Solar Blood Masters (136)

Chapter 136 - The Painting Sage

The platform was a scene of utter chaos. Jagged fissures snaked across its surface, and molten lava bubbled from those cracks. Splintered bamboo stalks lay scattered with scorched and brittle jade-green leaves.

Large, gaping wounds marred Lord Lingshi’s shell, and a significant portion of his bamboo grove was damaged beyond repair. Debris, bones, and splattered blood painted a gruesome tableau of a battle fought.

Lord Lingshi wheezed as he stared at the creature who’d brought ruin to his peaceful haven.

“Hmph! Greedy turtle, this confrontation could have been avoided if you had just handed over those Liu Fuuyi peacefully. But you craved bloodshed, and that is what you get.”

Pam Long stood before him, radiating an aura of smug triumph. He casually plucked several ink-stained arrows from various parts of his hide.

He winced, "Damn, those ink arrows are annoying, even for someone like me.”

He then yanked another arrow from his rear end with a grunt, "And your aim is terrible, turtle. My ass will be bruised for weeks.”

Lord Lingshi took several steps backward. His ancient eyes narrowed as he observed the Devil Horn Rhino approaching.

“What? Giving up already, old timer?” Pam Long chuckled.

But Lingshi wasn’t retreating out of fear of him.

His gaze shifted to the figure standing behind Pam Long. This creature, tall and imposing, was shrouded in a dark, flowing robe. A menacing skull mask obscured its face, and behind its back, dozens of bone hands were neatly folded, forming a grotesque halo.

"You’re forgetting… MY companion." Pam Long gestured toward the shrouded figure with a hint of pride in his voice. "He's far more eager to paint those platform floors with your blood than I am.”

“Carpus Maximos, your entrance was a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

Hearing his name, Carpus Maximos stepped forward. He towered over Lingshi, his gaze was cold, calculating, and those bony fingers, they twitched as he spoke.

"You pathetic, ancient turtle. Your time is over. The Undying Valley shall claim victory in this Great Divine Tribulation. And YOU… you will be our stepping stone to glory!”

With a snap of his skeletal fingers, he activated his technique!

The hundreds of bone arms at his rear unfurled with a dreadful symphony of cracks and pops, it was as if a monstrous flower was blooming. Their palms glowed with an ominous purple light, and then, all across the platform…

…summoning gates appeared!

They were a horrifying sight to behold, a nightmare given form. Each gate was a swirling vortex of black mist and bone fragments. Their edges had necrotic energy, and within those depths…

“Arise, my legions! FEAST!”

…horrifying creatures, constructed from bone and animated by a potent, purple energy, emerged!

Skeletal warriors with swords and shields.

Massive bone spiders.

And flying above, monstrous bone vultures with wings that spanned several meters.

It was an army of the dead!

"Those summons…” Lingshi cursed as he watched the bone creatures advance towards him.

He knew Carpus Maximos was trouble, he’d heard of his prowess, but witnessing this firsthand… It was a chilling reminder of this necromancer’s true might.

‘His summons… they are the reason he's so troublesome. This ability allows him to share his 8th Layer Nightmare Calamity cultivation level with every single one of his bone creatures. Hmmm, this technique is similar to Anakin Vader's, but on a smaller scale. While Carpus Maximos can only summon a few hundred, Anakin Vader can summon millions! A terrifying thought indeed.’

He then glanced at Pam Long. ‘That rhino… Another spawn of the Undying Valley. He claims to be invincible, and so far… He has proven it, for each time I erase his form with my ‘Nihilistic Stroke’, he simply pops back into existence.’

‘His immortality… It reminds me of that Fairy Queen… What was her name again?’

He was deep in thought, trying to recall a specific chapter from his long lifetime, when Pam Long’s voice interrupted, “Are you thinking about what’s going to be written on your tombstone, turtle? Play time is over. My good man, Carpus Maximos… KILL that TURTLE!”

"With pleasure.” Carpus Maximos grinned, and with a flick of his skeletal hands, unleashed his bone army.

They rushed towards Lingshi like relentless insects! Each creature radiated the potent aura of an 8th Layer Nightmare Calamity.

Lingshi cursed. "Damn! He’s shared his cultivation level with every single one of them! What a dreadful ability!”

He didn't hesitate. He retreated a few more steps, and from his bamboo grove, hundreds of Sagewood Scripts unfurled with a speed that had even those closest bone warriors pausing for they thought this turtle was about to surrender.

“Finally! You’re giving up, huh?”

“Pathetic!”

These insults died as they watch a magnificent display that had the skies above dimming with awe.

“WORLD is my CANVAS!"

A blinding, multicolored light engulfed the platform.

From that light, hundreds of ‘World Canvases’ materialized! Each one was unique, its frame crafted from a variety of materials: bone, jade, wood, even a few shimmered with a ghostly silver. And before each canvas, a paintbrush materialized, each dipped in a different colored ink. It was truly a sight to behold, the ultimate tool of creation.

“Now then… Let the true game… commence!”

Using his ‘mental hands', he grasped the paintbrushes and began to paint.

On one canvas, he painted a massive tidal wave. It crashed down upon a group of skeletal warriors, sweeping them away and crushing them into bone dust.

On another canvas, he painted a whirlwind of razor-sharp bamboo leaves. It tore through the bone vultures, shredding their wings, sending them plummeting toward the lava below.

He painted cages of emerald flames, trapping those massive spiders.

He even painted a few portraits of those bone creatures. But instead of accurate depictions, he added a few flourishes, a few artistic licenses, to amplify their weaknesses.

One skeletal warrior found its sword hand replaced by a delicate flower.

Another found its ribcage replaced with a hollow void.

Their forms flickered in confusion as his imagination became their torment, before dissolving into a mist of bone dust.

Lord Lingshi's 'World Canvases' weren't simply paintings, but rather… extensions of his will. His imagination was a weapon! Each stroke carried the weight of his millennia-long cultivation.

The platform was transformed into his personal battlefield.

He commanded those very laws that governed his canvases, and as such, his opponents' fates were his to control.

And while he painted…

He laughed.

It was a joyous, unrestrained laughter that had the remaining bone creatures trembling, for their master’s fear was their own, a dreadful truth those whose souls were shackled to a necromancer’s will knew all too well.

They were facing a creature whose power defied their master’s grasp, a true Painting Sage.

…

Half an hour later…

Lu Ruby and Hellphet arrived back at their platform with panicked breaths. The sight that greeted them was one of utter devastation. Rubble and shattered bone littered the platform, and splatters of colorful paint stained the ground; a grotesque art piece that even their Emperor wouldn't appreciate.

Amidst this chaos, Lord Lingshi lay sprawled on his back with his massive shell facing the sky and  his legs waving feebly in the air. This was an embarrassing position for a turtle of his stature.

“Let’s HELP him!”

Without a word, Lu Ruby and Hellphet rushed to his side. They heaved and strained, and with a grunt, managed to flip the ancient turtle back onto his feet.

“Master Lingshi! What happened?! Where are our Liu Fuuyi?!” Lu Ruby demanded. Her eyes darted around the platform, but she could only see one lonely Liu Fuuyi still dancing within its crystal tube.

Lingshi wheezed, “Those… those BASTARDS from Undying Valley! They ambushed me while you were gone! They were too STRONG! They… They managed to overpower me and made off with THREE of our tubes! But… I managed to save ONE!” He coughed, blood splattered his shell.

“Those BASTARDS!” Lu Ruby’s scales flared with rage. “They won’t get away with stealing MY PRIZE!”

And before Lingshi could stop her, she dashed off.

“Damn! Princess, WAIT!” But she was already gone.

“Hellphet, go after her! If anything happens to the Princess, Lu Ignis will have our HIDES!”

Hellphet didn't need to be told twice. He flapped his massive wings and soared after Lu Ruby.

…

Lu Ruby slithered through the chaotic sky like a crimson arrow piercing through the endless barrage of lightning strikes. She dodged and weaved with an agility honed through millennia, for even though those bolts were deadly, her anger at those who’d stolen her prize fueled a speed that could shame even the swiftest wind.

A Liu Fuuyi danced before her. It was a prize worth capturing, but she ignored it. She was focused.

Her keen senses were locked onto a specific scent, a repugnant stench that she’d come to loathe.

“There you ARE!”

She spotted her target.

It was Pam Long. He was dashing down a long corridor within a stone shrine, three crystal tubes, each containing a captured Liu Fuuyi, were slung over his massive shoulder.

“You… THIEF!”

Her venomous hiss had Pam Long whirling around just in time to avoid those fangs that would have sunk into his neck, for even though he was invincible. A snake’s venom? It was troublesome.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” He grinned, amused by her pathetic attempt. “A little girl, playing in a dangerous playground. Shouldn’t you be back in your daddy's nest, little snake? Hmmm?”

Lu Ruby’s fury blazed. "GIVE me back MY Liu Fuuyi, rhino! Or I’ll turn your hide into a rug!”

“Yours? Hahaha! Finders keepers, princess! Those Liu Fuuyi… they belong to ME now! I have to get them back to my platform before those lights inside those tubes fade, and they vanish. So… STEP aside, little snake.”

“LIKE HELL I’ll let you GO!”

She lunged. Her tail whipped forward with a speed that cracked the air!

Pam Long, however, was too quick. He leaped over her attack and backflipped, landing gracefully near one of the shrine’s pillars. His precious cargo was secured safely.

“You’re going to have to TRY harder than THAT, princess!”

“DIE!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Lu Ruby attacked relentlessly! Her tail strikes were aimed at those tubes Pam Long so carefully protected. She kept him on the defensive, her movements were a blend of speed, power, and a vengeful wrath that had the very air itself crackling with tension.

He dodged. He weaved. He jumped. He contorted his massive frame in ways that defied his bulk.

But he didn't fight back.

Not yet.

“Is JUMPING around the ONLY thing you can DO, rhino? DIE!” She was growing impatient.

“FIREBALL!”

She spat a massive ball of fire! It hurtled towards him with a terrifying speed.

“SOLAR BOLT!”

Pam Long extended a hand, and a blast of pure Solar Essence, countered her attack with a precision that shattered the flames into a thousand harmless sparks!

“Hahaha! My turn!”

He casually kicked a stone pillar at her!

She caught it with her tail and crushed it into finer pebbles. Then she transformed those very stones into flaming projectiles and blasted them at Pam Long.

“Take THIS!”

He saw the incoming projectiles.

He grinned.

“Hmph. Pathetic.”

Then…

He turned his back.

He positioned those crystal tubes before him, shielding them with his body.

The rocks struck!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

They pierced his hide, tearing through flesh and bone, creating gaping wounds that had her eyes widening in delight!

“YES! I’ve finally HURT you!”

She was about to gloat, but…

“This… is NOTHING, little snake.”

His wounds began to heal before her eyes!

Within seconds, he was unscathed. Not even a single scar remained!

“H… HOW?!” She was stunned! This defiance of logic, the immortality he possessed… It terrified her!

“Since you’re so eager to be smashed… I’ll play with you for a bit!”

He casually placed the crystal tubes near the base of a pillar. Then,

“Blink!”

He vanished.

Lu Ruby looked around. Her tail twitched nervously.

“Where…?”

“BOO!”

A massive form materialized behind her.

“ARGH!”

Pam Long slammed her head into the ground!

BOOM!

And while she was still reeling from the impact,

“SOLAR BOLT! SOLAR BOLT! SOLAR BOLT!”

He unleashed a barrage of energy blasts!

“RED CHARIOT – Grazing Mogul!”

Lu Ruby reacted instantly!

Her chariot appeared beside her, and she activated its defenses.

Multiple red ‘Circular Spell Diagrams’ materialized.

They unleashed a torrent of fire blasts that met Pam Long’s attacks.

“Now’s my chance!”

While he was distracted, Lu Ruby ignored her injuries and slithered towards the three crystal tubes and snatched them!

Then she was gone!

“Damn! This snake…!” Pam Long quickly defeated the chariot's blasts. He glanced down… but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she?!" He scanned the area. He saw her serpentine form weaving through the lightning strikes in the distance.

“Cunning snake, you think you can escape? I’ll be taking back what is MINE!”

And with a blink…

…he vanished.