I Shall Steal The Heavens

While the words left my mouth, numerous crimson spears streaked through the air and lanced toward the six Great Elders, the hapless old men too slow and clumsy to move out of the way. If they were martial artists, they probably wouldn"t have any problems dodging, but they devoted their lives to blacksmithing and Spirit Engraving and completely neglected any martial arts training. Thus they were physically weak.

Ignoring me, Blood Shadow"s eyes gleamed murderously as he directed his hail of blood spears toward his targets, almost slavering gleefully at the prospect of achieving his revenge at last.

"…oh, well."

Shaking my head, I raised my hand and snapped my fingers. Responding to my will, Snow Aegis materialized (or to be more accurate, enlarged from the usual spatial device I kept on my person) and flew toward the Great Elders. Hovering above them, it halted the ferocious bombardment of the crimson spears, six layers of transparent barriers coming into existence.

"This…!"

The Great Elders" eyes widened and they turned to stare at me.

"Good job, Fei Wu!" Hai Rong shouted. Forcing herself to her feet and disregarding her severe injuries, she forcibly conjured her qi and executed a powerful technique that caused her to cough out more blood. Withstanding the pain, she drew a Spirit Spear of her own and hurled it at Blood Shadow. "Yan Chi! You won"t get away with this!"

Instructor Hai…you just had to say the most cliché phrase ever…

"Ungrateful idiot!"

Blood Shadow dismissively snorted and batted away the Spirit Spear. Unfortunately for him, that was a mere diversion. Hai Rong was launching her real attack from Yan Chi"s left, almost catching him by surprise. The former Blood Blades commander took a single step back, Hai Rong"s blade nearly piercing his skull.

Bellowing, he drew a hammer from within his robes. Elder Hai Mo stirred restlessly when he caught sight of the hammer, so I guessed this was one of the Spirit Armaments that he had forged for Yan Chi in the past.

In a single motion, Yan Chi knocked Hai Rong back with immense force, sending her hurtling away as blood spurted from her mouth, eyes and nose. Choking and coughing, she tumbled helplessly, only for Hai Mo to quickly spring up and catch her. The middle-aged couple slid back, the chief elder unable to halt the momentum, but he was eventually able to stabilize himself and quickly apply emergency first aid to his wife.

"Rong"er!"

From his stricken voice, it was clear that Hai Rong was no longer able to fight. She was barely conscious, and Hai Mo quickly slipped a Spirit Pill into her mouth in order to keep her heavy internal injuries under control and preserve her life.

"d.a.m.n it!" I cursed under my breath. I would have shifted my Snow Aegis to protect Hai Rong, but she was too close to the enemy, and furthermore I couldn"t move my Spirit Shield away or I would leave the Great Elders vulnerable to Yan Chi"s attacks.

Blood Shadow chortled as he turned toward the trembling Great Elders. Retrieving a red whip from his robes – most likely another one of those Spirit Armaments that Hai Mo crafted for him – he lashed out with it, but again my Snow Aegis hovered protectively in front of them. The whip glanced harmlessly off the barriers, causing the screens of qi to ripple ominously.

"Hmph…not bad. But…!"

Undaunted, Yan Chi surged forward and swung his Spirit Hammer as violently as he could. Just like the legendary Thor and his mighty Mjolnir, the Spirit Hammer crackled foerciously with terrifying amounts of qi.

"Nine Heavens" Qi!" Yan Chi shouted as he smashed his hammer against my Snow Aegis. In an instance, all six barriers shattered and my Spirit Shield was sent spinning helplessly away. I reached out and caught it, slightly relieved to see that despite the destruction of its defensive qi, the armament itself was undamaged.

"That"s…"

I narrowed my eyes, recognizing that technique as a Heaven and Earth Formula technique.

"Ha ha ha ha! You"re all doomed!"

With no one able to save them now, the six Great Elders cowered as Yan Chi swung his hammer at them. They scattered, but the sixth Great Elder was too slow. He was obliterated by his strike, turning into a fine spray of mist and blood.

"Whoa!"

"No!"

"Please…!"

The surviving Great Elders backed away in fear as Blood Shadow turned toward them with a murderous leer, triumphant and expectant.

I couldn"t allow him to do any more damage. Steeling my resolve, I lunged at him, supported by a volley of qi beams from the mobile turrets that detached from my Snow Aegis. One of them punched a neat hole through Yan Chi"s body and he staggered. Swearing angrily, he turned on me, swinging his hammer, but I had antic.i.p.ated his attack and could dodge it pretty easily by dropping to my knees and sliding underneath it.

"You!"

Blood Shadow"s eyes widened, but I was already up on my feet and slashing at him with my Azure Lotus Sword. He snorted as he parried my blade with his hammer and effortlessly drove me back a couple of steps.

"You overestimate yourself! Do you really think you can fight me? Not even your instructor Hai Rong is a match for me!"

He swung his hammer at me again, and I easily dodged it by reading the flow of his qi. Thanks to Heavenly Flow and Earthly Steps, I was able to sense where his attacks were coming from and read his movements, which allowed me to stay one step ahead of him.

After dodging his huge attack, I thrust my sword forward at a segment when his qi was the weakest – something I could only sense with my Heavenly Flow and Earthly Steps. Blood Shadow twisted out of the way, but I had read that evasive maneuver too and adjusted my aim. My blade struck his shoulder and I unleashed Shadow Dragon Meteor Strike at pointblank range.

"Guaaaah!"

With a roar, Blood Shadow stumbled backward, swinging his hammer wildly. So crazed and unpredictable were his movements that I had no choice but to withdraw to a safe distance, despite being able to read the flow of his qi with Heavenly Flow and Earthly Steps.

"You…you…!" Yan Chi spluttered as he held his shoulder, blood coursing through his fingers. "That technique! What the h.e.l.l was that technique? Why does it resemble Heaven and Earth Strike so much?!"

I didn"t reply. Instead, I took another step back and held Azure Lotus Sword with both hands. Adopting an offensive stance, I prepared to attack again.

"And those movements! That"s…that"s Heavenly Flow and Earthly Steps, isn"t it?! Even Master wasn"t taught that! How and where did you learn that?!"

While Yan Chi was raving and ranting, the members of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect exchanged bewildered and bemused glances, having no idea what he was talking about. Sect Leader Zi Shou De sat up as he watched me curiously, Tang Qi Hong kneeling by her side and having no clue what was going on. Tong Xue and Lian Rou, who were nearby, having been frozen along with the inner sect elders this entire time, slowly turned their heads to stare at me in awe.

The Great Elders, half-relieved that they were still alive and didn"t share the fate of the sixth Great Elder, also turned to stare at me in shock. Even though they were grateful toward me for saving their lives, they didn"t expect me to fight on par with Blood Shadow.

After all, this was the same guy who overpowered me with just fifty percent of his power the other day.

Blood Shadow"s crazed eyes turned toward the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars behind me, and light dawned on him.

"You…did you learn those techniques while communing with the Spirit Engraved Pillars?!"

"Nope," I replied honestly. "I"ve learned them long ago. As for when and how…I have no obligation to tell you, do I?"

Yan Chi"s face had turned pale by now, though I didn"t know if the reason was because of my revelation, or disbelief, or the fact that a demonic shadow was gradually manifesting behind me. Taking on a vaguely human form, it towered over me, almost protectively.

When he caught sight of the demonic shadow, what little color remained completely drained from his face. He nodded, as if understanding something (but he was totally misunderstanding it).

"I see. So that"s how it is. That"s how you learned Heaven and Earth techniques."

No, it wasn"t.

"But how could you possibly have mastered them in such a short period of time? It"s impossible." Yan Chi was shaking his head in denial. "You only communed with the Spirit Engraved Pillars for a few days at most. You couldn"t have…"

"That"s why I told you that you"re wrong. I"ve learned them a long time ago." I sighed. "If you don"t believe me, then suit yourself. I have no obligation to convince you."

"What the h.e.l.l is that thing?" Tang Qi Hong gasped, her horrified gaze riveted on the shimmering shadow towering above me. No one provided an answer. Instead, there were only more questions.

"What"s going on?" Lian Rou whispered, her eyes wide in fear. Tong Xue shook his head, confounded.

"I have no idea."

Zi Shou De, on the other hand, were very quiet. Recognition flickered in his eyes when he caught sight of the demonic shadow behind me. Of course Sect Leader would know – I had informed him of the existence of the demonic being under the Spirit Engraved Pillars months ago, back when I requested his help to upgrade the spiritual defense of my Snow Aegis.

"So that"s how it is." He nodded, a little dazed, and then gave me a hard stare. "Did you manage to tame him?"

"He obeys me now," I replied. Zi Shou De shut his eyes and exhaled in relief.

"Good."

Blood Shadow was paying no attention to our conversation. His gaze was fixed on the demonic shadow, the murderous gleam in his eyes replaced by reverence. To everyone"s astonishment, he halted his attacks and suddenly bowed down before the demonic shadow. He raised his head, his expression that of devout admiration, as he rasped.

"You"re…you"re the Heaven and Earth Master, aren"t you? I am the first disciple of Xue Jian. My master told me about you once. The reason I came today was to release you from the Spirit Engraved Pillars and restore your freedom."

Heaven and Earth Master?

The Great Elders and inner sect elders all froze when they heard their name, their faces rigid with disbelief and denial. Tang Qi Hong, Tong Xue and Lian Rou were more amazed than ever, and they stared at me curiously, wondering what the h.e.l.l I did when communing with the Spirit Engraved Pillars earlier.

Even Hai Rong was perplexed at the sudden change in Blood Shadow"s att.i.tude. She was amused when he bowed before me – because I happened to be in front of the demonic shadow – but evidently she had not heard of any Heaven and Earth Master from Xue Jian.

Only Zi Shou De had some understanding of what was going on, and he watched the events unfold grimly. He was obviously betting on me being able to control the situation and keep a leash on the demonic shadow that I asked him for help against all those months ago regarding the spiritual defense of my Snow Aegis.

As for me, I was immensely relieved that I had made it in time. Fortunately, I had already cracked all nine seals and released Tian Yu Di, but that almost cost me my life when he suddenly turned on me. You already read about how I attempted to trap him with my Spirit Formation and failed miserably, only for him to acknowledge me as the current sect leader when he saw that I possessed the Golden Dragon Medallion that Master handed to me years ago.

So I didn"t have to go into details regarding that.

Unfortunately, as we discussed, Tian Yu Di had no physical body at the moment. Only his spirit was present, his physical flesh and blood destroyed during that intense battle almost a millennium ago. That was why he couldn"t fully manifest in this world, and could only take the vague, intangible form of a shadow.

Even then, he was already exuding such a tremendous amount of qi and power that was suffocating everyone in the vicinity and causing Yan Chi to tremble. Then again, Blood Shadow was insane, so he might just be shaking from excitement rather than oppression. Hard to tell with these nutjobs.

The demonic shadow glared scornfully at Blood Shadow.

"You"re here to free me, you said?" he scoffed. Even though he didn"t have a physical body, he was still somehow able to speak, his voice traveling spiritually rather than aurally. There was an ethereal echo that filled the entire s.p.a.ce above the plaza with his disembodied voice, giving it a terrifying quality that sent chills down everyone"s spines. "Just like your master promised? I remember Xue Jian, all right. Despite promising to help free me, he disappeared and ran away after learning the techniques I taught him, and never returned. Not to mention he failed to even touch any of the seals. If he couldn"t do it, what makes you think you can?" anger filled his voice. "And if you"re the disciple of that sc.u.m, what makes you think I can trust you?"

At that moment, I sort of understood why Tian Yu Di was so ready to backstab and betray me. After being trapped inside the Spirit World for almost a thousand years, he had experienced countless betrayals of his own, like Xue Jian"s. That was why he no longer cared about honor or keeping his word. He had been backstabbed and abandoned too many times to count, and sealed for what seemed like an eternity. Of course he would resort to any desperate measure to regain his freedom, even if it meant treachery and ruthlessness.

"Moreover, I no longer need you to free me." he looked down at me affectionately – or what could pa.s.s off as affectionately for a demonic shadow with little features and a horrifying visage, anyway. "This child has already broken the seals and returned me my freedom."

I shrugged nonchalantly under the shocked stares of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect members. "It was the only way."

Tian Yu Di continued, as if I hadn"t spoken, his voice full of scorn as he mocked Yan Chi. "And worse, look at how pathetic you are. You can"t even defeat a child, despite being vastly more experienced and stronger, and you dare to claim that you can free me?"

Blood Shadow sent me a look of pure hatred. "A brat like that…I was only playing around with him. If I"m serious, I can kill him in one strike!"

"Then prove it," I snapped, beckoning him with a hand. Not a very wise thing to do, generally, provoking an enemy more powerful than myself, but I was certain I could survive one strike. And I had already planned something out for him.

Blood Shadow snarled before he launched himself at me, sailing high into the air before descending thunderously as he swung his Thunder Hammer down on me. Seriously? He was trying to strike me with such a huge attack? I could crawl away at a snail"s pace and still be out of there by the time he reached my previous position.

"That"s Thunder Hammer Strike!" Hai Rong shouted in panic when she saw me staying still, mistakenly thinking I was going to receive the attack head-on. "Fei Wu, be careful!"

As it was, I disappeared right at the moment his hammer swung through the s.p.a.ce where I occupied prior. Using my footwork techniques, I distanced myself from Blood Shadow, appearing a few dozen meters away and unaffected by the tremors that his hammer sent rippling through the cracked plaza.

Yan Chi"s strike was so powerful that it smashed a crater into the solid concrete, and would have pulverized me if it connected. But for all of its immense force, it was useless if it failed to hit its target. Like right now.

"There goes your one strike. I"m still alive, though." I chuckled as Blood Shadow rose to his feet to gape at me. Ignoring his stupid appearance, I c.o.c.ked my head toward Tian Yu Di. "Ancestral Master, he"s all yours."

"Many thanks." The demonic shadow reached out with dark tendrils and ensnared a stunned Blood Shadow. Yan Chi struggled furiously, but was unable to break out immediately, his limbs and body bound by dozens of tendril. Over the next few minutes, as he thrashed about desperately, Blood Shadow felt a huge portion of his qi leeched away, and he eventually broke free in panic, blasting the demonic shadow apart with a tremendous amount of qi that he couldn"t afford and jumping away. Weakened, he hit the ground and rolled, before springing back to his feet, his eyes bulging.

"A…Ancestral Master?!" he glanced at me before returning to his gaze to the hovering demonic shadow, which to his terror seemed a lot more solid than before. He immediately fell to his knees and bowed his head feverishly, yelling in a voice filled with both fear and reverence. "Senior Heaven and Earth Master! I…I am here to save you!"

He was the only person besides me and Ze Shou De who knew about the existence of the demon sealed inside the Spirit Engraved Pillars. He knew that Xue Jian"s Heaven and Earth Absorption came from Tian Yu Di when he was sealed within the Spirit World.

That was why one of his goals was to personally meet Tian Yu Di and cultivate more advanced techniques of Heaven and Earth Formula. He had heard from Xue Jian that the Heaven and Earth Formula that he was cultivating was far from complete. Once he had reached a certain level, he would need to acquire a more advanced technique.

Otherwise he would suffer the same fate as Xue Jian of yesteryear. Xue Jian"s martial arts had backfired when he reached a late stage, and he had to consume fresh blood in order to maintain his powers and stabilize his qi, otherwise his qi channels would implode and kill him.

That was how Tian Yu Di restricted Xue Jian in the past, but the latter had thought himself smarter and more cunning, which led to his eventual demise. Aware that he would share the same fate, Blood Shadow had been scheming all this time to find a way to meet Tian Yu Di and acquire a more advanced Heaven and Earth technique.

Of course, this coincided with his goals of revenge against the six Great Elders and Lang Xie who had executed his master all those decades ago.

"Senior Heaven and Earth Master, please return my qi. I am willing to take you as my master!" Blood Shadow prostrated himself before Tian Yu Di and pleaded.

Tian Yu Di snorted. "I already told you that this kid saved me, and what did you do? You tried to kill him. Moreover, if you really want to me to accept me as your master, then why are you attempting to a.s.sa.s.sinate my sect leader?"

"S…sect leader?" Blood Shadow blinked. Tian Yu Di roared in laughter, his intangible form shimmering as it seemed to shake.

"Of course. Sect Leader, show him the proof of your leadership."

"I doubt he"ll recognize it even if I show it to him," I replied, but obediently retrieved the Golden Dragon Medallion and showed it to Yan Chi. The expression on his face when he saw it was priceless, and I had to suppress a chuckle.

Worth every second, I a.s.sure you.

"You…how…?" he stammered.

Fortunately, I was at an angle where the inner sect elders, Great Elders, Zi Shou De and my friends couldn"t see the Golden Dragon Medallion in my hand, or they would be asking a lot of unwanted questions.

"You tried to kill my savior and Sect Leader, and you still have the audacity to ask me to be your master?" Tian Yu Di"s voice was filled with venom and ridicule. "What an ignorant fool. The moment you raised a hand against Sect Leader, you have sealed a death sentence for yourself." His shadowy head turned toward me, still mostly featureless. "What would you have me do with this fool, Sect Leader?"

"Hmm…" I pretended to think about it, savoring the horror on Blood Shadow"s face. "Come to think of it, this man practices Heaven and Earth Formula too, and has similar qi to us. Will he be suitable for you?"

"Indeed he will." The vague line that served as a mouth in the shadowy figure widened into what would be a huge grin. "Many thanks to Sect Leader for his generosity."

"W…w…what…?" Blood Shadow managed, still not comprehending.

Those were the last coherent words he ever said.

Before he could react, the demonic shadow darted in front of him, seizing his throat with a formless hand. The other hand struck Yan Chi in the solar plexus and the b.l.o.o.d.y a.s.sa.s.sin vomited a huge splash of blood. As he dropped to his knees, dazed, after Tian Yu Di released him, the ma.s.sive demonic shadow seemed to transform into a more fluid shape and washed over Blood Shadow. The dark shadows entered through Yan Chi"s eyes, nose, mouth and ears, seeping through his orifices and forcibly intruding into his body.

Blood Shadow screamed and went into spasms, clutching his head ineffectually as his fingers went through the fluid shadows.

"No!" he shrieked. "Please, no! Get out of my body! I"m begging you! Please get out of my body! I"ll do anything!"

Turning to me, he smashed his head into the ground so violently that his the skin of forehead ruptured and sprayed blood everywhere. His crazed eyes staring at me imploringly and desperately, he pleaded.

"Sect Leader! I know that I"m wrong! I"m sorry! I"m so sorry! Please spare my life! Please…please don"t kill me! Don"t let Heaven and Earth Master take my body!"

I merely stared at him coldly.

"Would you have let me live if I asked you? Would you have spared Lang Xie or the Great Elders if they asked you to?"

Blood Shadow stared at me, speechless for a moment, before he screamed. Clutching his head, he crashed onto the ground and rolled about desperately, groaning. His skin was darkening as black qi suffused his body, like creepy ink settling on and staining every area of his flesh and qi.

His voice gradually grew weaker, and his thrashing abated somewhat. Eventually, he stopped wailing, and even the desperate gleam in his eyes vanished, replaced by a ruthless black hole. His qi had transformed completely, his body exuding a menacing aura as vast and oppressive as an ocean inhabited by colossal sea monsters. His eyes no longer shone, instead becoming pure black orbs that seemed to suck anyone who stared into them into a bottomless abyss.

The moment Zi Shou De, Luo Zhi Chang, Hai Rong and Mo Hai looked at him, they felt their blood run cold. They knew that Blood Shadow was completely gone. The shadowy existence that had towered over me earlier had totally taken over his physical body and obliterated his mind and spiritual consciousness.

There was no trace of the old Blood Shadow left.

"With such impure qi, he calls himself a pract.i.tioner of Heaven and Earth Formula?" Tian Yu Di studied his newly obtained body with disgust. "Obviously taking shortcuts and not executing the basic Heaven and Earth breathing methods correctly, and he still has the guts to ask me to be his master? What a joke!"

"Is there a problem?" I asked, somewhat concerned. "Do you need help to purify the qi in your new body?"

Tian Yu Di"s eyes softened as he swiveled to look at me. "No need. Thank you for your concern, Sect Leader, but this body will do. I"ll purify the qi myself." he licked his lips as he glanced in the direction of the approaching ten sects, who were even now clashing against the vast majority of Blood Blades. "And there seems to be a rich field of qi for me to absorb if I need to, but I shouldn"t be too greedy or I"ll need time to a.s.similate all of them."

"W…what"s going on?" Tang Qi Hong demanded, breaking the silence. Both Tian Yu Di and I turned and saw the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect members watching us in dread. The Great Elders and inner sect elders had turned as pale as ghosts and were slightly trembling.

Even Hai Rong was terrified by the apparition who had taken over her former senior"s body. She could only stare at him, speechless, unable to put a single coherent thought together.

The dense, murderous aura emanating from Tian Yu Di"s newly acquired body alone was enough to suffocate them and strike fear deep into their hearts. Even the simple act of standing had become difficult when one was in front of him.

Only Sect Leader Zi Shou De kept his cool. He looked at me and asked quietly.

"Fei Wu. What do you plan to do now?"

"Save Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, of course." I turned to Tian Yu Di, adjusting my gla.s.ses calmly. "If you don"t mind, Elder Tian Yu Di."

"This servant obeys."

To everyone"s astonishment, Tian Yu Di knelt before me and bowed his head slightly. I returned his submissive posture with a dignified nod and gestured for him to get up.

"Thank you, Elder Tian." I smiled as I turned toward the ten invading sects. "Then let"s go kill some people."