An endless expanse of darkness existed in front of Zhang. Where there should’ve been a ring of light, held by a brilliant tree connecting him and Shi Lua, there was now a burning stump, and the shattered remnants of his core as it had split in two.Gu and Qi swirled in endless swirls in front of Zhang, the two energies colliding and threatening to break his spirit apart.Zhang looked at the turmoil in his spirit, his cultivation on the brink of collapsing again. Yet, somehow, he felt no worry, or fear.“Sii!” Shi Lua exclaimed. Zhang glanced back at the spirit. Her body burned in parts, embers eating through her leaves. She was not spared from the tribulation either.Yet, instead of any pain and anguish, he saw relief in her eyes. A sentiment he echoed. Their spirit finally felt free. Free of the false ties that had been imposed upon them, and liberated by the truth of the world.Change was painful, and it was difficult. But change brought new life, and growth. This was growth. A chan

My head snapped towards Zhang as I stood from my seat, walking closer. Chi stirred in the boy’s core, a familiar yet unfamiliar energy arranged in a dispersed cloud spread around the dantian.With a flutter of his eyelids, Zhang slowly opened his eyes, and I noticed the dark purple color they’d taken on, with sprinkles of stars and golden light scattered across them.“Yin, quickly get the Old Man,” I said, pressing my palm on Zhang’s abdomen as I felt the burning light flowing outwards from within.Slowly, the boy rose, picking himself up. “How long was I asleep?” Zhang asked.“About a day,” I replied, my voice breaking momentarily with a chuckle.Zhang nodded, pulling himself to his feet, before he pressed his fist into his palm, bowing his head deeply.“Brother Jie. I thank you for your guidance. I am once again in your debt, for all that you’ve done for me.”I looked at the boy, before patting his shoulder once. “Raise your head, Zhang,” I said, and Zhang looked up.“Is that how yo

"He’s been injured, and fell unconscious, and I didn’t know what to do, you see. So I went and brought it a little something to eat from the village, snuck in and out so no one would smell all the miasma on me. Then this guy just perked right up and has been whining every time I try to leave. A couple of beasts also tried to attack it and I had to separate the fights and, given how bad the storm was at the time, I figured I would spend the night here, to make sure he doesn’t die,” Su Lin said, looking back at the giant wolf. “I know how this looks. Heavens, I still don’t believe I’m taking care of a demonic beast of all things, but it felt a bit weird to just leave it to die. And it kept giving me these pitiful eyes. I blame ya for making me get so used to bizarre things like this.”I stared at Su Lin, before my gaze went to the Wolf. I finally noticed the many, many scars and wounds it carried on its body. It was injured, and quite heavily so.Slowly I walked closer, and the wolf gro

Having killed the demon, I lunged at the next one striking at me. I bit its blade, pulling back as before, grabbing the handle with my mouth. Rushing ahead, I let the weapon slice through the demon’s body, before I threw it. The blade swung, before slicing another demon’s head in half.I howled, victorious, before I let my flames take over. Fire erupted all around me, pillars of dark flames that killed any in their path. The demons ran, but the flames were faster, eating through their bodies and souls as they turned to ash, returning to the earth they had come from.I soaked in their miasma, growing stronger still as I charged ahead.The last of my kin fell, their dying howls now quiet. I did not care. They had fulfilled their purpose, and soon I would too.My claws slashed through a demon’s gut, and I did not spare another moment on it, rushing ahead. I knew it would die soon.My teeth tore through another’s leg, before I bit at its gut, burning through its insides in moments. Arrows

Yan Yun felt troubled. Ever since she had learned the damning truth of the very heavens, her spirit had been shaken. She paced around her room, unable to settle down. An order in death? A broken cycle? The words still did not feel real to her. But the heavy rumbling in her spirit told her that it was, that the words she had heard were the truth. A truth so great, they formed a fundamental aspect of the world she lived in.But then, what did this mean? That the true path was to be a demonic cultivator? To accept miasma and death? It was an odd thought, and even now she could only feel revulsion at the vile sensation that Gu created within her.“Why is Yan Yun so restless?” Leiyu asked from her spirit.“Because my Path feels like it has been a lie,” Yan Yun said, taking a seat at her bed. “All of our Paths feel like a lie. Everything we have been taught is wrong. Everything everyone knows is wrong, the entire empire was established on a lie. How could I be fine after learning that?”“Yo