PtM Book 14 - Chapter 43: The Titan’s Blood

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Cha Ming and Yu Wen’s departure from Fierra caused a predictable uproar throughout the Mendin subcontinent. Rumors of a trio that could destroy immortal artifacts spread like wildfire, and the Holy Governance Alliance, having lost both the Pool of Heavenly Healing and the Holy Provenance Plate, were now on the defensive.

This was both good news and bad news for Verdant Crossroads, since on the one hand, the Asherall Republic had even less reason to remain and threaten them, but on the other, they had no reason to protect them either.

The pullback had already been underway while Cha Ming was in Fierra, but now, they’d taken things up a notch and begun using portals and high-class ships to do so. To them, Verdant Crossroads was a waste of precious resources that they could no longer tolerate.

These movements did not go unnoticed by Fendal’s army, which had paused briefly after the appearance of the army of constructs. It now continued advancing at a leisurely pace, and would soon arrive at Verdant Crossroads.

Merenthal’s forces were already in Verdant Crossroads, as were the Daoists, which meant that Cha Ming only had positive relations with one group of outsiders. Namely, the Titan Clan, which for some reason could no longer fulfill orders for God-Slaying Arrows.

Something must have happened to the Titan Clan, and Cha Ming was determined to find out what. He and Yu Wen appeared directly in Titanvale, bypassing normal teleportation protocols thanks to Huxian’s void kingdom. They emerged in an alleyway not far from the Titan Clan residence.

Being wanted criminals, they naturally changed their appearances. Yu Wen had her mask, and Cha Ming had the much more reliable Seventy-Two Transformations. They took on the guise of a good-looking Mendin couple. Cha Ming had golden hair, frost-blue eyes, and wore a navy suit with a light-pink shirt. Yu Wen had her hair turn red and gold and tied it in a very loose braid that hung over the shoulder of her flowing yellow dress.

“My apologies, but the Titan Clan residence is currently experiencing an emergency,” the guards stationed at the entrance said when they arrived. “We were instructed to deny entry to all visitors.”

Cha Ming smiled and procured a badge given to him by Patriarch Thunderfist. “What about now?” he asked.

The guard’s eyes widened. He inspected the badge before calling over a runner and sending him out to inquire directly. A short while later, they were escorted through the complex. Cha Ming noted that very few people wandered about. In fact, many were bedridden or had fevers.

“They’re all sick,” Yu Wen whispered, and Cha Ming nodded gravely. He’d known something big had happened, because the Titan Clan prided themselves on their trustworthiness and integrity. To delay a crucial order was practically a cardinal sin to them.

They soon found themselves in a familiar waiting room. Normally, the Patriarch would greet Cha Ming almost immediately, but his absence was understandable given the circumstances. It was the same bloodline sickness that had struck one of Patriarch Thunderfist’s children not long ago, except this time, it was breaking out across the entire clan.

The wait dragged on, but neither Yu Wen nor Cha Ming had the heart to complain. They spoke of small things and ate the occasional snack, but their mood wasn’t really in it.

Their conversation was eventually interrupted by the appearance of an outsider, of all people. Both of them froze up slightly at the familiar sight of Petros Sullivan, who’d recently shot Cha Ming in the shoulder.

“If you’re going to act, at least do it well,” Petros said, taking a seat across from them. He helped himself to a cup of tea and some scones. “What? Not going to fess up?”

“Whatever are you referring to?” Yu Wen asked. She took a sip of tea from her cup and put it down like a proper lady.

Petros rolled his eyes. “For one, your voice. You should disguise it instead of being lazy. For another, you shouldn’t be so shocked upon seeing an acquaintance. That’s a dead giveaway. It would also help if you pretended not to be a couple, since that is also a clue in and of itself. Perhaps two men or two women in the future? And really, Clear Sky? Must you choose a baton as a weapon and not a sword according to Mendin’s latest fashion trends, when you’ve clearly done your research on the latest suit styles?”

Cha Ming coughed uncomfortably. “You found us, Petros. Good job. Did you have something to say, or were you just looking for the bounty? I hear it’s rising by the day.”

“Would you believe me if I said running into you here was a complete coincidence?” Petros asked. “It’s like I said before. Karmic anomalies. You never know when you’ll randomly run into each other.”

“You expect us to believe that running into you was sheer happenstance?” Yu Wen asked.

Petros took a sip of his tea. “I don’t particularly care, actually. I was called here for an investigative job since I was in the area. By the way, you stirred up quite the storm, Daoist Misty Sea. No need to hide your identity from me. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

“So what if you know?” Yu Wen asked. “It’s clear you won’t be selling us out.”

“It’s getting rather tempting, to be honest,” Petros said. “But no, I have my principles, as much as they cost me, and besides, the destruction of the Pool of Heavenly Healing and the Holy Provenance Plate are good things in the long run. Too much corruption has gone unpunished for too long. The balance will be restored, though I shudder to think of the cost. That being said, you should be careful.”

“They’ve decided to go on ahead with the ceremony?” Cha Ming asked.

“They’ve already started it,” Petros said. “Artemis’s avatar will be descending within the week, and then the hunt will begin. I wish you luck in your endeavors, because evading this goddess is practically impossible.”

Cha Ming frowned. “Will the avatar remain indefinitely?”

“Heavens, no!” Petros said. “It can only stay a month at most. Hours if it does battle. Sending a physical incarnation down is extremely taxing for a god or goddess, as it consumes a lot of divine power. Moreover, the plane rejects outside interference. Should the avatar be defeated, I doubt any of Jezeriah’s pantheon would bother acting again.”

“If we can’t run, should we fight?” Cha Ming asked.

“That would be your best option, because you can’t outrun or hide from this goddess,” Petros said. “But let me ask you: How many allies are you willing to drag into a fight they cannot win? Verdant Crossroads is already having problems with Fendal. Are they really in a position to fight the entire Holy Governance Alliance?”

“Must they really go so far?” Yu Wen said. “It’s just a couple of toys. They have millions of them in the upper realms.”

“It’s a matter of face, which means a lot to religious organizations,” Petros said. “You’d need a very powerful backer to force them to reconsider.”

In theory, Cha Ming did have a backer. Sun Wukong might be able to get them out of this predicament, assuming he awakened early enough. But without the soul-gathering sage grass and the heaven-stabilizing stone, it was impossible to predict when that would happen.

Even then, it might take weeks, or they might only have days…

“We’ll figure something out,” Cha Ming said. “You said you came here to investigate something?”

“Petros, you’re here!” a voice boomed. It was none other than Patriarch Thunderfist. His heavy footfalls completely ruined the relatively fragile flooring in the waiting area. Such roughshod behavior was very unusual for him but understandable given the circumstances.

He looked at Cha Ming. “And you are…”

Cha Ming sighed and dispelled his disguise. Yu Wen did not.

“Ah! Clear Sky! I was wondering who else might come with my personal medallion. It’s good that you’re here. You might as well all come along, as your visual abilities might prove useful.” He didn’t bother to explain anything and stomped off. The bewildered trio broke into a run to keep up with his outrageously long stride.

Their destination was a small infirmary, where dozens of sickly members of the Titan Clan were laying on stone beds. “As I thought. It’s the soul-bloodline dissonance,” Cha Ming said, noting the interaction between their spiritual and physical energies.

“Yes, and it struck the entire clan all at once,” Titan Thunderfist said. “We’ve already lost fifty of our clansmen so far, and the trend seems to be worsening. We’ve kept those with lesser cases of the sickness confined to their homes.”

“It’s not a disease, so there’s no need for quarantine measures,” Petros said, kneeling beside a rather large bed. The one on the bed was none other than Patriarch Thunderfist’s son, Titan Shatterstorm.

“Have you tried the sage grass on them?” Cha Ming asked.

“It was the first thing I tried,” Patriarch Thunderfist said. “Unfortunately, I can only use it so often, as the soul-gathering mist takes time to accumulate. And there are so many cases to treat as well.”

“I take it you’ve consulted with physicians?” Petros asked.

“Both inside and outside the city, and at great expense,” Titan Thunderfist said. “They’ve all agreed that the entire complex has been exposed to a stimulating agent of some kind.”

“I can see a miasma floating about,” Cha Ming said, looking around. “It’s like a light-pink fog, and it comes from the ground outside. I was wondering what it was at the time.”

“I noticed it as well,” Petros said. “I thought perhaps you were growing a new medicinal crop. Have any of the herbs in the complex been changed out recently? Any of the stones?”

“Not that I am aware of,” Titan Thunderfist said. “This was one of the first things we checked. It’s as though our entire residence was contaminated with a substance that takes a long time to dissipate.”

The implications were quite clear. If the Titan Clan did not vacate the premises, and soon, things would only get worse.

“Allow me to test something, Patriarch,” Petros said.

He pulled back his cloak to reveal a small pouch. Cha Ming recognized it as a beast storage pouch, which could be used to store monstrous demons much like a plant storage pouch could store live specimens.

Petros pulled a small mouse from the pouch, and the mouse began sniffing around excitedly. “Calm down,” Petros urged, but the mouse wouldn’t listen. It began to squeak repeatedly until finally, something snapped, and the mouse began to morph and transform.

What started off as a vigorous rodent with fluffy white fur became a mass of tumors and teeth within the span of a minute. It only stopped after growing fivefold and began gnawing at one of the stone beds. It ate away an entire leg before suddenly darting toward a Titan clansman. Petros had no choice but to put it down with a throwing knife.

He picked up the knife and inspected the rat’s corpse. “I think I know what’s going on.”

“No one has been able to explain what is going on, so please tell me,” Patriarch Thunderfist said.

“The physicians from before, were they all human? None of them were demons?” Petros asked.

“They were,” Titan Thunderfist confirmed.

“Then the answer is obvious,” Petros said. “This poison only affects demons. And given the symptoms, I can deduce that this is a variant of the ever-popular blood-boiling poison. It’s commonly used on monstrous demons since it is effective at bypassing natural resistances.”

“What’s this poison used for?” Cha Ming asked.

“It directly stimulates a demon’s bloodline and promotes evolution,” Petros said. “This results in pain and discomfort so great that it will wear away at their intelligence and cause the creature to rage. Taking care of the beast then becomes much easier. There’s also a chance to improve the quality of the creature’s core, so using it can be quite profitable.”

“But we’re not demons,” Titan Thunderfist said. “We’re humans.”

“But you aren’t normal humans,” Petros said. “Your Skyforge Titan bloodline is closer to that of a Godbeast or a powerful monstrous demon’s. To be honest, this poison wouldn’t even affect most human-form demons, because they generally have much better control over their bloodlines.”

“So how do we take care of it?” Titan Thunderfist asked.

“Remove everyone from the source and wait,” Petros said. “The poison will eventually run its course. But given how quickly the poison is affecting them… well, their survival will be up to the heavens.”

Patriarch Thunderfist punched a nearby wall, sending shards of stone flying throughout the room. “This is unforgiveable!” He forced himself to calm down. “I will personally destroy whoever did this—and their entire family!” He looked to Petros. “Is there a cure?”

“I’m no alchemist, but I believe it is unlikely,” Petros said. “Your clan’s unique physique might complicate things, even if there was.”

All the energy in Patriarch Thunderfist’s body drained away. He looked around the room at all the sick clan members in desperation. “What a vicious move…” he whispered. “Vicious. Merciless.”

“There must be a way to heal them,” Yu Wen said encouragingly. “Every ailment has a cure, and every poison an antidote. It’s just that no one’s discovered it yet.”

“While I agree with your words in principle, the timing won’t allow for the development of an antidote,” Petros said. “Even if you could produce the cure right this instant, how many portions could you make? How quickly? How many hundreds will die in the meantime?”

“That doesn’t mean we should give up,” Yu Wen countered.

Petros shook his head. “I didn’t say you should give up. I just wanted to point out that the damage is mostly done, or it will be soon enough.”

Cha Ming was frowning. He’d walked over to Titan Shatterstorm and placed his hand on the man’s chest. His large body was shivering incessantly, and a fuzzy shadow could be seen moving out of synchronization with it. His veins were black as though they were filled with poison, and the stony layer on his skin was crumbling away.

He was the most hopeless case in the room, seemingly beyond helping. And yet, Cha Ming’s intuition said otherwise. There was a cure. One that he of all people could easily produce. The image of a clear talisman came to mind.

“Let me try something,” Cha Ming said. “Something risky, but I believe it will work.”

“You have a way?” Titan Thunderfist asked with hope-filled eyes.

“Yes,” Cha Ming said. “But it will change Shatterstorm. Permanently.”

“But it might save him?” Titan Thunderfist said.

“Yes,” Cha Ming said. His confidence belied his lack of actual evidence in support of it.

“Then it’s fine even if you cripple him,” Titan Thunderfist said. “I’ll take the blame, whatever happens. As long as his life is saved, everything will be all right.”

If only it were so simple,Cha Ming thought. He’d wanted to keep the Core-Painting Talismans under control. He’d refused to supply the Daoist faction and rationalized that he still had a choice not to spread their usage. Yet it was just like owning a weapon—simply possessing it incentivized its usage.

He sighed and held out his hand. “Assemble,” he said, and three white runes sent out streams of energy that combined with a batch of low-tier ingredients in the Clear Sky World. They combined in the form of a white talisman.

“Will that work?” Yu Wen asked, frowning. She hadn’t seen their effects on humans but had observed him testing the talismans using his simulacrum.

“I just tested it on a simulacrum in the Clear Sky World,” Cha Ming said. “It will work.” He activated the talisman, and a stream of white energy shot into Titan Shatterstorm’s core as Cha Ming whispered into his ear, into his soul. “Accept it. You need to be willing, Shatterstorm. The talisman will change you, but with this change, you will live. You will even retain much of your strength.”

Seconds passed, but they felt like minutes. Titan Shatterstorm’s body was normally strong, but the agitation of his bloodline had weakened him to the point that even if he regained his awareness, he wouldn’t have the strength to truss a chicken.

Cha Ming’s expression fell as his aura began to weaken and drain away. Titan Shatterstorm’s soul shivered and faded, becoming transparent, until finally, it could no longer be seen.

Then he let the slow sigh of a dying man, and everyone in the room lost hope. It hadn’t worked. It was already too late. Only Cha Ming was strangely confident about Shatterstorm’s odds.

Then it started. The Titan clansman’s body began to change. His arms and legs began to shrink, and his torso, which was twice as wide as a normal man’s and three times as thick, began to collapse. Stone flaked off his body like broken pieces of eggshell, revealing very soft, very human skin.

Others in the room might not have been able to see all changes taking place, but Cha Ming’s keen eyes could. He saw not only physical changes, but the changes in energy. Titan Shatterstorm’s bloodline erupted from inside him, then immediately reaccumulated as a small inky blob that migrated to where a demon core should be, then solidified.

All the energy that had been stored in Titan Shatterstorm’s body and bloodline recombined with his body, this time in a completely different manner. Demonic patterns appeared on the man’s core, wild and filled with savage intensity.

Titan Shatterstorm’s heart began to beat again, and as his blood passed through his core, it began to change color. It bore the familiar aura of the Skyforge Titan but lacked the violent intensity it once had.

The transformation was completely unlike that of a Painted Daoist. There was no formation of a domain. It was also unlike a demon’s initiation in that no demon weapon or armor appeared.

Titan Shatterstorm’s aura started off as bronze ranked, upon which mysterious demonic patterns appeared on his skin. They resembled totems that spoke of his ancestry, and each totem bore a great deal of energy.

And when his aura broke through to silver rank, a projection of the main totem appeared, forming a likeness of the Skyforge Titan. This projection grew and intensified as Titan Shatterstorm’s aura climbed all the way back up to his original cultivation level, roughly the equivalent of peak silver.

Cha Ming let out a deep sigh. “So it’s possible after all. How are you feeling, Shatterstorm?”

Titan Shatterstorm was fully lucid, and he pulled his aura back into his body without any difficulty. The now not so large but still gigantic man blinked in surprise and looked around. “I feel… great!”

“My son!” Titan Thunderfist said, yanking him off the bed. He began to pat down Shatterstorm’s body with heavy hands that would completely crush a normal human being but proved to be no problem with his newfound strength.

Titan Shatterstorm couldn’t help but marvel as he inspected his marked skin. “My bloodline…” Titan Shatterstorm said. “My bloodline is stable! And extremely useable in this state. I don’t feel like I have to hold back!”

“Really?” Titan Thunderfist asked. “To think that such a thing was possible… What about your abilities? Your combat and forging abilities?”

“I still have them!” Titan Shatterstorm said. “My combat ability has dropped slightly, but I believe my forging abilities have gone up a notch!” As he spoke, a projection of the Skyforge Titan appeared in the room. Everyone felt a wave of intense heat and hammering.

Patriarch Thunderfist did not look pleased, and he immediately shattered the projection. “Unruly child, unleashing your ability like that. This is an infirmary!” he scolded. “Have you learned nothing about reining in your strength?” He turned to Cha Ming. “Is this repeatable?”

Cha Ming nodded slowly. “It is. It’s only… I am reluctant to do so in cases not involving life and death. I’m not sure what will happen long term without any data, but given my experiences with other humans, those transformed in this way will typically have a short lifespan. About as long as a ranker’s. As for this new brand of… Painted Demons, let’s call them… I estimate their lifespan will be about the same.” He was currently running accelerated simulations inside the Clear Sky World to confirm it.

“Not a problem,” Titan Thunderfist said, surprising Cha Ming. “If it can save my clansmen and stabilize their bloodline, then it’s a boon.”

Petros also spoke up. “You might not know this, Clear Sky, but Titan clansmen have notoriously short lifespans. No one really knew why, but seeing what I’ve seen today, I imagine this is because their bloodline is simply too violent, and the only reason they were able to breed so quickly compared to powerful gods or demons is because they have not been able to fully merge the bloodline with their own, even after so many generations.”

“That’s right,” Titan Thunderfist said. “Out of all our clansmen, only I have been lucky enough to live past four hundred.”

“Then I am relieved,” Cha Ming said. “That leaves only one problem.” His eyes darted over to Petros. “I’m afraid that by following this path, you will become enemies with both the Churches of Jezeriah and Harid Dej, Patriarch Thunderfist. You will likely have to migrate to demon territory or face serious repercussions.”

“This…” Patriarch Thunderfist frowned.

“Father, I overheard your discussion when I was incapacitated,” Titan Shatterstorm said. “It appears that we are no longer welcome in Titanvale. Why stay in this city? Our ancestors would not want us to suffer for mere land.”

Patriarch Thunderfist’s expression softened. “Yes, that’s true. But migrating an entire clan is a great undertaking, Shatterstorm. It will be expensive, and these things take time.”

“If it’s merely relocation, I can probably help you,” Cha Ming said. “After all, I have a good relationship with the Shanarah Mountain Range, which owns the teleportation network running through your city. Moreover, the network got a large upgrade recently. I can’t say I could move the entire city, but if it’s merely the ten thousand people in your residence and your equipment… a day would suffice, assuming you can provide me with enough inkwell jades?”

“Then it’s settled,” Patriarch Thunderfist said. “I will make the arrangements. In the meantime, if you could begin healing all those with acute cases immediately, starting with the sickest, I would be ever so grateful. I will spread the word and have everyone gathered.”

Cha Ming smiled and pulled out another twenty talismans. He already had incarnations in the Clear Sky World producing them. “The main problem will be explaining the situation. The process is voluntary, and I can do nothing if they reject it.” He then gave a sidelong glance to Petros, who was scratching his chin and grinning like a child.

“Things have gotten very interesting,” Petros said. “I’d always wondered why the churches in Desert’s Blessing attacked a sect you were on such good terms with. I thought it was personal. This makes so much more sense.”

Cha Ming turned to Yu Wen and grimaced apologetically. “I’m afraid I’ll be tied up here for a few days. Feel free to go do your thing.”

“Nonsense,” Yu Wen said. “I’m happy to help.”

He couldn’t help but look at her suspiciously.

It’s very challenging to build up a good personal relationship with the Titan Clan, all right? she said covertly. This is the opportunity of a lifetime! “Shatterstorm, was it?” Yu Wen said. “I think you’re the best spokesperson for the process. Why don’t you go ahead and spread the word? I’ll start setting up an infirmary space while Cha Ming treats patients. Patriarch Thunderfist, I imagine you’ll be very busy with the relocation?”

“You heard her,” Titan Shatterstorm said. “I want a group of runners in here as soon as possible. We’ll repurpose the third and fourth meeting hall for treatment. I want every man, woman, and child in the clan to be seen as soon as possible.”

“Every man, woman, and child?” Cha Ming said, aghast.

“This is our strength, but it is also our curse,” Patriarch Thunderfist said. “If we can eliminate the ills that have plagued us for millennia, there’s no need to hesitate.”

Cha Ming frowned. He hadn’t thought of it, but… was this inheritable? “Let me run a few tests. It’s probably best to proceed with caution.” He wanted to confirm the stability of this solution over not one but many lifetimes. Could he even simulate that?

It turned out that he could, and Shennong’s Simulacrum had functions built in for approximating even things like genetic diseases or bioaccumulating poisons across generations. If he hadn’t already been told it was an immortal treasure by Yu Wen, he would have started to suspect it.

One doubt disappeared after another. The solution was stable a hundred generations down, and it was confirmed that Painted Demons had similar lifespans to Painted Daoists. The bloodline was transmittable in the same way that demon bloodlines were. But there was a catch—it could only ever exist as a Painted bloodline, assuming no mutations occurred.

Cha Ming wasn’t sure if he was making the right decision long term, but he decided that if he was going to fix some of their problems, he might as well do it properly. There might be political problems down the road, but this felt right.

These people were cursed with short lives and powers they couldn’t control, and they’d been stabbed in the back by their neighbors. They had nowhere else to go.

They needed hope, and Cha Ming could give them that.