Elder Yan saw Lord Zhou move but the man had not been fast enough. Lightning was speed, swiftness, even the Lord could not beat him in this regard.
“What have you done?!” the man screamed, genuine fury burning in his eyes now.
“What you should’ve done ages ago,” Elder Yan spat, grasping at the Lord’s arms. “Harboring a demon in your own castle, you have become a traitor Lord Zhou. I will not stand for it. You no longer are fit to hold the title of Lord of this peak,” Elder Yan said.
Lord Zhou’s expression twisted and Elder Yan simply glowered back at the man. But neither moved against each other.
What did move, was something else entirely.
Elder Yan glanced sideways, noticing one of the demon boy’s friends holding him in their arms. Elder Yan scowled, Qi flaring rapidly as he prepared to finish the job.
“I would not do that if I were you,” Elder Sheng said, putting an arm on his shoulder. Elder Yan scoffed, yet his body was frozen under the man, unwilling to move.
“Ah, my dear junior brother. What a mess you’ve left for us,” Sheng Yuan said.
Before Elder Yan could ask the man what he meant, he felt the world erupt around him.
Crack.
Something broke.
Like an egg cracking. But what came out was no mere beast. The weight of the world descended upon them, as Elder Yan found himself pushed down to his knees. Panic stirred in his heart, the strength displayed reminding him of the only man he had witnessed who had ever been this powerful.
The emperor is here?! No… no this is… someone else.
With all his will, Elder Yan looked up, and saw… Lu Jie standing on his feet. But he knew, it was the boy no longer. His hair was white, his body a pale color, as an ethereal aura flowed around him. Scales formed on his skin as the weight of his aura began to crack the earth he stood upon. The beast’s eyes glowed a powerful white, before its eyes moved to rest on Elder Yan.
A shiver went down the Elder’s spine, and without a moment’s delay, he fled for his life. The elder’s body turned into lightning itself, as he moved faster than any physical form ever could as he burned through his Qi.
But in moments, he saw the beast appear in front of him in the blink of an eye, glowing eyes regarding him with cold calculation.
“You are a thorn. A result of this broken cycle. No longer can you exist,” the beast said, raising its arm as he clutched Elder Yan in his grip. Death loomed over him, more certain than he had ever felt in his life, as the creature held him in his hand.
“What… are you…?” Elder Yan gasped.
“We are the price of your immortality. The result of the cycle you have broken. Now we will take what is our due.”
And so the beast did. Qi began to flow, in torrents, as the creature took it with him. Realm after realm, decades of cultivation slowly flowing into the creature, lost forever.
“Hey, you! Take this!” A voice exclaimed, as a strike struck the creature’s face, drawing blood. The beast turned to see Elder Sheng flying in the air, with piles of rocks in his hand that he tossed around.
“Ah, that got your attention, did it?” Elder Sheng said, before throwing another rock at the beast. The creature grabbed the rock with one arm, the impact of the small pebble striking like an explosion that shook the air itself.
“Child of Death and Fire. Why do you fight us?”
“I don’t really want to either, but you see. I don’t like when the Divine Beasts just begin to run the show. Doesn’t really sit right with me. Especially since you’ve taken over my junior brother’s body like that.”
“So you wish to be an obstacle in our path?”
“You can say that,” Sheng Yuan replied, smiling.
“Very well.”
Elder Yan gasped, as the monster let go. He fell through the skies, his cultivation having lost decades of Qi, and strength. Screaming, Elder Yan used his arts, lightning swirling around him as he crashed through the branches beneath him, before falling onto the earth. His body ached, bones cracked and broken. His cultivation had been returned to the edge of the third realm, barely enough for anything.
Coughing, Elder Yan slowly pulled himself up, fury and shame burning in his chest as he looked at the skies. Yet the anger faded soon after, replaced by a primal fear he hadn’t felt in ages.
Just what had he unleashed?
***
“Lu Jie! Stop!” Yan Yun screamed into the skies, yet no one replied.
Zhang put a hand on her shoulder, as she looked at him, feeling frustrated. The world shook around her, as Yan Yun looked at the skies, feeling helpless.
The heavens rumbled, Elder Sheng fighting Lu Jie, keeping the destruction in check. No one else dared even try.
“What is happening?” Zhou Fang asked, having come to consciousness a little while earlier, as he now stood confused amidst the destroyed dueling arena.
“Lu Jie won,” Yan Yun won, her lips pursed as her eyes remained at the skies.
“Isn’t that good? Why… do you look so concerned?” Zhou Fang asked.
“A spirit has taken over Lu Jie’s body,” Lord Zhou said, standing in front of the children, before his gaze went to Zhang. “Do you know what is happening?”
“Brother Jie… never went into detail. But he had mentioned a spirit that he could draw power from but could not control. That spirit is what seems to be rampaging right now.”
“He… he was poisoned by grandfather,” Yan Yun said. “A spirit poison that would eat at his cultivation and spirit. Granny Lang had made something to hold back the poison but the battle seems to have released it. I think… Lu Jie lost control of the spirit because of that.”
Lord Zhou looked at the skies, the waves of the battle shaking the earth beneath them from shockwaves, as a deep frown came upon his expression. “At this rate, he’ll destroy half the empire before he can be stopped.”
Elder Tian Feng arrived in a blur of mist. “What’re your orders my lord?”
“Send word to the cultivators, start erecting wards upon the seventh peak. Begin evacuating the villages nearby and call them back to safety,” Lord Zhou said, as people rushed around.
“Leiyu has gone to the capital, to one of our friends in the Shie family. He should be returning soon with the antidote. Perhaps with that…?” Yan Yun trailed off.
“Then, pray that your spirit can return to us in time,” Lord Zhou said, watching the skies.
***
Liuxiang lay in her bed, feeling exhaustion flowing through her. The training her great-grandmother had been giving her only seemed to be rising in intensity as she pushed forward in her cultivation with blazing speeds. She did not mind the training, but having to manage all the politics of being the great Elder’s disciple when exhausted made things all that much harder. She knew her grandmother was well aware of this, and was likely pushing her to make her better prepared to be able to handle things even when she’s at her worst, but that did not make her hate the woman any less in the moment.
“At least it’s good for you,” Zhi Zhu said from her spirit.
“Easy for Zhi Zhu to say. I’m the one suffering,” Liuxiang complained.
“Zhi Zhu is suffering too. She has been training relentlessly. Just… not as relentlessly as the Eldest would have her train.”
Liuxiang groaned, rolling in her soft bed made of cloud-cotton. Something so luxurious just imagining sleeping on it would’ve felt like blasphemy. Now it was just another part of life. At least she didn’t bleed, unlike some of her cousins. She pitied them. It was one of the few things she appreciated about her bloodline.
“Seems funny to think Liuxiang had been so desperate to pretend to be human before. To join their false pretenses.”
Liuxiang grunted, agreeing to Zhi Zhu. “It isn’t so bad. But… it does feel nice to not need to do so as well.”
Zhi Zhu manifested nearby, crawling around the chamber. “What does Liuxiang plan to do for the winter’s feast? The celebration draws closer and closer.”
“I haven’t decided yet,” Liuxiang said. “I hear they’re inviting all seven lords of each of the peaks. That hasn’t happened since last century. And then grandmother will obviously be the focus of that feast.”
“Which means Liuxiang will be the center of attention for the entire empire. Thinking of it like that, Eldest’s training almost seems kind.”
Liuxiang groaned, burying her face into her bed.
“Liuxiang. Get up. There’s an intruder.”
Within a moment, Liuxiang was on her feet, needles in hand and ready to strike. Zhi Zhu had melded back into her, as their senses scanned the area. A moment later, Liuxiang shot her needles out, as they struck out through the window and she heard a cry of a bird outside.
“What in the heavens!” a voice shouted and Liuxiang rushed closer to see a familiar spirit.
“Leiyu? What are you doing here?”
“Lu Jie needs your help. Elder Yan has poisoned him, and we need an antidote. Leiyu has come here to ask for help.”
Liuxiang let Leiyu in, her expression darkening. “How is Lu Jie?”
“Fine, last we saw. But it’s hard to say what’s happening right now,” Leiyu replied.
“That boy has not lost his habit of getting into needless trouble,” Zhi Zhu said.
“Do you have the poison on you?” Liuxiang asked.
“We do,” Leiyu said, handing over the letter. Liuxiang quickly glanced at the contents, before picking out the needle present inside.
“Spirit eating poison. Vicious in usage. This poison acts rather quickly. The fact that Lu Jie was fine for so long… is hard to believe.”
“Last we saw he was okay. But he is not normal, as we all know. Still, there have been problems.”
Liuxiang looked at the poison, before glancing at Leiyu. “We have the cure, but it’ll need us to go there directly.”
Leiyu looked at Liuxiang, before signing. “We can take a larger form and take you with us. But it’ll be a difficult ride.”
Liuxiang nodded.
“Liuxiang, you cannot be serious. What about Eldest? What will you tell her?” Zhi Zhu asked.
“Zhi Zhu, stay behind for us and calm her down? We’ll be back as soon as we can,” Liuxiang said, picking the needle as she put it in a bowl, before beginning to take out herbs from her shelves.
“She will chew Zhi Zhu out,” Zhi Zhu said, but did not refuse.
Liuxiang smiled at her spirit, before she began to take out the herbs she needed. Poison Qi flowed around her hand, as it mingled with the herbs, and she sat down, putting the edge of the needle into the mixture.
Minutes passed in silence, before the mixture turned into a black goop that hissed as it moved.
“It is done,” Liuxiang replied.
“That quickly?” Leiyu asked, surprised.
“Making the antidote is simple. It is its delivery that is the difficult part,” Liuxiang said.
“Very well, then let us depart,” Leiyu said, lightning crackling around the eagle as his smaller form grew rapidly, until it was large enough for Liuxiang to ride on.
“Zhi Zhu, we’re counting on you,” Liuxiang said.
“As always, it must be Zhi Zhu who has to do the difficult tasks. Go and save your friend, we’ll handle Eldest.”
Liuxiang smiled, as she climbed onto Leiyu.
“Hold on tight,” Leiyu said, and with a bright crackle of lightning, they were off.