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Chapter 339: Interception
Hui flew along. The forest gave way to plains, which slowly grew scrubbier and scrubbier until the plains gave way to a desert. Bored, Ying Lin flicked through some of Huis spare spell manuals, the ones hed stolen from the Fu Clan. Every so often, she made quick handsigns and blasted some kind of spell or another into the distance. As the spells only reached third stage, none of them travelled too far or carried too much force with them, and besides, the land below them was unpopulated, so Hui let her carry on without interfering.
Zhubi, on the other hand, stared around eagerly, drinking in the scenery. His long white hair billowed after them like a cloud or a dragons tail. He hissed in delight whenever Hui turned or attempted any kind of maneuver, so after a while, Hui started adding flare to his flight, loops, spins, and turns.
Hmm, my sword is getting a bit crowded. It was already bad with me and Ying Lin, but now that Zhubis using his human form, too, there isnt much room. If Jin Xian chose to hang out as well, or if I needed to transport her around, Id be out of luck.
Maybe I should look at purchasing a shuttle or an immortal boat. An immortal boat, in particular, would give us a sort of home base, and we wouldnt have to construct huts every night or sleep in the wild. Hui reached into the node and extracted the spirit stones hed received from Song Weilais cave, mentally counting them. Hmm with this, I might be able to buy a low-level boat
An immortal boat? Heh! Whats a poor cultivator like you doing, thinking about buying one? Sectgoer said, smirking with all his might.
Does Senior have enough spirit stones for one? Hui asked humbly, though internally, he rolled his eyes. If anyone has the heart-demon, its certainly Sectgoer! Listen to the sound of his voice
I dont have a heart-demon, but I do have spirit stones. Maybe if you ask nicely, Ill buy you a
Senior, please look upon this poor cultivator and share your benevolence! Hui immediately cried.
Sectgoer paused. He shook his head. It really isnt fun to tease us, is it?
Hmm, Bai Xue seems to enjoy it, though, Hui pointed out.
Healer laughed, jumping into their conversation. Bai Xue is a pervert. We cant expect their tastes to align with the worlds.
What about Chen Wuya? He well, he changed his mind, Rogue added in, changing his tone halfway.
I cant understand that Senior, Mortal added in.
None of us can, Hui sympathized.
Hey, do you think Han Qin is Fen Long? Mortal asked.
No, hes Liu Shen-something. Youre the one who told us that, Sectgoer retorted.
Do you mean Lai Shuren? Mortal replied mockingly. Anyways, didnt he fail twice at doing whatever he was trying to do to Fu Liyu, and destroy other sects before deceiving the Fu Clan? Hes probably used different fake names before. Isnt it possible?
Possible but not likely. Besides, isnt Chen Wuya a demonic cultivator? Its more likely Fen Long belongs to the righteous faction, not the sect-massacring faction. Its not as if demonic cultivators never fight, but Chen Wuya and Fen Longs schism seemed like more than a spat, Hui pointed out.
It was an idea, Mortal said defensively.
Healer hummed. Mortal, why bring Chen Wuya up? Is Chen Wuya near you?
Mmm. I thought I sensed his aura the other day. Han Qin hasnt come by lately, so I dont think its him. He seems like a busy Senior, Han Qin. Unlike Chen WuyIm sorry! Im sorry, Senior! Nonono, youre a very busy Senior! Forgive me!
The other clones fell silent. Quietly, they lit a candle for Mortal.
Healer cleared his throat first. Ahem. In any case, I have to get back to work.
All the other Huis made their excuses, and the clone chat went dead once more.
Sighing, Hui turned his head into the wind and let his ponytail stream behind him. Ah, the vicissitudes of life
Ying Lin bolted upright so fast her head bumped into Huis chin.
Hui took the blow without flinching. Ying Lin cried out and slipped sideways off the sword. Startled, Hui reached after her, swaying wildly forward. He caught Ying Lin, but Zhubi let out a little cry and grabbed onto his face, blinding him. Hui stumbled, and one of his feet slid off the sword. Swaying on one foot, he tapped the snake boy, still blind. Zhubi!
Ah, Master! Ying Lin found her footing and pulled him back onto the sword.
Panting, Hui stomped his other foot back on and grounded himself, then peeled Zhubis hands off his eyes. His vision returned, he resumed guiding the sword, but shook his head at himself. Careless, utterly careless! Pay more attention, Hui. Rubbing his chin, he looked down at his disciple. Ying Lin?
I this disciple is not sure if its worth mentioning, Ying Lin murmured demurely.
Can you make sure before you almost fall off the sword, next time? Now that weve come so far, spit it out! Swallowing his words, Hui put on a polite smile. Speak.
Ying Lin shot him a guilty, apologetic look, but pressed on. I sensed a strange aura just now. One Id felt before, back at the banquet. I didnt mean to disturb Master, but
Huis eyes widened. He instantly grabbed onto Ying Lin and Zhubi and sent them into the node. Sectgoer, catch!
Ehhuh? Whos this child? Wildman, dont tell me, did you and Bai Xue after all
Hui scowled. Dont let your imagination run wild. And catch!
Waving his hand, he sent all his gear over to Sectgoer. All the spoils from Song Weilai had already been sent into the node, so they were safe. Hui finally bent and sent Moonlight Cutter through the array, leaping forward to run on the air instead. He extended his senses and caught the same glimmer of aura Ying Lin had, fast approaching.
Thats what I get for not paying attention and chatting with the other clones! Even my little disciple sensed it before me! Hui ground his teeth. He looked all around him. Its too late to run away. All I can do is is not die pathetically!
But why? How did he find me so quickly?
Well hmm. I usually suppress my qi, but I couldnt during my battle with Song Weilai. Is it possible that he can easily discover the more powerful fluctuations of my full battle strength, but cannot find the weaker fluctuations when I suppress my qi?
Note to self! Only use my full strength in the direst of situations! Its no good if Han Qin hunts us all down!
Lifting his fingers to his forehead, he carefully synced his memories to the rest of the clones. We got lucky with Sixth, but who knows how Senior is going to obliterate me this time. Mmm in this situation argh, its helpless, I know it wont work, but if I dont tryif I dont try!
Hui stopped running on air and dropped to the ground. He rolled over a couple of times, then waved his hands to sever the branches off the scrubby brush all around him. Sitting up, he threw talismans into the air to blast elemental attacks at himself, then, grabbing the branches from earlier with his qi, he sent them into the air and circled them back on himself, stabbing himself in a thousand places. Having made himself suitably pathetic, Hui killed his qi and gently circulated his death and rot qi, giving off a horrible aura of death. Experimentally, he allowed the rot qi to infect his body and decay it at the surface level.
By all appearances, Hui had met a horrible fate, and some time ago at that. His body riddled with physical and magical wounds, he had bled out alone in the scrub, then rotted away, no one to remember his name and no one to bury his body. Someone at Huis level would find it nearly impossible to tell this body apart from a true body. Even someone above it would struggle.
It might work, Wildman. He left me alone when he thought the spider killed me.
Oh, really? Hui replied, suddenly hopeful.
Mortal paused. Er, but for some reason, his real form couldnt enter the area, so er this small cultivator was only fooling his clone. Its much harder to fool a Wandering Immortal
Useless! Go play with Senior Chen Wuya for a thousand years!
Elder Brother, please
The aura drew close. Hui cut off his connection to the node and fully suppressed his qi and life force with all his might. The flickering candle of his life guttered as it rarely had since he began to cultivate, so dim that a thin breeze would snuff it out. So dim that even a Wandering Immortal might overlook it?
He bit his lip, then made one last preparation. He extracted the core from his body and dug it into the ground below, not so deep that he required much qi to accomplish it, but deep enough that if Han Qin decided to burn his body, hed survive.
Now now I leave my life in the hands of fate.
Han Qin appeared, hair whipping around him. He wore a new face, and his robes were now a dark red, but his aura was undeniably the same. Seeing Huis body, he scowled and unhesitatingly blasted the body into ash.
Hui held his breath. A new body. Is a new body all the price I have to pay? Ill take it!
Descending, Han Qin touched down with a soft thump. Two puffs of dust rose from the dry ground and swirled around his feet. He squinted down at Huis ashes, then knelt and sifted through them. Although the ashes glowed red-hot and seared at Huis core buried below, Han Qin handled them as if they were cold.
After a moment, Han Qin snorted. He turned his eyes directly toward Huis hiding spot and smirked. You expect me to believe this when theres no sign of your soul dissipating, nor of reincarnation? How pathetic.
Fuck! Mortal, how dare you! Giving me bad information! Hui raged silently in his heart. Even Mortal couldnt hear him now.
After a second, his heart calmed. No, no, it makes sense. After all, its not as if a sixth-stage cultivator could sense those things, and from what I understand, Mortal isnt going anywhere fast. He might have deliberately left Mortal untouched, even, as a kind of bait for the other clones.
Bait I wonder
Han Qin reached out and grabbed Huis core. It doesnt matter. Ill hunt down every last one of your clones and destroy them all. He clenched his hand. The power of a Wandering Immortal closed in around Hui.
Huis core shattered. The world turned monotone.
Already? Can you slow the pace a bit? Its quite annoying, the reaper said, frowning at Hui.
Hui bowed to her. Please forgive this clumsy cultivator, Elder Sister. I have no reason to
Enough with the bullshit. I take it youre going willingly, as well? she asked. She drew her sword and flourished it. The cold blade sparkled with icy light.
Hui straightened. He adjusted his robes, then nodded. Ill go.
The reaper snorted. She struck.
You came again, Han Qin murmured, moving even in the monotone world.
The reaper paused. Ruining your clone for such a triviality?
Flames with the aura of the Heavenly Tribulation sparked inside Han Qin. In a moment, they raged within and without, burning his flesh and soul as one. Burning brightly, yet mindless of the pain and heat, Han Qin rounded on her. Tell me. Why cant I revive her? Why must she be excluded from reincarnation and banned from all revival techniques, when youre even willing to
The reaper swished her sword and carefully sheathed it. It whispered against its sheath, a perfect fit. Give up. My lord will never allow that calamity to return.
No! No, I she isnt
The monotone world vanished. Han Qin stood alone, flames burning his body. His mouth slammed shut. His clone stood there until he crumbled to ash, never uttering a sound.
