Immortal Asura: Crushing the Heavenly Dao

Blood on the Jade

"May the heavens curse you, Elder Mo, because I will surely drag you down to hell with me," Lin Feng gasped as the freezing wind ripped the remaining breath from his lungs.

He fell backward through the thick fog, the sharp mountain wall rushing past his face as a dark, jagged blur. The world became a dizzying swirl of gray mist, cold air, and whistling wind. The rocky bottom of the abyss was rushing up to meet him at an incredible speed, promising a brutal, bone-crushing end to his miserable existence as a sect punching bag. He closed his eyes, bracing for the final impact that would erase his pain forever. Suddenly, a massive, jagged boulder jutted out from the cliff face directly in his path.

With a sickening, heavy crunch, his chest slammed violently into the solid stone structure. The impact was absolute, completely shattering the ancient green jade pendant hanging around his neck. The sharp, broken fragments pierced through his outer clothing and skin, driving deep into his flesh right above his heart.

"Is this the end of my path?" Lin Feng thought, his vision darkening to a tiny pinprick of light as he rolled off the boulder and tumbled onto the hard dirt floor of the abyss. He lay there in a crumpled heap, waiting for the total darkness of death to take his consciousness away.

But the final breath did not come. Instead, the entire world slowed down until it came to an absolute halt. The falling autumn leaves froze dead in mid-air, and the howling wind died instantly into total, suffocating silence. The droplets of moisture in the thick fog hung motionless around him like tiny, floating crystal beads. Even his own heartbeat seemed to stop.

A strange, burning sensation ignited in the center of his chest, radiating from the exact spot where the broken jade had pierced his skin. The green jade fragments began to melt, turning into a liquid gold fire that flowed directly into his heart.

"What is happening to my body?" Lin Feng cried out in his mind, unable to move a single muscle on the frozen dirt floor. "It burns. It is burning everything away from the inside out."

The liquid jade surged through his torso, hunting down his shattered spiritual roots like a wild animal. With a violent spiritual burst, the broken, useless pathways in his body were completely incinerated. In their place, brilliant lines of liquid gold began to stretch outward, forming entirely new, glowing cosmic pathways through his legs, arms, and chest. The energy was pure, heavy, and ancient, far grander than any power possessed by the sect masters.

"The pain is gone," Lin Feng whispered into the absolute stillness, his eyes flying open as a strange, foreign power filled his veins. "My pathways, they are whole again. No, they are stronger than anything I have ever felt in the sect. What is this strange power?"

"You have finally awakened, child of the forgotten lineage," a grand, booming voice echoed from inside his own mind, vibrating through his very bones and shaking his soul.

"Who are you?" Lin Feng shouted into the empty space of his mind, trying to locate the source of the sound. "Where are you speaking from? Are you a demon trapped in this valley?"

"I am the spirit of the scripture trapped within that jade for ten thousand years," the ancient voice answered, its tone heavy with supreme authority. "The power now flowing through your veins is a forbidden cosmic force, a strength that the high heavens murdered millions to hide from the mortal world. You hold the key to their downfall now. Do not let them see it yet, or they will destroy you before you can walk."

"A forbidden power?" Lin Feng muttered, lifting his hands and watching the dense, heavy energy pulsing under his skin. "They killed my people for this?"

"They destroyed everything you loved to keep this secret buried," the voice boomed one last time before fading into the deep depths of his consciousness. "Rise, young master, and take your first step toward vengeance."

The frozen world suddenly snapped back to life with a loud, violent rush of wind. The leaves fell to the earth, and the natural sounds of the dark forest returned all at once. Lin Feng collapsed against the dirt, gasping for air as the golden light faded beneath his skin, hiding away from the physical world.

"They will pay for what they did," Lin Feng said, his voice dropping into a cold, hard tone that he had never used before. "Elder Mo, Wang Chen, the entire sect. I will drag them all down into the mud."

A low, menacing growl cut through his thoughts, originating from the thick bushes around the clearing. Two glowing red eyes emerged from the darkness, followed by another pair, and then another.

"Shadow wolves," Lin Feng whispered, quickly scrambling to his feet as a pack of six massive, midnight-black beasts surrounded his fallen body, their sharp teeth glistening with hunger in the faint moonlight.

"Look at that, the trash is actually standing up after a fall like that," a voice suddenly echoed from the rocky path above, though it did not belong to the wolves.

Lin Feng looked up to see two outer disciples holding bright torches, looking down into the shallow part of the ravine. They had been sent by Elder Mo to confirm his death, but the wolves had found him first.

"Should we go down there and help him?" the second disciple asked, laughing loudly as he lowered his torch to get a better look.

"Why bother?" the first disciple replied with a sneer. "The beasts will save us the trouble of burying him. Let them tear his flesh apart. We can just take his badge back to the elder."

Lin Feng ignored the men above, fixing his eyes entirely on the lead wolf. For the first time in his life, he did not feel a single drop of fear. The golden pathways inside his body throbbed with a wild, hungry energy, demanding to be released upon a target.

"Come on then," Lin Feng said, balling his hands into tight fists as the alpha wolf lunged forward with its jaws wide open. "Let us see what this forbidden power can really do against a real threat."

The wolf snapped its jaws close to his face, but Lin Feng moved with a speed he never possessed before. He stepped to the side, his movements fluid and smooth. With a sudden burst of strength, he brought his fist down onto the wolf's neck. The bone snapped instantly, and the massive beast crashed into the dirt, dead before it could even whimpering.

The two disciples above stopped laughing, their torches trembling in their hands.

"Did he just kill a shadow wolf with his bare hands?" the second disciple whispered, his voice shaking. "That is impossible for someone with broken roots."

"He must be using a hidden weapon," the first disciple barked, though he took a step backward. "Watch him closely. The other wolves are getting angry."

The remaining five wolves circled Lin Feng, their growls growing deeper and more cautious. They could smell the blood of their leader on his knuckles. Lin Feng did not wait for them to coordinate an attack. He lunged forward, his golden pathways lighting up beneath his skin like veins of pure lightning. He grabbed the second wolf by its throat, feeling the ancient scripture guide his movements naturally.

"Let your energy become mine," Lin Feng muttered, remembering the words of the voice in his mind.

A dark, swirling vortex appeared in his palm. The wolf gave a muffled yelp as its life force, its strength, and its primitive spiritual energy were ripped clean out of its body. The beast withered in his grasp, its black fur turning gray and brittle until it was nothing but a hollow husk. Lin Feng felt a rush of heat enter his own body, settling into his new golden pathways and making him feel even stronger than before.

"He is a demon," the disciple above screamed, dropping his torch into the brush. "He is absorbing the beasts. Run. We have to tell Elder Mo right now."

"You are not going anywhere," Lin Feng said, looking up at the high path with cold, dead eyes.

He did not care about the remaining wolves, which were now scattering into the deep woods in pure terror. His focus was entirely on the two men who had watched him suffer. With a powerful leap that defied gravity, boosted by his new cosmic roots, Lin Feng launched himself up the steep rock wall, landing directly in front of the fleeing disciples.

"Please, Lin Feng, we were just following orders," the first disciple begged, falling to his knees as the cold moonlight illuminated Lin Feng's blood-stained face. "Elder Mo forced us to come down here. We did not want to see you die."

"You laughed when Wang Chen broke my ribs," Lin Feng said, stepping closer as the golden energy flared in his eyes. "You called me an outer disciple dog. Where is that bravery now?"

"We can give you keys to the pill storage," the second disciple offered, tears streaming down his face as he reached into his robes. "Just let us go back to the pavilions. We will tell everyone you are dead."

"I am dead," Lin Feng said, his voice echoing through the dark ravine. "The weak Lin Feng died at the bottom of that cliff. Only a ghost remains to collect your debts."

Before they could scream for help, Lin Feng reached out and grabbed both of their foreheads, activating the devouring force once again. The two men gasped as their cultivation bases were ripped away, their strength flowing into Lin Feng's golden roots. Within seconds, they collapsed onto the gravel, unconscious and entirely drained of their spiritual paths.

Lin Feng stood over them, feeling the stolen energy refine itself inside his chest. He looked up toward the bright lights of the main sect pavilions on the mountain peak.

"Enjoy your final days of peace, Elder Mo," Lin Feng whispered, turning his back on the bodies and walking deep into the shadows of the abyss. "Because the trash is coming back for your head."