PtM 18 - Chapter 32: Returning to Yin and Yang

1/2 long chapters this week. As for this chapter... well... there is as discord server to let out your feelings.

https://discord.gg/5QbaGSd 

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Hot desert sands swept across a lone desert path that ran from south to north, from west to east. The path was a blade. It cut the desert into hot and cold areas and maintained a tenuous balance between these two opposites.

On each side was an endless stretch of liquified sand, and beneath that sand lived countless oceanic creatures. There were schools of fish and sharks and whales of every element. There were manta rays and eels, and even sirens if one was unfortunate enough to encounter them.

Some of these creatures were vicious and territorial and were therefore quite offended when they saw a lone fox walking down the path without so much as an offering.

One of these demons was a rank-fourteen monstrous demon of the Yin Blade Shark lineage. The creatures of the yin half of the desert gave it a wide berth as it flew through sand at lightning speed, pounced… and saw its surroundings expand infinitely as crystalline walls began to shape around it. Its connection to the desert was cut off, and it could only wail in anger as the fox put away the spatial fishbowl he’d just captured it in.

“Nice!” Huxian said, licking his lips. “A rank-fourteen yin blade shark. And big enough to last us three whole days. I wonder what else I’ll catch today.” There were hundreds of similar creatures stowed away in his tail space, but Huxian was never one to pass on any food offered to him. “Maybe I could make a yin-yang soup? Or a hot and cold dish? Hm… yin blade sharks have a metallic taste. Maybe pan searing would be better.”

The curious monstrous demons of the desert trembled when they heard these words and gave the fox a wide berth. But he didn’t mind. It was only a matter of time before another ignorant demon found him.

Thirty days had passed since the battle in the Santana Desert. Wu’s territory was now completely converted, and upgrades to the eight territories were well underway. A faint demonic will was accumulating in each territory, and once it reached a critical threshold, it would transform his friends and facilitate their breakthrough into the saint realm.

But Huxian knew there wasn’t much time remaining. A world-ending disaster was quickly approaching, and he’d yet to find a territory to call his own.

Lei Jiang also needs a bloodline upgrade, thought Huxian. Otherwise, he won’t be able to advance, even to sainthood. Fortunately, it was possible to kill two birds with one stone. It was all about location, location, location.

Huxian’s location of choice was central and convenient. It had everything he wanted, including a cozy administrative position that didn’t require much involvement and neighbored the territories of all eight of his friends.

The Ba Desert Sea was well-suited to him. A portion of it fused with Huxian the deeper into the desert he went.

The Fusion Realm was a mystical realm for royal demons. It brought back together what was intentionally separated and returned a demon to his roots. The next step, what demons called the saint realm, would involve permanently fusing with a territory.

Huxian was no longer a Godbeast, but he had many advantages that eased the fusion process. The first advantage was his Eight Directions Emperor bloodline, one of the strongest imperial bloodlines demons had to offer.

The second advantage was his connection to eight other powerful demons, each of which occupied a portion of the Bagua. The Bagua stemmed from yin and yang and could therefore reinforce it if need be. Likewise, the eight directions could restrain yin and yang. It was why his opponent, the Ba Serpent, did not have the guts to face him directly.

“But he will,” muttered Huxian. “He has no choice. Once I take the desert, he’ll be finished.”

Huxian was on a deadline, but hurrying wouldn’t help anyone. He walked all day and all night, casually picking up ingredients and occasionally cooking them. The sky was changing in the distance, a trend that boded well for his conquest.

It took a week to reach an oasis at the center of the desert. Its waters were black on one side and white on the other.

At this point, Huxian was quite thirsty, but he did not approach the oasis. “I could smell you from a mile away, you overgrown snake,” said Huxian. “Why don’t you save us both some time and show yourself?”

Minutes of silence ensued, interrupted only by the increasingly harsh winds that swept the desert from south to north, and from west to east. Then a sigh rang out as the oasis blinked, and a massive serpent measuring a thousand kilometers emerged from the desert sands.

Huxian jumped into the air and crafted himself a spatial platform with which to watch the process. The Ba Serpent was a sight to behold with his glistening blue scales that shone with a black-and-white luster Huxian hadn’t noticed during their last meeting.

“You don’t know what’s good for you,” said the Ba Serpent in a cold, hissing voice. Every word was infused with a will that was difficult to resist for a demon of Huxian’s caliber. “I saw through your trickery before you even began and have long since made my preparations to devour you as fuel for my ascension.”

“It’s too bad I came early,” said Huxian.

The Ba Serpent’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing major, really,” said Huxian. “You planned on me showing up a few months later, did you not? By then, ten thousand years of effort would have paid off. You’d be a third-level-saint demon, and devouring me would be a piece of cake.”

“So what if you know?” said the Ba Serpent. “It won’t save you, and it won’t save your friends. Coming here was the last mistake you’ll ever make.” It opened its mouth to reveal glistening fangs. “Any last words, little fox?”

“Sure,” said Huxian. “I happen to need a pet with your skill set. Submit, and I’ll let you live.”

“You’re courting death,” the serpent said with an angry hiss. The desert seas of yin and yang rippled as the Ba Serpent pulled most of its will back into its massive body. “No matter how powerful you’ve grown, no matter how strong your eight friends have become, they are no match for a saint demon of the second level.”

Huxian suddenly felt a cold tingle at the back of his neck. He summoned a wall of space, then teleported fifty kilometers away for good measure. Yin and yang sands crashed off his spatial shielding and threatened to break it apart—and that was only the aftershocks of the Ba Serpent’s attack.

He’s fast, Huxian though. Nearly as fast as I remember. Was he not using his full strength in my future memory? He tried to teleport once more but found himself unable to. Local space-time collapsed as the Ba Serpent coiled around his location using the desert sands as a medium.

Eight tail phantoms appeared behind Huxian as he activated his Demon Dao Projection and stabilized the shattered void. Then with one hand, he traced a portal, and with the other he created a beautiful forest of spatial glass needles. They shattered as the Ba Serpent bit down on them, handing the serpent a mouthful of pain that caused him to hesitate just long enough for Huxian to escape.

The situation quickly devolved into a game of cat and mouse. Huxian’s tricks proved useless in wounding the serpent, but the serpent was unable to catch up to the wily fox.

“I expected better from Hushao’s get,” said the Ba Serpent in a mocking tone. “Is this the bearing of a fox clan royal? Did you toss your dignity under the rug for this battle, or did you never have any in the first place?”

“I’m a fox,” said Huxian. “And you’re a snake. Don’t insinuate we’re anything other than tricky.”

“Coward,” said the Ba Serpent. “It’s no wonder Hushao never passed you his inheritance.”

The comment stung Huxian, but he kept his composure. He’d known ahead of time that there were no secrets a Ba Serpent couldn’t see through. They were immune to illusions and could see into the past as well as the present.

Every dodge, every feint, and every artifact he used would be predicted by the serpent. This was therefore a cold, calculated chess match against a supercomputer. Except the supercomputer was also a bodybuilder that had endless energy reserves.

“Am I the coward or are you?” Huxian asked Ba Serpent. “You’re afraid of fighting me head on. Is bloodline suppression that relevant given the disparity between our cultivations?”

“You’re trying to instigate me,” said the Ba Serpent. “Well, it won’t work. You can’t escape this place, and soon, your energy stores will be exhausted.”

He’s unreasonably cautious and crafty, Huxian thought. Just like I remember. He popped a mouthful of top-grade demon crystals and transcendent crystals into his mouth to replenish his energy. “Is that all you’ve got?”

No sooner had he spoken did the Ba Serpent bite down on his location at twice the usual speed. A spatial prison appeared around Huxian, cutting off all avenues of escape. Fortunately, Huxian had expected this, and had previously erected a sphere of defensive spatial energy.

“Did your mother ever tell you lying was bad?” Huxian asked as the Ba Serpent bit down on the sphere.

“My mother taught me all the best tricks,” the Ba Serpent replied. “Lying, cheating, and stealing were just the basics.” A powerful devouring force enveloped Huxian and started draining away the energy within the shield. A portion of that bypassed his shielding and began to directly drain his energy.

Transforming now won’t be useful, and I don’t have any tools that can resist the Ba Serpent, thought Huxian. I could consume some immortal crystals, but that will have nasty side effects.

Which meant he only had one way out of this terrible situation. He’d rather not use this card, since he was trying to be independent, but living was more important.

Clear crystalline energy poured into Huxian’s palms through his bond with Cha Ming. Is everything all right? came Cha Ming’s voice.

Everything’s fine, said Huxian. I need to break out of confinement and stall for time.

I’m cultivating at rest right now, Cha Ming said. Take what you need.

“Great,” Huxian muttered. “Just awesome.” He was going to feel really bad by the end of this battle.

Since he’d gotten permission to use as much as he wanted, Huxian didn’t hesitate. The clear energy on his hands crept up his arm and onto his torso. It fused with his demonic battle robes, his clawed hands and feet, and his tails. A crystal crown also formed on Huxian’s head.

When did Cha Ming’s eyesight get so good? thought Huxian as he observed the devouring field leeching his energy. The rate of leeching had greatly slowed, because the Clearmist protecting him was the bane of all energies, all matter, all life, and apparently, all law.

“Eat sand,” Huxian said, then lashed out with a clawed hand. The Ba Serpent’s spatial confinement shattered, and a wave of terrifying energy continued toward the Ba Serpent.

He immediately threw himself at the Ba Serpent’s large head. Eight crystalline tails whipped about and attacked with Dao energy. The Ba Serpent pulled back, but not before Huxian destroyed two out of eight of its eyes.

“You’ll regret this!” cried the Ba Serpent. He pounced at Huxian once again, forcing the fox to erect shielding made of fused Clearmist and spatial glass. Yet to his surprise, the Ba Serpent dove back into the Ba Desert Sea, sending rippling waves of yin and yang in all directions to cover his tracks.

“You’ll be back,” said Huxian in a smug voice. “It should be about time now.”

The sky was changing in the distance, and the changes were closing in on this central location. The northern sky shone with a heavenly light, while the southern sky reeked of hellish judgment. The sky to the west burned while the sky to the east was pouring rain. Swamp, mountain, wind, and lightning filled in the gaps. These eight skies formed a shrinking cage of demonic energy backed by eight saint-level dungeon cores.

“You hateful fox!” said the Ba Serpent as he reemerged. “You dare bring outsiders in a battle for supremacy? You dare rely on a human over half a world away?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Huxian asked.

“Nothing,” said the serpent. “But you should watch who you make friends with. They might have powerful enemies.”

Huxian frowned as the Ba Desert Sea imposed another seal on the area. He tried to pierce through using his own spatial prowess and the might of his bond with Cha Ming, only to discover that another force had come to meddle.

“What did she promise you, Ba Serpent?” said Huxian. “Immunity? Freedom?”

“She promised me nothing!” hissed the Ba Serpent. “But once I’m done with you, taking command of all eight dungeon cores won’t take much effort.”

“Hm…” Huxian’s suspicions deepened. It was natural for the Ba Serpent to know about the dungeon cores, but taking them over was a different story. He would never be able to take over all eight. Unless… “I see now. There’s a ninth dungeon core at the center of the Ba Desert Sea. A saint-level dungeon core.”

“How else would the desert’s sealing formation last so long?” mocked the Ba Serpent. “Now what will it be? Will you be facing me in honorable combat, or will you do the default and run for your pitiful life?”

Huxian fell deep in thought. He must have thought this through long ago. He saw the grudge between Cha Ming and the Inkwell Plane and knew that I wouldn’t have much outside assistance. And since he controls the desert, I can’t easily leave unless we dispel this prison. But if we do that, we’ll be at his mercy. He’ll be able to ambush us repeatedly as we retreat.

“Well played, Ba Serpent. Well played,” said Huxian. “Since it’s like this, it seems I have no choice. What are your demands?”

“Half your blood essence,” said the Ba Serpent. “Half of everyone’s blood essence. You will also relinquish your dungeon cores.”

Huxian nodded. “How about this as counteroffer: eat sand!” He immediately activated his fusion transformation. It only took an instant for him to become an eight-tailed fox that was a full seven hundred kilometers long and covered in plates of black-and-white armor. His eight tails merged with the sky in the eight directions, providing a direct infusion of saint-level energy that increased his size to a total of 2,100 kilometers.

“You’d risk it all on an off chance?” said the Ba Serpent. “I’ve seen how this plays out. Your chances of succeeding on a one-on-one battle is less than thirty percent.”

“Are you done?” said Huxian.

The Ba Serpent couldn’t possibly know that Huxian already knew this. But the difference was that Huxian knew his alternatives. He didn’t take this risk, his chances of survival were zilch.

“Thirty percent is thirty percent. I don’t think those are bad odds for taking on a mighty Ba Serpent. The question is, are you will to fight me, when your chances of death are as much as thirty percent?”

Space shattered as two terrifying existences put away their inhibitions and engaged in a primal battle. Devouring fought devouring and space fought space as a battle so old only a handful of beings in the universe remembered it reenacting itself.

Oceans of blood poured out of their colossal bodies, only to get whipped back up into either body via their respective devouring fields. Meanwhile, eight demons watched with unprecedented seriousness, unable to do anything save maintain the flow of energy into Huxian’s eight tails.

***

“I know he said we had no choice, but was that really the case?” said Gua with clenched fists. “We could have gone to the Demon Lands and plundered for a bit. We could have flown out into space.”

Miyue shook her head. “That would have worked if we had another thousand years. Huxian only has a hundred years of life left—that’s much too short for a demon to grow.”

A battle of their level could end in an instant, but it could also continue for days given certain conditions. Battles involving the law of devouring tended to run on the longer side. Hours passed, and neither side was able to cinch a victory.

“Is that…” said Wu.

“It is,” said Jadefall. “He’s contesting the desert and fighting for ownership of the dungeon core.”

“That’s risky,” said Wu. “Riskier than a head-on collision. If he succeeds, he’ll be able to crush that snake, but if he fails, he’ll be hurt to the point that he won’t be able to retreat.”

“We need to trust him,” said Silverwing. “Just like we always have.”

“Trust,” confirmed Mr. Mountain.

“Trust!” said Lei Jiang, raising his small fist.

Gua shrugged. “I personally don’t have any doubts. That serpent’s too ugly to win. Wagers, anyone?” He glared at the skies directly above the desert. “How about you guys? Are you enjoying the show?”

Several strands of will had made their way over to the battlefield and were watching it with rapt attention. One of them was the will of the world, which was constantly meddling and making things difficult for Huxian. The others belonged to great figures in Mendin, like the two pontiffs and several reclusive demons, Daoists, and demigods.

It was becoming obvious that the battle here would have great repercussions for the Mendin sub-continent. And because of the interference of the will of the world, the many forces were on the fence about whether or not they should act.

“Don’t hold out any hopes,” said Miyue. “Those old fogies are cowards. They know exactly what Melody is up to, but they’re too scared to face her.”

“At least they’re better than that snake,” said Gua. “Sort of. Maybe?”

Gua’s taunting skills had been refined and tempered for an entire lifetime, so it wasn’t long before one hesitant strand of will firmed its resolve and attacked the will of the world.

“You dare provoke the will of the world so openly?!” the Ba Serpent hissed. “You’re just a fool holding on to a naïve hope. There is no saving this continent, and you may as well run while you still have a chance.”

Unfortunately for the serpent, his comments opened the floodgates. Many mysterious experts joined in to tangle with the will of the world, and even the pontiffs of Mendin made a move in Huxian’s favor. The Collegium did as well.

“There they are,” hissed the serpent. “Those variables. Those damned variables.”

“It’s not too late to submit,” said Huxian, biting down on the creature’s neck. “Mmm, snake blood!”

“Never!” said the serpent. “Wait, you’re not going to attack? No, how is this possible? How could you possibly be gaining enlightenment so quickly?”

Inside the dungeon core at the heart of the Ba Desert Sea, Huxian and the Ba Serpent were fighting a completely different battle. It was a battle of laws and dominion and compatibility. It was a battle of demonic will of unprecedented proportions.

Huxian had been on the losing end at first, and it didn’t help that the will of the world was meddling. But now that the wills of various experts had joined in, he began to make frightening progress.

Yin and yang, thought Huxian. I sought the Dao through space, as space and time are difficult to accommodate in a single body, but now I realize I was mistaken. My body is strong enough. I dohave the foundation to succeed where my ancestor failed.

Space and time were two sides of the same coin. By deducing one side, it was possible to deduce the other. All one needed was a catalyst.

My innate yin and yang nature lets me simultaneously hold two elements, thought Huxian. Moreover, the alignment of my eight friends both restrains and supports yin and yang, space and time. But what can I use to bridge the laws? I need a starting point. An opening.

He found what he was looking for in the depths of his blood. Two marks floated silently in his bloodstream—one represented the Void Phoenix, and the other the Candle Dragon. These were none other than the two inheritances he’d forgotten about: Time-Torching Eyes and Moon-Eclipsing Wings.

The two inheritances had long since merged with his bloodline and had remained dormant until now. But thanks to the presence of a suitable dungeon, these marks had reemerged.

Huxian’s bloodline began to transform, and his Demon Dao Projection shifted to match it.

“You can’t possibly be this compatible with the core,” exclaimed the Ba Serpent. “Wait! Is that a dragon’s influence? Is that a phoenix’s influence?”

The Ba Serpent was nearly omniscient on this plane, but that didn’t mean he was prophetic. Time laws were the natural bane of its talents, and thanks to the changes in his bloodline, Huxian was able to accelerate time for himself a thousandfold.

Thanks to this, he was able to completely mirror his spatial laws with an equivalent time law. This increased compatibility caused the dungeon core to naturally prefer him in the contest for ownership.

Unfortunately, there was a downside: Cha Ming and Huxian only had a hundred years left. If he continued in this way, both him and Cha Ming’s life span would be run through.

But he had a solution for this. It came in the form of the third gift Patriarch Heartforge had given him, a blade of sand that could sever any bond.

I’m sorry, Huxian said through their bond.

Huxian, what are you doing? came Cha Ming’s alarmed voice. Stop it. Stop it now!

Some things were never meant to be, said Huxian sadly. My tribulation is too powerful for you to overcome, and it’s the same for me and your tribulation.

You don’t have to do this, said Cha Ming. We can get through this together. Like we always do.

I’m sorry, said Huxian. Not this time. Take care, Cha Ming.

Memories flitted through Huxian’s mind. They went back to the beginning when he was a helpless pup and had first met Cha Ming. They’d been separated and punished, had gotten back together again and fallen in love alongside each other. They had come a long way together, but now, it was time to split up again.

Don’t take too many risks, Huxian said as he plucked up a golden thread. Eat good food. Drink with friends. Tea is just as wonderful as coffee if you make a hobby of it. Also, don’t underestimate your tribulation. There are beings out there that are frightened of the eighty-first painter. They might not be able to squash you directly, but tampering with judgment and fate isn’t out of the question.

Huxian, no! shouted Cha Ming as Huxian decisively cut down on the golden thread connecting them. The golden contract binding them tore apart, and their bond of equals dissolved. Their karma became untangled, and most importantly, their life span split into two equal portions.

What just happened? came Silverwing’s voice. I felt a severing.

Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Huxian replied sadly. I’ll explain it to you once we’re done.

He then set his sights on comprehending temporal laws. Time continued to pass at a greatly accelerated rate, draining ten, twenty, then thirty years from his life span in only a few minutes. This continued until he only had five years remaining.

“Submit,” Huxian said to the Ba Serpent. “I’ve almost completely subdued the dungeon core.”

“Never!” said the Ba Serpent. “You think I’m blind? Your time is almost up! Even if you do survive, five years is too short. You’ll never ascend before you exhaust your life span.”

“The offer’s only on the table until I finish this conquest,” said Huxian. “Then I’ll eat you and take what I need regardless of your willingness.”

Soon, only a year of life span remained, and an unprecedented depth appeared in his eyes as time returned to normal. It wasn’t just his laws and bloodline that had evolved—he’d completely fused with the dungeon core at the center of the desert and used it to enter the saint realm.

In the outside world, the Ba Serpent shrieked. “You maniac! You suicidal maniac!”

Huxian’s expression did not change. “Will you yield?”

The Ba Serpent shivered, then nodded. Its life was most important, after all.

A brand appeared on the Ba Serpent’s forehead, marking him as Huxian’s follower, and with this act, the last remnants of resistance in the Ba Desert Sea subsided. Yin and yang now flowed according to Huxian’s wishes. The sea was a part of Huxian, and he was a part of it.

“Recover quietly in my tail space,” Huxian commanded the Ba Serpent. “I’ll be requiring your services momentarily.”

“As you command, master,” said the Ba Serpent. His gigantic body shrank down until he was the size of a garden snake, then slithered into Huxian’s personal space.

Huxian took the dungeon core he’d just taken over in his hand. It was black and white and controlled all eight other cores. And since all nine were now owned by connected individuals, a few new functions became unlocked.

“I realize all of you are nervous,” Huxian said. “You’re all seniors at the peak of your path but have been restrained by the will of this world and forced to remain in such a small place. This world is your cage, and you have been reduced to food. No longer.”

He threw the yin-yang dungeon core up into the air, and the sky turned half white, half black. It joined with the other eight colors of the sky, forming a perfect Bagua. “Begone, will of this world. I banish you!” The was a screeching noise as a black mist, unable to endure their combined will, retreated.

“Eight Trigrams: Solidify!” A wave of space-time energy shot through the void beneath the ancient sacred deserts. It swept up void debris and fixed tears in space. It remedied tens of thousands of years of purposeful damage.

But this alone was far from enough. His friends had yet to break through to sainthood, and they desperately needed a lot of strength very quickly. Which was why his next command was just as necessary.

“Eight directions,” Huxian said in a solemn voice. “Expand!”

***

A sudden and heart-wrenching pain woke Cha Ming from his meditation, disrupting his thoughts and undoing several days’ worth of cultivation. He sat there, dazed, as mortal planes broke away from his inner world.

The regalia he’d painstakingly built over the course of three months teetered on the edge of collapse. But Cha Ming didn’t have the heart to think about them. The only thing on his mind was his brother and their severed bond.

“Huxian…” Cha Ming whispered. He reached out and confirmed that their bond no longer existed. His brother was gone. He’d cut their connection. The last Cha Ming had seen of him was the end of a world-shaking battle in the Ba Desert Sea. He had no idea what the result was, or if his brother was even still alive.

“I’ve got them, Master,” said Luther, catching several of the broken-off worlds and pulling them back into orbit. “No need to worry about the state of your inner world when I’m around. Is there something I can get you? Tea, perhaps? Maybe wine?”

Two kittens appeared beside Cha Ming and nudged up against him, and Ninesky appeared on his shoulder, smiling cheerfully.

“I’m fine,” said a red-eyed Cha Ming. Was it something I did? Was it something I said?

“He doesn’t want any of your fake cheer,” said Ninesky. “And he most certainly doesn’t need your cheap wine. Coffee! Sweets! He requires all of these in great quantities.” She then walked over to Cha Ming’s head and knocked him lightly on his skull. “Hello? Are you in there?”

“I said I’m fine,” said Cha Ming. He flicked Ninesky away but immediately regretted it. “Sorry, I overreacted. I’m dealing with something.” He reached out to Coral and scratched his head with a trembling hand.

In and out, thought Cha Ming. It’s just breathing. Yet no matter how he tried, he was unable to get past it.

Seeing as there was no avoiding the matter, Cha Ming gave up on cultivation. He abandoned his incomplete regalia, pulled out the Clear Sky Brush, and began to paint.