PtM 18 - Chapter 24: The Ruined Bridge

I'm moving tomorrow, so 2 chapters today! 2/3

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It took three days to paint Carnage, and in that time, Cha Ming’s ship reached a boundary just outside the East Branch of the Inky Sea Sect, where the Bridge of Ascension was located.

“Ship!” Ninesky called out as they crossed this boundary. Cha Ming painted a fold in space using the Clear Sky Brush.

Ten minutes later, a trio of scouting vessels arrived not far from his hiding place. A group of thirty inkwell clan demons jumped out to inspect their surroundings. Like all members of the Inkwell Clan, they had inky black hair, wore inky black robes and demon armor, and had tattoos covering one half of their body.

A female member of their group wore had denser tattoos than the rest. According to Huxian, this meant that she had a purer bloodline. While the others wandered around aimlessly, she approached Cha Ming’s location directly.

Did I make a mistake? thought Cha Ming. Was I exposed?

The Inkwell Clanswoman glared at his location suspiciously, then sent out a blast of ink for good measure. It struck the spatial fold hiding Cha Ming but was unable to break the spatial painting.

“Nothing on this side!” called her one of her companions.

“Nothing here either!” said another.

“There’s something suspicious here,” said the woman. “But I can identify it. We’ll have to report this upward.”

Her companions groaned. “All of this for a hunch? Aren’t you afraid of getting punished by the elders?” asked a thin and sickly-looking demon. Out of all those present, only him and the woman who’d nearly spotted Cha Ming made him feel uneasy.

“It was probably just a mistaken reading,” another grumbled.

“Even so, we will report it to the elders,” said the woman. “They will investigate it if they so chose. I would rather be punished unjustly for a small mistake then receive the ultimate punishment for a great one. Unless you disagree?”

“I also feel that something is off,” said the thin and sickly man looking man. “We’ll split the blame if the elders find nothing.”

“Then it’s settled,”: said the woman. “We’ve wasted enough time. Onto the next patrol point.”

Five minutes later, Cha Ming emerged from his hiding place. “They had an easy time spotting me. Is it because the increased density of planar will in the area?”

“It’s only a little bit of planar will,” said Ninesky.

“That’s easy for you to say,” said Cha Ming. “Word on the street is that Melody wants me dead.”

“Isn’t it just imitating a bit of planar will?” said Ninesky. Her small gray body transformed into that of an ink sprite, but more regal and well defined.

The tiny ink sprite blew a kiss at Cha Ming. It was an inky kiss that transformed into Inkwell Clan markings that covered a whole half of his body.

Cha Ming’s appearance transformed. His aura did so as well. Unless it was Melody herself in front of him, it would be impossible for anyone to tell the difference between him and an actual member of the Inkwell Clan.

“What do you think?” asked Ninesky.

“You did good work,” said Cha Ming. “Let’s go. I get the feeling something bad is going on.”

“I love sneaking around,” said Ninesky. “We should do this more often.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Cha Ming.

With his aura covered up, Cha Ming no longer needed to hide from the Inkwell Clan. His markings were high-tier, and his ship was easy to modify. He passed several dozen patrols, and none of them caused him any trouble.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” a ship stopped just short of Cha Ming’s, and an Inkwell Clan elder emerged. “We might be out of our territory, but that’s not excuse, youngster. Haven’t you gotten the latest nautical map?”

Cha Ming heaved a sigh of relief. Even an elder couldn’t see through Ninesky’s markings.

“I’m afraid I haven’t, esteemed elder,” Cha Ming said nervously. “Please punish me.”

After confirming his subordinate’s submission, the elder expression softened. “Here,” he said, handing Cha Ming a map. “Follow the approved routes, and no matter what you do, don’t travel within fifty kilometers of the bridge of ascension.”

“I will do as elder instructs,” Cha Ming said, bowing once more.

Soon, Cha Ming was on his way, and this time he travelled on approved routes. His journey became even smoother from then on. It wasn’t long before he reached the fifty-kilometer exclusion zone. Elder Ling, it’s been too long.

Cha Ming had heard many descriptions of the Bridge of Immortal Ascension. To hear it told, it was a radiant bridge, golden in construction, with cables so slender they shouldn’t have been able support its massive stone steps.

At the end of the bridge was an arch that dug deep into the void. The stability of space there was so great that it could only be opened when the bridge accumulated enough energy once every hundred years.

Based on Cha Ming’s research, this gate should be open around this time. Those with immortal ascension tokens would be able to scale these steps and enter the immortal dimension, while those with transcendent transferal tokens could use them to teleport to other transcendent planes.

“What happened here…” Cha Ming muttered as he took in a very different sight. Only ruins remained of the once-resplendent bridge.  Corpses and dismembered appendages floated out on the open ocean. The ocean was devoid of life, and large pieces of metal and stone rubble were strewn about beneath the ocean waves.

Surprisingly, the bridge still seemed to be functioning. Portions of the bridge had been destroyed, but they had been painted over with pitch blank inky. “It’s a painting,” Cha Ming said to no one in particular. “There’s no one ascending the bridge, so the immortal energy pouring in from the top is leaking into the Inkwell Plane and replenishing it.”

The origin of the bridge was cloaked in ink, such that even Cha Ming, with his superior eyesight, was not able to see it. But he could see the many threads of karma linking him and whoever it was inside that cloud of ink.

Run, Cha Ming told himself, only to find that his body couldn’t move.

“Run!” came the void of Ninesky, breaking the spell.

Cha Ming used his Dao Energy, Triune Soulburn, and his three regalia pieces to shatter the void. His movements were so quick that the ocean around him began to collapse.

It wasn’t long before he sensed several powerful Inkwell clansmen closing in on him. He took out his void-faring ship and channeled bloodstorm energy into its structure to break through the encirclement.

“Daoist Clear Sky, stop this instant!” came a voice from the north. An Inkwell Clan elder emerged from the exclusion zone. Her power had only reached the initial saint realm, but as an Inkwell clanswoman, she was much more powerful than her cultivation indicated.

“We knew you were coming, Clear Sky, but have no ill intentions,” came the voice of another elder. This time, it was an old man with wrinkled skin and bony hands. His body seemed incomparably tough to Cha Ming, such that only his immortal hatched would be able to draw blood.

Cha Ming took out said immortal hatchet and hacked at the elder. “If you don’t get out of my way, you’ll find yourself short a few limbs,” said Cha Ming.

“Be reasonable, Clear Sky,” came a third voice. This time, it was a beauty with ankle-length black hair and the voice of a siren. “Our master wishes to discuss some matters. You will not be harmed if you cooperate.”

“You have a wonderful way with words,” Cha Ming said Cha Ming. He broke off in a different dimension, and the bewitching elder followed him. “Star Jade Entanglement!” Tens of thousands of jade strings appeared around the siren-voiced elder. Each string represented a victim, their grudges, and thier memories.

Star Jade Entanglement wasn’t just useful in deducing probabilities and karmic ties – it could also be used to form karmic links and execute a powerful mental attack. “Impossible! You’re all dead!” screamed the Inkwell Clan elder. Her memories had come back with a vengeance.

The elder was not a normal figure, so the attack only stunned her for three seconds. In that time, Cha Ming closed the gap and used his immortal axe to lop off her head.

Cha Ming rushed through the opening created by her death but didn’t dare relax. Waves came crashing in, obstructing his ship, and the saint-level artifact began to creak and groan under the pressure.

He had no choice but to stow the artifact and use bloodstorm-powered wings to make his escape. The potent energy formed a tip at the forefront. Cha Ming painted spatial distortions on the tip to facilitate spatial tearing, thereby increasing his speed.

Dozens more ships appeared. Some born nets, and others brought simple numbers. The situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable.

“Broken Yin, Shattered Yang,” Cha Ming spoke. A painting flew out of his inner world and formed a road that straddled life and death. Two phoenixes, one red and one ghostly, travelled at his sides and forced the embargo apart.

Every time he cleared an obstruction, three more appeared. “The Great Devourer,” said Cha Ming. A second painting flew out and formed a vortex of darkness and starlight. At its center was a humanoid figure painted in Cha Ming’s image. But he wasn’t Cha Ming. Not yet.

The painting breathed in, and layers of inky netting dissolved. The vortex expanded with the infusion of energy, forcing those ships casting them to pull them back. “Carnage,” said Cha Ming. Luther, Coral, and Disaster fused with a third painting to form a giant demonic cat with three heads and nine tails.

The center-most head had a gray eye, and it used that eye to shoot out a beam of concentrated bloodstorm energy. It also contained a hint of Grandmist, and a phantom image of a gray sprite fighting against three kittens.

This was Cha Ming’s most offensive painting to date. It tore through the remaining nets, allowing Cha Ming to escape the Inkwell Clan’s encirclement.

Minutes later, he found himself at the exit of the dead region. The sea water suddenly grew cleaner, and sea life even began to appear. He unconsciously relaxed, and was therefore late in spotting the pitch-black harpoon heading his way.

Cha Ming summoned his immortal axe from the Clear Sky World and swung at the harpoon. A fierce collision ensued and caused the void to shatter. A powerful presence descended on the area before he could escape.

“Melody,” Cha Ming said to the ink-shrouded being that appeared before him. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“You have a lot of nerve, refusing my invitation,” said Melody. “There are many who would kill their blood relatives for such an honor.”

“Sorry, our last meeting left a bad taste in my mouth, so I decided against it,” said Cha Ming. “Word has it that you broke our agreement almost the instant I left the Inkwell Plane.”

“Whatever do you mean, Clear Sky?” said Melody. She summoned two seats and sat down on one of them. “Come. Sit. If you have any concerns, we’ll talk them over.”

Cha Ming refused. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Melody. I specifically stated that I wanted free will preserved.”

“I think you’re a little confused,” said Melody. “Bloodline suppression is a normal part of demon life.”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t plan this from the very beginning,” Cha Ming said. “You took advantage of my goodwill and lack of information, then used it to break out of your prison.”

Melody’s smile faded. “The key. I want it. Give it to me.”

Cha Ming feigned ignorance. “What key? It’s the first time I’ve heard of this ‘key’ you mention.” \

“I know you have it,” said Melody. “I can feel I on your body. Don’t even try to pretend.” Ink-based laws reached into Cha Ming’s body and pulled out a familiar object. It was the ink-black key given to him by Elder Ling after he’d completed the second level of Fuxi’s puzzle box.

“At last,” said Melody. “After waiting so long, I’ve finally found it.” She reached out to grab the key, but howled and pulled her hand back when she made contact with it.”

“You dare!?” Melody said. “You bound my key to your soul!”

“Isn’t that shame,” said Cha Ming. “I guess you can’t have it then.”

“Give it back,” said Melody. “Whatever price you want, I’ll pay it.”

“Drop dead,” said Cha Ming. He swung the immortal axe tore open a weakness in the void. Inky hands reached towards him as he fell through the planar membrane and landed in the adjacent void.

To his surprise, Melody followed right behind him. The Inkwell Plane’s laws extended her influence into the void proper. “Are you sure you want to waste all that hard-earned immortal energy capturing me?” asked Cha Ming.

Melody’s face twisted into a snarl. “Since you can’t unbind the key, I’ll just kill you and recover whatever essence I can.” The void twisted and began to flow like turbulent ocean. Waves of spatial energy crashed into Cha Ming’s body, and it was only thanks to his Primal Chaos True Body that he survived the onslaught.

The tried to crush Cha Ming, but he reacted quickly. His immortal axe sliced the void and cut apart Melody’s weak influence. “Give it up, Melody. The void can’t harm me.”

“Your immunity to spatial laws isn’t absolute,” said Melody. “Moreover, your cultivation is weak. Brute force is all I need to beat you into submission.”

A hand of ink extended from the Central Inkwell Sea smashed towards Cha Ming. Void rifts appeared all around him, forming a prison that encompassed every possible direction.

This is ridiculous, thought Cha Ming. Second grade saints aren’t supposed to be so powerful. Is she a third-grade saint?

“Nope. That’s the power of a full immortal,” said Ninesky. “No small amount of immortal energy went into that attack. She must really want that key.”

“Any bright ideas?” Cha Ming asked her.

“None,” Ninesky said, shaking her head. “But that’s what makes thing interesting!”

Cha Ming did not share her enthusiasm. The void prison was quickly closing in on his position, and it was only a matter of time before he was torn apart, regardless of his body cultivation or divine abilities.

Maybe I should just dive into a spatial rift and see what happens? Cha Ming thought. My luck might be terrible, but maybe I can predict the outcome.

He activated Star Jade Entanglement and was pleased to find strings connecting him and the rifts as they appeared and disappeared. Most of these rifts were marked by red strings that marked certain death. Only a few appeared yellow, indicating that caution was advised, while no green threads appeared.

Cha Ming dove towards one of the yellow rifts but was unable to catch it before it closed. A red rift appeared to replace it, forcing him to use Bloodstorm Rush to evade it. Unfortunately, this only propelled him towards yet another rift of death and dismemberment. They grew more frequent as the prison closed in on him.

Several tense seconds passed as he ducked and dodged, never seeing a gamble he was willing to take. But suddenly, a much slower rift appeared. It was yellow, meaning caution, and most importantly, he had more than enough time to reach it.

He flew towards the yellow rift and was about to enter it when he noticed a red sheen on the thread connecting him and the rift. A deadly warning, Cha Ming thought. He dodged the rift but found himself in an area of total spatial collapse.

Only a few spots of stability remained in the spatial prison. Cha Ming could only see red rifts in all directions, and his prospects did not seem to be improving.

It was then that he noticed a strange sheen on a red rift. It was similar to the red sheen he’d seen on a yellow but shone a strange golden color that masked the red. Danger, thought Cha Ming. Almost certain death. But an obligation? An acquaintance?

He didn’t have much time to think. What space left around him was almost completely torn apart. He dove into the collapsing spatial rift and howled as spatial currents repeatedly demolished his body. His Clearmist reserves worked double time to repair the damage, but it wouldn’t be long before these stores ran dry.

This continued for several seconds until his Clearmist stores did run dry. His inner world had no choice but to break pieces of itself down to provide energy for his recovery. A crack appeared on the Sky Propping Pillar, followed by a second, then a third, bringing the total cracks to five.

Cha Ming’s soul teetered on the verge of collapse. It wouldn’t be long now. He prepared a final message for his friends on the off chance that they found his corpse and prepared for his inevitable death.

Yet before he even finished inking it into existence, he felt a hand reach into the stream of turbulent spatial energy. It snatched him by the robes and proceeded to pull him through the turbulence towards the other side of the rift.

The hand felt familiar, and so did the person it belonged to. He couldn’t make out any of his features, but recognized the Inkwell Clan tattoos and the spiked demon armor. “Silver… fish?” said Cha Ming as he plopped onto an unfamiliar wooden floor.

“Wait… is that you, Cha Ming?” Those were the last words Cha Ming heard before losing consciousness.