it now. That’s what He Bin’s been playing at all these years. Cheeky little fuck.”

The person rises. The fire goes out. The room is quiet. Not even the wind dares to flow.

“Given your reputation, I find it hard to believe you understand anything at all.”

“You’re not the first person to say that to me. Those people usually die,” Murong Bang says, slowly cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders. His Qi rises as he prepares for a fight. “I might actually have to kill Bright Sword today. A pity.”

“You knew about Bright Sword?”

“He’s been at my side for years. How could I not know?”

“…and you kept him at your side regardless?

“Good help is hard to find,” Murong Bang replies, shrugging. “Should I have killed him for being from the other side of the Dead Plains when one of him is worth more than all my idiots? That’d have been the most idiotic thing of all.”

“I would not know. I have never needed anybody’s help. However, I suppose it will ease your mind to know that Bright Sword does not know of this part, though he might have already sensed me. The Eternal Flame Clan’s actions forced He Bin to escalate accordingly. Quite pathetic of him, really.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“That sounds like him.”

The idea that this person could be lying to him does not once factor in Murong Bang’s mind. Lies are for people who seek to gain something. This person does not seek to gain anything from him.

He grins.

“However, on this one occasion, I am actually grateful to the bastard.”

The aura of an Emperor Realm cultivator expands like a shockwave across the room and even distorts the spatial realm around them.

“Impressive. However, you will die today. You realize that, right?”

Murong Bang bares his fangs and attacks.

~~~

Golden fire dances in an alternate space.

Feng Zhi and Yuan Tao clash with speed and fury. Their battle flows from one room to the next, leaving nothing but cinders in its wake. Eternal Flame is present in such large quantities that it looks like a river of molten gold.

It is brilliant, dazzling, and unspeakably deadly.

If they had an audience, most people would marvel at Feng Zhi’s ability to keep up with Yuan Tao despite the difference in cultivation. Though the battle has raged on for a while, there are no serious wounds on his person. Even if he is the Eternal Flame Clan’s Young Master, that he can fight against someone in the Heaven Realm while being in the Earth Realm is an astonishing feat.

Anyone above the True Realm would be able to tell how hopelessly one-sided the battle truly is.

Feng Zhi and Yuan Tao have exchanged hits multiple times. That much is true. However, Yuan Tao has never once seriously attacked Feng Zhi. Every time Feng Zhi’s flames rush at Yuan Tao, the latter meets them with nearly equal force. Never enough to overwhelm Feng Zhi. Never so little that the clash is equal.