187 A Fellow Prisoner?

My breathing came in short, ragged bursts. My arms hung limp at my sides. Blood and gore soaked the dirt, and the coppery scent of death lingered thick in the air.

The 112th Bronze Squadron was gone, annihilated to the last man.

All by the hands of a single person.

He stood barefoot in the mud, long black hair cascading to his waist. Dark robes embroidered with strange white sigils swayed around him. One hand remained outstretched, still holding my fist where it had stopped my attack as effortlessly as catching a falling leaf.

"Are you with the rebellion?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

He regarded me with indifference.

"I don't know of any rebellion. Or war. And I don't care. These trifling matters are beneath me."

It had happened too quickly to comprehend.

Yuen Fu lay split open, his intestines tangled in the mud like discarded ropes. Ding Shan's head had rolled to a stop near my feet, lifeless eyes frozen in disbelief. Others had tried to flee, but the man had merely exhaled, and they burst apart like sacks of meat.

I tried to wrench my hand free, but his grip didn't budge. No matter how hard I twisted or pulled, his fingers felt forged from celestial iron.

Thanks to Yuen Fu's teachings, I had reached the level of a first-rate martial artist. In a world where cultivation had been replaced by martial skill, that meant something. I wasn't among the strongest, but I wasn't weak.

Yet he suppressed me with absurd ease.

Combined with my inherited insights and the fragments of Divine techniques I could still wield, I should have stood a chance against an Expert. Perhaps even a Master.

But this was neither.

This man was a monster.

Perhaps, it was my arrogance to blame or maybe my bad luck.

I clenched my teeth and drove energy into my core. With a growl, I unleashed War Smite through my fist. The air cracked as force erupted from my knuckles. His hand opened, and he was pushed back a single step.

The moment my feet touched the ground, I ran away desperately like a coward. I was a soldier. A child, yes, but still a soldier. I had known the risks when I enlisted. Death was always part of the bargain. But I wanted to live.

If not for myself, then for my parents and sister.

I used Flash Step, blinking through space to create distance.

It didn't matter.

He appeared before me an instant later and seized my throat with that same cursed hand. I kicked and clawed, but my feet dangled helplessly above the ground as he lifted me off the ground. He stared at me with unnervingly calm eyes.

"Become my disciple."

I wanted to curse him, but no breath escaped my lungs. I was young, weak, and painfully mortal. I didn't want to die here. My spear had shattered the instant it struck his body. The martial arts I had recreated from my Paladin Skills were useless against him.

All I had left was willpower and pain.

So I used both.

With a snarl, I slammed my palm into the crook of his elbow, channeling Thunderous Smite and burning life force into the strike. Bone cracked. His leverage broke. I dropped hard to the ground and kicked off with an empowered step.

"Flash Step."

Force surged through my heel, launching me backward. I flipped through the air and landed badly, tumbling onto one knee. Pain shot through my shin. I tried to invoke Zealot's Stride, but nothing answered. It was too dependent on magic, and the magic of my old world no longer fully existed here.

I collapsed face-first into the dirt.

My leg was swelling. Only then did I realize something had struck me without my noticing.

"That was unexpected," I muttered through gritted teeth as I crawled away. "Damn it."

This body was weaker than I'd thought.

He continued walking toward me.

"Become my disciple," he repeated. "And this pain will finally end."

His voice remained calm, emotionless, and absolute. Part of me wanted to spit in his face. The Paladin in me demanded I fight to the last breath. I owed the dead at least that much. But the human part in me was terrified to his bones.

In the end, neither feeling mattered.

What surprised me was something else entirely.

The gamer in me, the fragmented part still obsessed with levels and rare loot, looked at this monster and saw a challenge. A future boss fight. An absurdly overpowered enemy waiting at the end of a long progression path.

"This seriously sucks ass."

I stood, my leg trembling.

Blood dripped from my chin.

"...Fine," I said. "I'll be your disciple."

This world was a corpse starved of qi, a graveyard of dreams where cultivation had become little more than a myth. Drawing power from the heavens or earth was impossible. Raising one's stars was an absurd fantasy.

Everything changed when I met Yuen Fu.

The problem was never the lack of qi. It was the method. Conventional cultivation paths failed here, including Mana Road Cultivation. Martial arts, however, were different.

Under Yuen Fu's tutelage, I learned that martial arts were more than physical techniques. They etched themselves into the very core of one's being. Muscle memory, he called it, though it was far more than reflex. It was intent made flesh.

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Through relentless practice, I clawed my way to the Seventh Star. By this world's standards, I possessed the skills of a first-rate martial artist. It wasn't enough for greatness, but it offered a chance at survival.

That was enough.

"The ceremony is simple," the man said, his voice patient, like a predator humoring its prey. "To acknowledge me as your master, kneel and kowtow. Once, twice, and thrice. With each bow, proclaim, 'If the heaven permits and the hell denies.'"

He approached with deliberate slowness.

I lowered myself onto my knees and bowed.

Then I struck.

Power erupted from my core and surged into my palm.

"War Smite!"

My hand slammed into his raised arm. This time, he flew farther. I had poured my life essence into the attack, sacrificing years for a few precious seconds. I didn't waste them. The instant my feet firmly touched the ground, I ran again.

Flash Step carried me forward again and again. The world blurred as afterimages trailed behind me. Turning my back on an enemy might have seemed suicidal, but distance was my only chance.

Suddenly, my Divine Sense flared.

I ducked.

A palm-shaped crater exploded into the ground where my head had been. Another followed. Then another. The attacks were invisible, but my evolved senses empowered by life force screamed warnings before each strike landed.

"Flee, little beast," the man called after me as more unseen palm strikes rained down. "Hurry, little beast, or you might die."

These were the same attacks that had slaughtered my comrades. I pushed forward despite the agony. Every step drained more life force. Every dodge drew from reserves already running dry. Abruptly, the warning in my mind sharpened.

I planted my foot and skidded to a halt, pain shooting through my injured leg.

He was already there, standing directly in front of me with his index finger aimed at my eye. I didn't flinch. If he wanted an eye, I'd take something from him in return. Life force ignited within me as I activated Divine Speed, pivoted, and executed Flash Parry. His finger slipped past my face.

Without hesitation, I unleashed Divine Smite, the sacred power searing through my veins and devouring yet more of my dwindling life force. My fist drove forward like a thunderbolt, punching straight through his abdomen in a spray of gore.

Blood spilled from his lips as he grunted, yet a chilling smile curved his mouth. Then his muscles tightened with terrifying strength, clamping down like a steel vice and trapping my arm deep inside his body.

Danger erupted through my senses, screaming in my blood. I swallowed the rising scream in my throat and poured every last ounce of my power into my remaining arm, desperate to break free before the trap claimed me entirely.

"Thunderous Smite!"

My hand swept across like a blade.

Raw force severed my trapped arm at the elbow.

Blood fountained.

I used Flash Step immediately, launching myself backward. A few paces away, I staggered and watched as the strange man calmly pulled my severed arm from his abdomen. And then he stored it inside a glimmering Storage Ring.

"Freaky."

My breathing turned ragged. Only one explanation remained. This man was a cultivator. My lips were cracked. My vision swam. Life force reserves were nearly exhausted. Still, I forced out a question, buying time and perhaps a sliver of hope.

"Who... are you?"

The man smiled, almost fondly.

"Just like you, I am a prisoner. Seems I misread you. I thought maybe, just maybe, you'd serve as my proxy and help me escape this damned place."

I remained silent.

He was saying far too much and offering information far too freely. Either he was supremely confident, or he didn't consider me a threat. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Probably both.

"What did you do to end up here?" he continued. "Offend a Supreme Being?"

A dry chuckle escaped him.

"No need to play coy. It's obvious from your skills. You've forged something unique, something different from the Longevity Path. Burning life like kindling..." His eyes narrowed slightly. "You're new here. Fresh meat. This must be your first encounter with another of your fellow prisoners."

My knees buckled.

I dropped to the ground, not in submission but because my body had finally reached its limit. Agony tore through every muscle. My young frame simply couldn't endure any more abuse.

Even so, I glared at him.

He laughed.

"Who... are you?!" I demanded again, venom dripping from every word.

"You want a name? Fine. You've earned that much, junior." He placed a hand on his chest. "I'm Ru Qiu, the one and only Heavenly Demon."

A miserable laugh escaped me.

The ground swayed beneath my feet as I forced myself upright.

"The last guy who called himself the Heavenly Demon in front of me got obliterated into kingdom come," I said. "Why don't you follow his example?"

The threat was empty, but appearances mattered.

Without hesitation, I activated Blessed Regeneration and poured yet more of my precious life force into the skill. Agonizing pain erupted throughout my body as the divine energy took hold.

Exalted Renewal had taught me a lesson no master ever could: that life force, when wielded recklessly enough, could become a substitute for power itself. Even here, even now.

My severed stump writhed violently as bone, flesh, and sinew knitted themselves back together, bruised muscles mended, and the deep ache in my leg gradually faded. Moments later my arm was whole once more. I flexed my fingers experimentally, rose straighter, and allowed a spark of renewed confidence to settle upon my expression.

The more dangerous I appeared, the less likely he would test me.

Ru Qiu merely chuckled.

"Heavenly Demon, you say? In the outside of all things?" He brushed imaginary dust from his robes. "The younger generations do love idolizing their predecessors. Though I imagine you heard that title through one of Hell's smear campaigns. They hate me quite a lot, you see. I might look like this, but I assure you... I'm a good guy."

I didn't believe a single word.

His voice was warm enough, but his eyes were empty. Behind them lurked something ancient, starving, and profoundly wrong.

"You honestly don't look like much," I replied.

"That's fair." His grin widened. "The qi in this world is thinner than a beggar's soup. Frankly, it's a miracle I reached the Spirit Mystery Realm at all. Though you've got it worse. You're still in the Martial Tempering Realm, aren't you?"

He tilted his head.

"Actually, I'm not entirely sure. Judging by your performance, you could probably fight Peak Masters on equal footing. The strongest warriors in this world can almost match my strength."

His smile sharpened.

"Assuming you keep spending your lifespan like an idiot."

"You slaughtered my friends," I said coldly. "I'm going to kill you for that."

Ru Qiu burst into laughter.

"Friends?" he scoffed. "You mean those pets you dragged around?"

His laughter echoed through the hollow landscape.

"Those weren't friends. They were cannon fodder with names."

I clenched my jaw.

Attacking him now would accomplish nothing. I had exhausted nearly every option available to me. My ultimate techniques required Spell Slots, and the strongest abilities from my old arsenal remained inaccessible.

They were locked away behind doors I no longer possessed the keys to open.

"Let me help."

The voice came from inside my head.

I froze.

It hadn't come from outside. It slithered through my thoughts like black smoke, familiar and unwelcome.

"Jue Bu?" I murmured. "You perverted skull, you're still alive?"

"That bastard," the skull growled, venom dripping from every word. "I hate him. I hate that smug grin, I hate that sanctimonious tone, and I especially hate the way he keeps looking down on everyone around him. Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to cave his skull in? Every time he opens his mouth, I remember another reason."

Jue Bu let out a disgusted snort.

"Ru Qiu was insufferable back then, and somehow he's become even worse. The self-righteous bastard acts like he's the victim of every tragedy he causes. If there were ten thousand people in a room and all of them hated him, I'd still think the number was too low."

His voice darkened, thick with old grudges and festering resentment.

"So just this once, forget our problems. Forget the insults, the threats, and all the reasons we should be at each other's throats. I want that bastard to suffer, and right now you're the only one in a position to make it happen."

A pause followed before he spat the next words like poison.

"So let me help you."

My fingers twitched as the deathly chill that had clung to my soul from repeatedly burning life force began to recede, replaced by something ancient and powerful stirring beneath my skin. Though Ru Qiu was still grinning with malevolent confidence, my attention had already shifted inward. Deep inside myself, I felt a long-sealed door creak open, and beyond it stood Jue Bu. He was skull-bound and seething with fury.

"Of course," Jue Bu added, his tone suddenly turning far too cheerful. "I won't do it for free. My price is very reasonable."

I immediately felt suspicious.

"How reasonable?"

"A single viewing."

"...What?"

"When you finally lose your virginity," Jue Bu said shamelessly, "I get to watch. That's all. Promise, I'll just watch. It's a very low price, if you ask me."

I stared into the void of my own mind.

"You are a disgusting creature."

"Yet here you are, considering the offer."

"I'm not considering it."

"Then die fighting Ru Qiu. I'm flexible."

I ground my teeth.

Jue Bu cackled.

"See? A bargain."

"Fuck you!"

"No, fuck you!"

"A compromise, then. Do a gender bend."

"FUCK YOU!"

"NO, FUCK YOU TWICE!!!"

"..."