Way of the Devil

‘Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill: Level Four. Special Effect(s): Accelerated Qi Replenishment, Accelerated Healing, Balances Yin and Yang.’

‘I’ve been pursuing strength too exclusively…’ Lu Sheng contemplated, gripping his palm. ‘If only I had upgraded Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill at the same pace like what I did at the beginning, my healing abilities and resistance to poison would surely be more effective than currently and I wouldn’t end up gravely wounded and poisoned, with my meridians damaged, like now.’

‘Begin martial arts extrapolation?’ the dialogue box popped up in the Modifier screen.

Sucking in a deep breath of air, Lu Sheng cleared his mind.

‘Yes,’ he confirmed.

***

Pale yellow lanterns rocked in the wind.

Xiao Hongye stood in the courtyard, gazing at the full moon in the night sky.

“Not back yet?” he asked in a whisper.

“Senior Black has gone to look for him. I believe we’ll hear news soon,” behind him, Taoist Bai Feng frowned. “The four Emissaries have left a long time ago and there’s been no word from them ever since. And now, we’ve even lost contact with Lord Officiator who went out after them. When did the Northern Lands turn so perilous?”

Bai Feng shook his head, “What if there’s no news from Senior Black either?” he glanced at Xiao Hongye.

“I’ll report the truth as it is,” Xiao Hongye sighed.

“One Officiator, a top-notch expert, has gone missing together with four Emissaries. I guess this must count as a big blow for Ashoka Manor,” Bai Feng whispered.

Xiao Hongye did not reply. In actual fact, given the connections and intelligence networks of these two individuals, they had discovered the loud explosions and traces of a savage fight in Windless Valley very quickly. Apart from a battle involving experts in the Officiator and Emissaries’ league, nothing else could leave behind such a tragic scene of ruin.

They had left to ambush Martial League. But now, unexpectedly, they all went missing. Since Martial League was Ashoka Manor’s foe, it naturally drew their suspicions.

“Perhaps Martial League’s League Master personally made a move. But, it’s too early to tell,” Xiao Hongye shook his head slightly.

“If some mishap truly happened this time, then perhaps the location of the Ritual Offering needs to change. The Northern Lands are too unstable,” Bai Feng said softly.

“Yeah…” Xiao Hongye spoke no further.

“Scarlet Dragon Tribulation, Zhen Family’s departure, Scarlet District going into hiding… apart from Martial League, no other power can hold back Lord Officiator now,” Bai Feng continued.

“BAM!!”

While the two of them were talking, the doors of the courtyard were slammed opened unceremoniously. The hunch-backed single-eyed Senior Black, dressed in black robes, glared sinisterly at Xiao Hongye.

He tossed a sack on his shoulder to the ground. Blood was seeping out of the sack. “Inform the Manor: The four great Emissaries were killed in action. Lord Officiator has gone missing. Likely killed. Request for reinforcements!!”

At the end of the sentence, he turned and headed out again.

Xiao Hongye and Bai Feng were stunned. Seeing that Senior Black was walking out, Xiao Hongye hurriedly asked, “Senior Black, where’re you going?!”

“Find the real culprit. Avenge my master!” Senior Black paused and turned around to glare at Xiao Hongye suddenly.

“Are you very happy? Master isn’t here to contest your authority anymore. The Northern Lands are once again your territory!”

Xiao Hongye’s face fell.

“How can you say that, Senior Black? If I truly cared for all these, I could have rejected Lord Officiator’s arrangements right from the beginning! If I refused to give up my power, even Lord Officiator wouldn’t be able to do anything about it!”

“It sounds nice on your lips, but who knows what you really think?” Senior Black laughed coldly. “Who’s to say that you weren’t the one who tipped off Martial League in the dark and caused Master to get caught in an ambush?”

“Senior Black!” Xiao Hongye’s face was now extremely ugly. He shouted sternly, “Some things cannot be said irresponsibly!”

“You know the truth best in your heart. Don’t let me find out that you were the one who stabbed him in the back. Otherwise…” a red spark flashed across Senior Black’s eyes. Turning around and leaping forward, he disappeared beyond the door.

Taoist Bai Feng stepped forward and slit open the sack gently with his long sword. Some carcass parts, like broken limbs and a bird leg, rolled out immediately.

“These are…!?” Bai Feng could not recognize them.

However, once Xiao Hongye’s sight landed on some of the clothes and accessories among the carcasses, his face turned pale and he breathed in deeply.

“These are the bodily remains of Emissaries Bai Jing and Quan Huan! I see their jade pendants.”

At those words, Bai Feng’s face immediately changed in shock as well.

Earlier, their guesses were merely just that—guesses. But now, they were thoroughly shocked at the sight of these tragic remains.

“This can’t be the work of Martial League’s League Master…” Xiao Hongye evaluated. Martial League’s League Master was too merciful to use such cruel methods on the four Emissaries, even if he did kill them.

He exchanged a glance with Bai Feng, both of them clearly shaken.

The Northern Lands… were getting more and more chaotic and mysterious…

“News!”

Outside the courtyard, a muscular man dressed in a purple soldier’s uniform rushed in and knelt on one knee. Then, he passed a letter sealed in wax to Bai Feng.

“Urgent memo from the Intelligence Agency!”

Bai Feng received the memo and unfurled it. Scanning it quickly, his eyes turned grave.

“That Sect Master Lu has also been wounded in this mission. If we want to know the truth, we’ll be sure to gain something from asking him.”

He folded the letter and looked at Xiao Hongye.

“This Sect Master Lu must be in the know. I just received intelligence that he led a team of men out at night. The destination was the Windless Valley at the foot of the Eastern Mountain. That’s precisely the site of the ambush against Martial League, which the Officiator mentioned.”

“Looks like there’s more than meets the eye to this Sect Master Lu,” Xiao Hongye said calmly.

***

In the sanctuary.

Lu Sheng’s eyes were shut tightly. In his mind, he was staring at Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill’s row in the Modifier.

‘Since I’ve got enough Yin Qi, I should upgrade Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill as much as I can first. Otherwise, any Tom, Dick, or Harry can kill me now. It’s too dangerous.’

Without losing a beat, he pressed the Modify button behind Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill.

“Hoo…”

The words for Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill turned blurry.

This incredible skill that was the result of a fusion of several life force skills shook in Lu Sheng’s body, then accelerated.

With the acceleration, Lu Sheng immediately sensed that the inner Qi movement routes of Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill in his body faintly resembled Aquarius Qi, which he had just become initiated in.

‘Could it be that it integrated the strengths of Aquarius Qi within itself and perfected itself?’ Lu Sheng guessed after feeling the Yin Qi depleting at an incredible rate in him.

In the span of a few breaths, Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill came into focus again.

‘Unknown Skill: Level Five. Special Effect(s): Poison Resistance, Accelerated Qi Replenishment, Balances Yin and Yang, Qi Transfer.’

‘Eh? What’s this Qi Transfer effect about?’ Lu Sheng was stunned. Swiftly, he recalled the description regarding Qi Transfer in the mobile app game that he had played in his previous life.

‘I remember that in that game, Qi Transfer referred to the channeling of one’s Qi into another body. Since this is an amalgamated life force skill, could this Qi Transfer mean that I can heal others?’

Sitting down cross-legged, he circulated the newly thickened and strengthened Jade Crane Skill inner Qi within him. Its gentle coolness was much milder than before. As it circulated to his wounds, he felt a keen numbness and itch from them.

Alas! It didn’t last long. The Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill that was only just replenished was quickly depleted, consumed by his wounds. Every ounce of inner Qi generated after that was immediately sucked away by his wounds.

‘Again!’ Lu Sheng sensed that he had only expended five or six units of Yin Qi thus far. Quickly, he clicked on the Modify button after Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill again.

“Pa.”

He pressed the button resolutely in his mind.

Instantly, the row containing Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill turned blurry again.

This time, it remained blurred for more than ten breaths’ span. Only after that did the box regain clarity.

“Unknown Skill: Level Six. Special Effect(s): High-Speed Qi Replenishment, Amplified Poison Resistance, High-Speed Healing, Yin Yang Suppression, Qi Transfer.”

Lu Sheng immediately felt the radical difference in this skill after this last upgrade.

Immediately after extrapolation, massive volumes of Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill inner Qi swiftly gathered in his chest, forming a gradually spinning ball of Qi about the size of a goose egg.

What surprised Lu Sheng the most was that the scorching sensation in his wounds was dissipating rapidly. That meant that the fire poison left behind by the Officiator was quickly being expelled from his body.

In this last extrapolation, Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill obviously assimilated the strengths of Aquarius Qi and had its effects boosted significantly.

He felt a cool sensation pervade his entire body, relieving him of his pain. Lu Sheng looked at the Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill row again.

‘It shouldn’t be called Yin Yang Jade Crane Skill anymore. After absorbing the strengths of Aquarius Qi… erm… It should be called…

Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi!’

With that thought, the words Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi appeared as the name of the skill in the Modifier.

He felt the incessant cool numbness and itch on his skin, then gently untied the bandages. The purplish red toxin on his thigh wound had mostly dissipated!

Just moments earlier, the wound bore signs of fire poison infection. But now, only a little bit of remnant toxin was left.

“Impressive!” Lu Sheng exclaimed.

Although Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi was not of Yang attribute and thus could inflict no damage on ghosts and Anomalies, its needle Qi form and its effects in curing and expelling all sorts of poisons made it a perfect healing-type inner force skill.

‘Perhaps Qi Transfer means the ability to heal someone else. I can find someone to test it out on,’ Lu Sheng planned. ‘Based on this speed of healing, I can recover in about two months.’

A heavy stone weighing on his heart finally rolled off.

If he were unable to heal quickly, he was bound to face unimaginable threats and dangers.

But now, he had hope of a speedy recovery.

‘I wonder if it could be even faster!’ Lu Sheng recalled the terrifying healing capabilities of the Bind realm. He continued looking at Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi with anticipation.

He had reaped a big harvest this time, obtaining more than fifty units of Yin Qi. The two upgrades he just made expended only slightly over ten units.

‘Let’s see what happens when I upgrade it by one more level. Since it’s absorbed the strengths of Aquarius Qi, perhaps it can achieve balance with Yang Extreme Mode as well!’ without further ado, Lu Sheng sat cross-legged once more. After some bites of food, he resumed a meditative state.

While the Modifier screen remained open, he pressed once again on the button after Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi in his mind.

“Szzzz….”

The Modifier shook and the row turned blurry again.

Time ticked away. Ten breaths passed. Twenty breaths passed. Then thirty. Then forty! Only after sixty breaths passed did Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi’s box become clear again.

‘Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi: Level Seven. Special Effect(s): High-Speed Qi Replenishment, Intensified Poison Resistance, High-Speed Healing, Yin Yang Suppression, Qi Transfer, Assimilation.’

‘Assimilation? What the heck is that?’ Lu Sheng felt cheated. Apart from increasing the gross volume of inner Qi in him, this upgrade did not produce any discernible changes in him. Only an additional “Assimilation” special effect popped up.

But, some inexplicable instinct told him that there was more than meets the eye to the Assimilation special effect.

Fortunately, with the increase in his gross inner Qi volume, the scorching sensation left in him by Yang Extreme Mode quickly dissipated. A mild, temperate sensation flooded his entire body, easing him of all discomfort.

‘Forget it. Now, I just need to focus on healing myself and take no further action. When my injuries have completely recovered, I’ll use the remaining Yin Qi for more upgrades. Looks like the problem of excessive Yang Qi in my hard body skills is resolved for now. I just need to keep continue keeping pace with upgrading Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi,’ he shelved his thoughts. Presently, his recovery was his utmost priority. He did not believe that Ashoka Manor would not make any moves after their huge losses.

Surely, someone would soon discover that he had made a trip to the foot of the Eastern Mountain that night and would come digging around.