PtM 18 - Chapter 26: Rescue

Two longer chapters this week. Moving went well ^^.

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A week’s time wasn’t enough for Cha Ming to fully recover, but given Serrendil’s situation, he could only rush the process. Fortunately, the Jade Memory Demiplane was helpful to his regeneration and vitality, and greatly increased his inner world’s recovery speed.

Crystal City was one of the largest cities in Slovana barring the capital, Nine God City. At the center of the city lay ten crystalline spires that joined together to form a massive palace.

Each of these spires was etched in silver runes that served to attract faith energy from the many temples and arenas spread in the country. This in turn provided the king of the country with near limitless energy. It would be tough odds to rescue Serrendil from such a place, but Cha Ming couldn’t ignore his friend’s difficult situation.

They took Silverfish’s ship, as it was most suited to stealth and subterfuge. Its hull was black as ink and possessed the powerful ability to merge with the fabric of the Inkwell Plane. Buildings and people bent out of their way, and they managed to successfully slip through a weakness is the palace’s dungeon.

“I sense many powerful cultivators,” Cha Ming said to Silverfish. “And are you sure this is the dungeon? It’s got a sky, hills, and grass. It even has a few villages.”

“Slovana has a long tradition of keeping prisoners,” Silverfish explained. “Attaining a kingship in Slovana is typically done by completing a hundred consecutive matches in the Nine God Arena, then challenging the current king, which is what Cao Wenluan did.”

“Are there any other ways?” asked Cha Ming.

“Conquering an existing kingdom and surviving a certain length of time allows one to bypass the process,” said Silverfish. “The kingdoms also wax and wane through conquest. Either event results in a lot of prisoners. Killing them would be a waste and destabilize the empire, which is why the rules surrounding prisoners are almost as ancient as the empire itself.”

“Is that what Serrendil did?” Cha Ming asked. “Take over someone else’s territory?”

“It is,” Silverfish confirmed. “Her people took over the Unholy Dirge Kingdom and held it for a good decade. She then lost it when Cao Wenluan returned and started conquering one kingdom after another.”

“So it’s a coincidence that he captured her,” said Cha Ming.

“I don’t think anything he does is ever a coincidence,” said Silverfish. “He’s a very vengeful person and is fully aware that we and Serrendil are acquainted.”

The prisoners of the dungeon lived a simple life, and lived in groups that were assigned to specific villages. Silverfish bypassed the weaker guards and flew from village to village in search of their target, Serrendil.

The people in the villages were collared, but not chained. The collars sealed their cultivations and made it impossible for them to resist the guards monitoring each village.

Surprisingly, the were not mistreated. There was much food to had, assuming one had food tokens. These food tokens could be obtained by performing menial tasks or participating in the local arena.

The arena was strictly non-lethal and provided entertainment to the prisoners and guards alike. Those who obtained ten consecutive victories would not only obtain many food tokens but would be able to participate in Crystal City’s arena. Ten more victories in the new arena would earn them unconditional freedom and citizenship from the Unending Bounty Kingdom. The ruler of this kingdom was none other than Cao Wenluan.

“The rule only applies to low-level prisoners, of course,” said Silverfish. “Serrendil and her commanders only have the choice of submitting or remaining prisoners for ten years time. After ten years, Cao Wenluan would have no choice but to free them or face the wrath of the Crystal Emperor.”

“Couldn’t they just execute them?” Cha Ming asked.

“The Slovana Emperor values talent above all else,” Silverfish explained. “Taking high-profile opponents captive reflects well on the ruler of a kingdom, and they are often rewarded by the emperor for doing so. Conversely, those who kill wantonly are punished.”

“I don’t think she’ll surrender,” said Cha Ming. “Her character is rebellious and won’t stand for the humiliation.”

Silverfish grimaced. “You’d be surprised at what Serrendil is willing to do for her people. My master once offered to take her in as a student, but she rejected him in favor of remaining in Clockwork City.”

They flew from prison village to prison village. Each village contained small pockets of Clockwork Clansmen and members of the Iridescent and Runebound Clans. Serrendil’s people had been separated into eight different prison camps to reduce the likelihood of rebellion. Unfortunately, Serrendil herself was not in any of these locations. Instead, she’d been sent to the high-security prison camp.

“Usually, they only keep peak fusion experts or saints in the high-security camp,” said Silverfish. “Are they overestimating her or are they expecting us to break her out?”

“Cao Wenluan keeps saint-level prisoners?” asked a surprised Cha Ming.

“He has a few saints that report to him,” confirmed Silverfish. “Also, his cultivation has already broken through to the late law stitching and late shell marking realms.”

“He cultivates laws of conquest and destruction,” said Cha Ming. “The more followers he has, and the more powerful they are, the stronger he gets.” In hindsight, it wasn’t surprising that saints would choose to yield, since any wounds they suffered might take decades to heal.

Cha Ming very much wanted to nip this threat in the bud, but unfortunately, killing Cao Wenluan wasn’t a priority. Finding Serrendil and securing passage to the Inky Sea Sect took precedence. Once we find Elder Ling, maybe he’ll tell me what that key is and why Melody wants it so badly.

“We’ve arrived at the high-security prison,” said Silverfish. Cha Ming looked up to find a miniature palace within the prison. It wasn’t made of crystal like the outside palace, but rune-marked stone. It was a veritable fortress.

“Can you get us in there undetected?” Cha Ming asked Silverfish.

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” asked Silverfish. “I’m a legend in Slovana.”

“Not your first prison bust, then?” asked Cha Ming.

Silverfish chuckled. “I do it on commission when I’m low on funds.”

Inky shadows extended from Silverfish and merged with the fortress walls. A projection of the palace appeared before the half demon, complete with aura signatures for each prisoner. “There,” he said, pointing at one of them. The projection shook before rearranging itself into a doorway.

Cha Ming followed Silverfish and found himself in a prison cell. Serrendil was inside that cell, collared but not chained. Simple stone and wood tools lay on the cell’s stone floor, as well as paper in case she wanted to write. The cell, including the bars, were completely devoid of metal.

The Clockwork Clanswoman was in good condition, albeit a few bandaged wounds that steadily leaked blood from her forearms and shins. The destructive element radiating form these wounds could only come form one place: Cao Wenluan’s weapon: Wrathful Blade of the Conqueror.

“You’re almost in as rough a shape as when we first met,” Cha Ming said to Serrendil. “Have you been starving yourself on purpose again?”

Serrendil’s head snapped up. “Clear Sky? Is that you?”

“In the flesh,” said Cha Ming.

“What are you doing here?” Serrendil asked looking about worriedly. “And is that you Silverfish? Don’t you know Cao Wenluan is waiting for you to come rescue me?”

“It’s never stopped me before,” said Silverfish. “I took my time rescuing you this time. You won’t blame me, will you?”

Serrendil sighed and pulled up two stone chairs for her guests and made them tea. “Have a cup. It tastes terrible, since the water is demineralized. It’s the same with these stones and with this wood. Everything’s been scrubbed so I don’t make a pick to open my collar and cell.”

“Isn’t that a lot of trouble to go through?” asked Cha Ming. “High-level guards would probably be more efficient.”

“I think they started when people started refusing the assignment,” said Serrendil with a shrug. “Now tell me what you’re doing here.”

“We’re here to break you out,” said Silverfish.

“Then I’ll have to disappoint you,” said Serrendil. “I’ve decided to stay. I like it here.”

“Where’s the rebellious woman I met in the Burning Lake Prefecture?” asked Cha Ming. “The Serrendil I know wouldn’t give up unless she’d exhausted all other options.”

Serrendil snorted. “You think I haven’t tried? I’ve broken out dozens of times. But by the time I round up half of them, the prison warden finds out and puts us back in our cells.”

“It sounds like you have nothing to lose,” said Silverfish.

“We didn’t, until he chose to kill one of us every time,” said Serrendil. “So I won’t be breaking out any time soon, thank you very much.”

“And what if we could rescue all the prisoners?” asked Cha Ming.

Serrendil hesitated. “I probably still wouldn’t leave.”

“Because of the dragon metals?” Cha Ming asked.

“Because of the dragon metals,” Serrendil admitted. “Cao Wenluan somehow got wind that we were running low, so he bought up all the stock in Slovana and the Crimson Lotus Empire.”

“Aren’t there other Clockwork Clan settlements?” asked Cha Ming.

“Hah!” said Serrendil. “My clan has always been small, and our settlements few. This is one of the last remaining dragon metal deposits on the Inkwell Plane, so all my remaining clansmen flocked over and ate all our food!”

“But I thought you had tons of dragon metal,” Silverfish said. “I remember seeing huge piles of the stuff when I went to visit you in the Dragon Vein Mountains a few decades back.”

“You’d be amazed at our appetite,” said Serrendil.

“Even so, you said you had an entire mine of the stuff,” Silverfish insisted.

“Unfortunately, some creatures moved in, and it became difficult for anyone but me to mine,” said Serrendil. “As a result, I wasn’t able to provide for the tens of thousands of Clockwork Clansmen living beneath the Dragon Vein Mountains.”

It was a difficult problem to resolve. Cha Ming could create many different things via reassembly, but Dragon Metals weren’t one of them. There was something different about these materials that made it difficult for even Elder Zhong and the Greenwind Pavilion to bring them into the Inkwell Plane.

It was then that Ninesky chose to make an entrance. “What as pitiful dragon,” said the sprite. “She’s so hungry and confused that she can’t figure out her priorities. The world is falling apart, and she can’t think past her next meal.”

Serrendil’s’ eyes narrowed. “Get out of my face, or I’ll bite you, sprite.”

“Just try and bite me, you oversized lizard,” Ninesky retorted.

“Ninesky, please stand down,” Cha Ming scolded. “Apologies Serrendil. Ninesky is a troublemaker and can be very childish at times. I hope you won’t take offense.

Serrendil sighed. “She’s right. I can see the signs, and I can sense the fabric of the Inkwell Plane unravelling. It won’t be long before even our mountains fall apart.”

“Then why not make a break for it?” asked Cha Ming.

“Because there’s no use in worrying about the future if my people will only starve,” said Serrendil. “I took my time in surrendering because of my pride, but in the end, I have no choice. Cao Wenluan has what my people need. We will join his growing kingdom and arm his people with the finest weapons.”

Cha Ming frowned. It was a many-layered problem, but not an impossible one. “You said an enemy took over your dragon metal mine? What kind of enemy?”

“Insects,” Serrendil answered “It’s a literal infestation. They consume metals and are difficult to kill. Normal cultivators don’t stand a chance against them.”

Cha Ming wasn’t an expert on mining, but he did have his Crumbling Canvas Domain. He was proficient at absorbing demiplane fragments, so surely, excavating a mine wouldn’t be a problem.

“I possess a pocket realm that can store all your clansmen in this prison,” Cha Ming finally said. “And while I’m not a hundred percent confident, I’m at least ninety percent certain that I can excavate those dragon metals in no time at all.”

Serrendil frowned. “Ninety percent isn’t a hundred percent, Clear Sky.”

“But your people won’t have to swear featly to Cao Wenluan,” said Cha Ming. “Trust me. I’ve seen what happens to his followers. It’s like they’ve lost their souls.”

“I’m aware of his effect on people,” said Serrendil. “But if it means securing safety for my clan in the long term, so be it.”

“Accepting my help would surely be better than surrendering,” said Cha Ming. “Doesn’t freedom have a price?”

“Maybe I’d consider it if you were being honest with me,” said Serrendil. “What are you after? Silverfish I can understand breaking me out of prison to prank Cao Wenluan, but you? We’re acquaintances. Nothing more.”

Cha Ming shrugged. “You’re right. I wouldn’t be here if Silverfish hadn’t asked me.”

“It was me who asked him to come over,” said Silverfish. “We came here to rescue you because we need your help.”

“All right,” said Serrendil. “I can accept a selfish motive. Tell me what you want, and I’ll see if it’s possible.”

“There’s a remnant section of the Starry Road between the Dragon Vein Mountains and the Inky Sea Sect’s west branch,” Silverfish said. “I want your clansmen to facilitate our passage.”

Serrendil’s smile fade. “I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

“Is it because of Cao Wenluan?” said Silverfish. “Because we can try killing him. If we do that, then you’re home free.”

“It has nothing to do with Cao Wenluan,” said Serrendil. “Do you remember what I told you about an infestation? It’s already taken over the remnant starry road. We’d need to take back control of the entire dragon metal mine before using it.”

“Isn’t that all the more reason to trust us?” Cha Ming asked. “We don’t just need to free you to get what we want. We’ll need to clear out your infestation as well?”

Serrendil closed her eyes. “I was intending to surrender if you’d come just a day later. It’s the right move for me and people. But…” A sharp glint appeared in her eyes as she opened them. “I hate authority. I hate begging. I hate selling out. If you’re offering me a chance to change that with few strings attached, I’ll take it.”

“Wonderful,” said Silverfish. “Unfortunately, we have a problem. There’s only fifteen minutes left before the warden scans the prison again.”

“Don’t worry,” said Cha Ming. “By the time he notices anything’s amiss, we’ll be long gone.

***

“This is extremely disturbing,” Serrendil said, poking her replica in the chest. It was a painting Cha Ming had produced and then merged with a clone. He’d then used Glassflame Imitation to smooth over any deficiencies.

Cha Ming coughed uncomfortably. “It’s only a superficial imitation. Skin deep. I mean, clothes deep. Anyway, we should get going. My Glass Flame Imitation is a powerful divine ability, but it’s far from perfect. If the prison warden is an inspection-type demigod like you said, he’ll be able to see through it given enough time.”

“Let’s get going,” Silverfish said. “It won’t be long before Demigod Violet Eye inspects the prison again.”

“He does it on an hourly basis,” said Serrendil. “There’s only a few minutes left until the scheduled time, give or take a few seconds.”

They stepped into Silverfish’s shadow, and their surroundings twisted. Two layers of the Inkwell Plane overlapped, and they appeared next to a gathering of Clockwork Clansmen.

“Who is it?” said the strongest among them. His companions each pulled out a stone shiv, and a few of the stronger demons in the group brandished shivs shaped from metal.

Their hostile behavior faded as soon as they saw Serrendil. “Leader, is that you?”

“It’s me,” Serrendil confirmed. “I found us a backer, so we’re breaking out.”

Surprisingly, the group looked relieved. “And here I thought we were going to rot in this place.”

“You’re not concerned that we’ll fail, and one of you will be sacrificed?” asked Serrendil.

“If it happens, it happens,” said the Clockwork Clansman. “You always keep our best interests in mind.”

Cha Ming summoned a portal to the Clear Sky World. “Get in quickly. We need to free the others before they’re noticed.” He split off several incarnations and used Glassflame Imitation to copy the entire group as the entered the Clear Sky World. Unfortunately, these were not painted imitations and would be much easier to discover. Nevertheless, the expected scan of the prison did not find anything amiss, leaving them free to continue their operation.

They repeated the process in the next few villages. Some groups had mixed in Iridescent Clansmen, and others had mixed in Runebound Clansmen. Breaking them out was tedious, as Cha Ming had to cover their tracks. A frighteningly powerful divine sense swept over the entire camp when Cha Ming had just finished evacuating the fourth group.

The interval was slightly off, thought Cha Ming. Were we noticed? He wasted no time in proceeding to the next camp, and it wasn’t long before six prison villages were cleared, leaving only two to be rescued.

Cha Ming was on route to the seventh camp when suddenly, the divine sense swept through a second time. There’s no time to cover my tracks, thought Cha Ming, rushing to the next camp It wasn’t long before a powerful demigod appeared above the camp he’d just left and disrupted his Glass Flame Imitation.

“What a wonderful disguise technique,” said the demigod. “You almost had me fooled and would have gotten away with it had I not decided to make a second pass.”

“What gave me away?” asked one of Cha Ming’s clones.

“Karma,” said Demigod Violet Eye, warden of Crystal City’s prison. “You managed to disguise most of the web, but enmity is very difficult to cover up.” He looked over the assembled Clockwork Clansmen and flicked his sleeve. All but one of the clones were destroyed in an instant. “I’ll be seeing the rest of your clones and your main body shortly.”

Cha Ming forcefully disrupted his connection to the clone as a violet eye appeared behind the demigod. “We need to go,” he said to his companions. “Now.”

“We’re not leaving without rescuing the last two camps,” said Serrendil.

“Fine,” said Cha Ming. “But we need to move quickly. There’s no need for subterfuge anymore.”

Silverfish brought them directly above the seventh camp, and this time, Cha Ming summoned the Star Void Cauldron and enveloped the entire camp. He pulled it into the Clear Sky World, and seconds later, they arrived at the last encampment.

He was about to repeat the process when a familiar voice gave him pause. “Clear Sky, Clear Sky,” said the voice. “I wondered when you’d finally show up. Is it fate that we be enemies? Were we destined to be opponents?”

“I don’t believe in fate,” Cha Ming answered. “And I don’t have any interest in fighting you, Cao Wenluan.” Rescuing the prisoners was much more important.

“Well you’ll have to fight if you want to save these people,” said the voice. A bubble-like barrier appeared around the prison village and began to shrink. Wherever it passed, buildings and prisoners alike disintegrated.

“Their blood is on your hands, not mine,” said Cha Ming. He used Bloodstorm Rush to pierce through the shrinking barrier and summoned a counter-barrier with his Dao Projection. Creation clashed with destruction, and in the end, a quarter of the prison was wiped out. As for the rest, Cha Ming managed to successfully pull it into the Clear Sky World, completing the evacuation of Serrendil’s people, as promised.

Cha Ming kept his guard up as nine pillars appeared around the prison village. A second barrier came into existence, isolating them from the outside world.

“My escape abilities won’t work here,” said Silverfish. “We can only fight. Serrendil, I hope you’ll put away your reservations and join forces with us.”

“What reservations?” said Serrendil. She summoned her demon armor and twin sabers.

The shield rippled as Cao Wenluan entered it alongside the saint-level warden. “Initially, I was confident in overtaking you. I was prepared to let you off with a stern warning and send you two and Serrendil on your way. Unfortunately, your growth leaves me worried. I’ve been doing everything I can to close the gap between, but it’s become clear to me that eliminating you is the only way I’ll be able to sleep soundly at night.”

“You’re making it sound like we’re evenly matched,” said Cha Ming, summoning the Clear Sky Brush. “Our last fight didn’t end well for you. Are you sure you want to do this?” He swept the Clear Sky Brush before him to produce thirty-six spears of bloodstorm energy. Cao Wenluan drew his soul bound weapon, Wrathful Blade of the Conqueror, to deflect one of them. In doing so, he broke all thirty six of them.

“Karma and destruction are a wonderful combination, don’t you think?” said Cao Wenluan. “Violet Eye, tie down Silverfish and Serrendil.”

“Yes, my liege,” said Demigod Violet Eye. “Divine Prison God Shackles! Moon Deity Battle Eye!” Two violet chains appeared between the saint and Cha Ming’s two companions, binding them together and preventing them from supporting Cha Ming. “II see all. I know all. Before my eye, secrets are meaningless!”

“Then I’m sure you can see you’re on the losing end of this bet,” said Silverfish. He summoned a set of black demon armor covered in silver spikes. His demon weapon was an anchor shaped like a heavy hammer.

Serrendil’s demon armor was exquisite, but her presence was lacking compared to Silverfish. Still, her droning blades were incomparable sharp, and the demigod didn’t dare ignore them. Demigod Violet Eye was quickly tied by the furious assault of ink and sound.

“You think you can fight me while paying attention to others?” Hundreds of tiny but sharp black lights shot towards Cha Ming. They pierced through his curtain of bloodstorm energy, giving Cha Ming no choice but to summon his regalia or suffer severe injuries.

Three pieces of exquisite armor appeared on his body, including a crystal-jade crown, crystal-gold gauntlets, and a shimmering battle robe. Most of the black sword lights bounced off these three armor pieces, while Cha Ming’s divine shell blocked the rest.

“If that’s all you’ve got, you can go die now,” Cha Ming said. He vanished and reappeared above Cao Wenluan wielding a giant bronze pillar. There were now three pairs of white wings at his back that burned with powerful clear flames. He smashed the Sky Propping Pillar down on Cao Wenluan, only for his target to shatter into thousands of black lightning bolts that reassembled a hundred meters away in perfect condition.

“You’ve grown much stronger than I expected,” Cao Wenluan said gravely. “So forgive me for giving it my all.” Three pairs of black wings appeared around his back, and a dark gold crown appeared atop his head.

A powerful aura bubbled up inside Cao Wenluan as strands of power bypassed the barrier from the outside world. “Devilish Ability: The Strength of My Kingdom!”

He cut down with his heavy blade that bore the expectations of his subjects, and a mirage of Crystal City appeared behind him. Cha Ming’s expression grew serious – such a phantom was typically only generated when an attack reached saint-grade.

Cha Ming did not shrink back and met the blade head on. A projection appeared behind Cha Ming as well. There were three demiplanes and three moons inside it. Moreover, three bloodthirsty deities sat on the three moons, channeling their strength directly into the Sky Propping Pillar via Bloodstorm Invocation.

Wind, lightning and blood collided with karma, destruction, and conquest. The collision shattered the barrier isolating them form the outside world, and even caused the prison subspace to destabilize. An alarm went off, and several hundreds of powerful figures appeared.

Cha Ming frowned as he sensed several saint-level auras closing in on them. Demigod Violet Eye was clearly not the only saint under Cao Wenluan’s command. “Silverfish? Serrendil? Keep him busy. I’m going to give Cao Wenluan a little something to remember us by.”

He activated Star Jade Entanglement. Cao Wenluan’s expression turned slack for a moment but began to recover with the help of his law projection. But the slightly delayed response cost him - hand of crystal-gold sand appeared around Cao Wenluan and tightened around his torso, cracking his pitch-black armor.

The claw rune prison tightened its, widening the cracks in his armor just enough for yin-yang spirit threading needles to pierce through. A hundred and eight small wounds appeared on Cao Wenluan spiritual sea, which Cha Ming began attacking with his Crumbling Canvas.

“My… Kingdom… Defends Me!” Cao Wenluan shouted. Millions of karmic connections appeared between Cao Wenluan and the outside world as he activated his divine ability, only to vanish shortly after as he sent lethal damage to these one million loyal subjects. His wounds recovered, as did his energy reserves thanks to the divinity stored in the crystal palace outside. “You can’t kill me, Clear Sky. I’m virtually immortal in this place.”

Cha Ming pursed his lips. “I suppose you are. Luther, Coral, and Disaster – become Carnage.”

The three elemental cats jumped out of the Clear Sky World and adopted the shape of a three-headed, nine tailed cat. “You call, Master,” said one head.

“Meow! Stop being rude,” snapped the second head.

“Is it fun time again?” said the third head.

“Quit fighting and help Ninesky tear open the prison barrier,” said Cha Ming.

“Not a problem,” said Carnage. “Thy will... be done!”  A ghastly hand of crackling bloodstorm energy joined with Ninesky’s Grandmist and tore open a gash into the pocket realm, destabilizing its structure and creating thousands of spatial rifts that began consuming both the prison and the place above it. The laws of the pocket realm fell into chaos as the laws of the three moons and Ninesky’s own mastery over Grandmist and her own control over Cha Ming’s law projection subverted them.

The chaotic space was enough to give the saints looking to enter the prison pause. Given their level of strength, entering the pocket dimension might cause it to collapse.

Having taken care of this small problem, Cha Ming moved on to the next phase of his plan. “I refuse to believe that you’re invincible,” said Cha Ming. “Divine abilities aren’t without limitations.” He took a Clear Rune Step and appeared before Cao Wenluan and struck with the Sky Propping Pillar once again.

As predicted, Cao Wenluan didn’t directly use his divine ability but blocked with the Wrathful Blade of the Conqueror. Once again, a projection of Crystal City appeared and clashed with Cha Ming’s own world projection.

“Impressive,” said Cha Ming. “You’re using the city as a template to form a transcendent Demiplane. I never noticed it until the spatial turbulence upset the balance.”

“If you can do it, so can I,” said Cao Wenluan. The city had become inseparable from Cao Wenluan. This meant that whatever Cha Ming caused Cao Wenluan would likely affect the entire city.

Cha Ming felt for these innocent people but was convinced that more would suffer if Cao Wenluan was allowed to continue. “Let’s see how your inner world matches up to mine. Heaven Breaker!” The last time he’d used this attack against Cao Wenluan, it had nearly crippled him.

“I’m no longer the same man as I once was,” said Cao Wenluan. “Ten crystal spires, defend!”

Pillar and blade clashed together, each bearing the weight of their respective worlds. The Sky Propping Pillar cracked, but in exchange, the projection of Crystal City shattered. City walls crumbled, and the walls of the place cracked. Large and mighty as it was, it was unable to withstand the impact of Cha Ming’s inner world.

The prison was located inside the place grounds. When the city broke apart, fissures appeared on the outer membrane. As for Cao Wenluan, his eyes were bloodied, his armor was broken, and his clothes were in tatters. Cracks had appeared on his divine shell, and these cracks were rapidly expanding. “It seems you’re more merciless than I expected,” said Cao Wenluan. “But it’s not nearly enough to take care of me. In Destruction, Creation!”

A new city emerged from the wreckage of the old. Divinity poured out of the ten crystal spires and began healing what damage Cha Ming had caused. What’s more, Cha Ming could feel a boiling anger pouring forth from the city. Cao Wenluan’s strength was increasing at a rapid pace.

“Cha Ming, we need to go!” shouted Silverfish. “Those saints aren’t happy about what you did.”

“Three more seconds,” said Cha Ming. Cao Wenluan had escaped last time because of his negligence. He wouldn’t make the same mistake a second time. The Sky Propping Pillar transformed into the Clear Sky Brush, its tuft glowing with fiend essence and destructive energies, bolstered by Clearmist to further amplify its strength. “Die!”

“Destructive reflection!” Cao Wenluan shouted. Cha Ming’s staff was met with a screen of destructive energy. A tenth of his inner world exploded, and his law projection was sent into disarray.

“We need to go!” Silverfish repeated.

“Fine,” said a bloodied Cha Ming. “I’ll take one last shot. Erasure!”

Cha Ming’s brush swept out, and where it passed, matter was unmade. The universe shrieked and hit him with a heavy recoil. Cha Ming had experienced such an attack in the past and knew there was no way to resist. All he could do was limit the damage he caused to reduce the backlash.

A small stream of ink flowed past Cao Wenluan’s hasty defenses and broke down a portion of his divine shell. Cha Ming’s target was none other than the core of Cao Wenluan’s inner world.

“The Kingdom Sacrifices!” Cao Wenluan shouted. The Inkwell Plane shuddered as the destructive black ink was redirected. Tens of thousands of Cao Wenluan’s subordinates were erased from existence. A fifth crack appeared on the Sky Propping Pillar, erasing most of Cha Ming’s gains over his week-long recovery.

Yet he had no regrets. Most of the destructive ink was redirected, but a tiny stream of destructive energy had slipped past Cao Wenluan’s defenses. The illusory city above Cao Wenluan shook and dimmed as a blemish appeared on its core laws.

“Clear Sky!” shouted Cao Wenluan.

“We have to go!” Silverfish said.

“Let me finish him!” growled Cha Ming.

“There’s no time!” he yanked away Cha Ming just as three saint-level opponents closed in on their location and pulled him through a spatial rift. They joined Serrendil on Silverfish’s ship, which was on the verge of capsizing from the turbulence spatial energies whaling on its hull.

They flew through the rapidly collapsing void, narrowly escaping another two saint-level cultivators waiting for them outside the pocket realm. Looking at their expressions, they were less concerned about a few escapees and more concerned about the rapidly deteriorating state of the prison.

“I almost had him,” Cha Ming said to Silverfish. “Didn’t you want him dead more than anything?”

Silverfish sighed and shook his head as he steered the ship. “Once upon a time, I did. But now, I just want to find my master.”

“You didn’t leave Cao Wenluan in good shape,” Serrendil consoled. “His core world became fragile in the end. Such a weakness is difficult to overcome.”

“I have a feeling I’m going to regret not killing him,” said Cha Ming. “I always do. Will the emperor take Cao Wenluan’s defeat personally?”

Serrendil shook her head. “Solana favors the victorious and the strong. Given how terribly you’ve injured him, there won’t be many that are willing to help him.” It was a consolation prize, of sorts.

They travelled for half a day before a mountain range appeared in the distance. The mountains were small and stubby compared to Mount Sky Piercer, the only true mountain on the Inkwell Plane.

“There, in that crevice,” Serrendil said to Silverfish. “The city is entirely underground.”

“I’ve been here before,” said Silverfish.

“But never after emergency measures have been enacted,” said Serrendil. “Moreover, it’s obvious that there’s been fighting here. My people will be on their guard.”

“Do they even have energy to fight?” Cha Ming asked. “I thought they were starving.”

“A dragon will it eats own tail if it must,” said Serrendil. “Time is short. Let us hurry.”