Jinshen awoke, far away and outside of the palace of the Swordsong Clan, he rubbed his eyes before sitting up on the ground, a sword was right next to him on the dirt. It was fully wrapped.by a black cloth like an ancient artifact.
There was a note too. Folded neatly. Ink still fresh. Waiting to be read.
Jinshen curiously reached out for the sword, picking up the note alongside it before standing up. Dusting himself off and straightening out his clothes.
"I just saved the heir of the clan and they put me on the dirt.. Ungrateful people I say."
He muttered under his as he flicked a small leaf off his shoulder with all the offended dignity a man who saved a life should have.
He then opened the note.
Thank you for saving me Lord Jinshen Zhe. However as of right now, I refuse your proposal. But in the near future when I am free from the thresholds of the Clan. I will most definitely consider your hand once more.
He breathed a sigh of relief, tearing the note to pieces before standing up.
"Phew... Thankfully I don't have to get married right now... I was just joking around the previous night."
He spoke to himself. He slid the cloth-wrapped sword onto his waist, but before he could leave
A few Qi signatures appeared in the distance, their presence strong. Jinshen's eyes started glowing golden but flickering to blue for a moment before going back to gold.
"Oh? Some righteous Qi's huh...?"
Jinshen jumped up, flying high above as he looked down at the group of people walk towards the Swordsong Clan's palace off in the distance.
They were wearing white hanfu's with a gold belt wrapped around their waist, carrying themselves with arrogance and an aura of scheming was around their body.
The mere sight of the clothes they were wearing made Jinshen frown in both disgust and anger, he instantly recognized those clothes.
"The Jianghu Alliance... I should alert them of myself now."
Jinshen ran a hand through his hair, remembering something Ruoxue said.
"Ruoxue was right, if I want to achieve a higher rank in the Sect, I should become more feared."
Jinshen floated down in front of them, his hands behind his back, his eyes staring at them all stoically,
A total of ten people, each at the foundation establishment stage. They're probably at Yanwei's level before he fought Yuxan.
The men remained calm, one of them walking over to Jinshen as he smirked, pointing his sword at Jinshen's forehead.
"Oh? The Devil of The Demonic Sect... I've been wanting to prove I'm stronger than you."
Jinshen remained nonchalant. Pushing his head against the sword as it snapped and cracked but his skin remained completely unharmed.
"Go on, try me. Your sword can't even cut my hair. And you want to prove your strength?"
The man's eyes widened in terror, the rest of the group immediately jumping in as they tried their weapons, one even trying a mace, some swords but every one of their weapons broke without even cutting a loose thread off of Jinshen's robe.
"Is that all?" Jinshen asked, the golden Qi in his eyes glowing in a menacing manner.
One of the men now unarmed let out a rather mediocre battle cry before trying to punch Jinshen. Jinshen's head moved to the side a few inches but the man let out a yell out of pain, the sound reverberating across the mountains.
SNAP
His hand was now completely limp, flailing around like a flag in the wind as he grabbed onto his wrist, tears filled his eyes. He fell to the ground as the rest of the men watched Jinshen.
"What kind of monster is this..." One of them muttered under his breath, taking a few steps back before trying to run away.
He thought he was successful in saving himself, relief filled his eyes as he jumped across the mountains, but then he felt something, tear.
His left arm was now detached from his body, leaving a bloody stump and standing behind was Jinshen.
The other men who were standing in their original position, too scared to move heard a cry for help, that reverberated and got distorted enough to sound like a song.
Jinshen appeared in front of them once more, his hands bloody and a few spots of blood were also on his cheek.
"Now. Tell me, did the Murim Alliance truly try to poison the heir of the Swordsong clan?"
Jinshen asked simply in a matter of fact tone. His voice was authoritative and demanding making the men cower away.
One of them managed to speak up, his voice hoarse and fearful.
"No... Not The Alliance.. It was.. It was The 72 Poison Sect..."
Jinshen looked at him silently, putting his hand on the jaw of the man before suddenly crushing it, making it go limp.
Crack...
The man let out a blood curdling yell, his eyes watering up as tears fell from his eyes, no longer able to speak as his jaw was hanging wide open.
The other men watched with widened eyes, their whole body trembling from fear and horror as they remained quiet, one of them even closing his eyes as he heard a loud, unsettling crunch coming from the man's head before.
Dead silence.
The man slowly opened his eyes but didn't dare to look in the direction of the now dead man, knowing exactly what had happened, but he couldn't help but peek, the sight making him vomit as he looked at Jinshen standing over the corpse of the man.
Another weakling gone. I wonder, if he was here would he be proud? Disgusted? Angry? He thought to himself, his eyes flickering to the crushed head in his hand before he threw it away. Feeling disgust.
Jinshen looked over at the rest of the eight men remaining, his eyes bloodthirsty and filled with ruthlessness
"Listen here. No amount of lying will save your pathetic, serpent like lives. But I want to alert the Jianghu Alliance that I exist. So run, you have until sunset to escape. If I find you in this area, I'll rip your head off your shoulders."
The men nodded fervently at the sudden mercy as they immediately ran away, trying their best. Their legs carrying them as fast as possible.
Meanwhile He stared at his bloodied hands. The world blurred, shifting to a memory, dim dungeon walls, a younger version of himself, soaked in blood.
He immediately let out a yell before he was transported back to the clearing in the dungeon, his breath becoming more heavy and labored. His eyes were wide as he immediately started running towards a pond, cleaning his hands and clothes.
"Damn it... What's happening... Is my Qi trying to tell me something? Or am I just hallucinating? This isn't the first time I've killed.."
He shook his head, running a hand through his hair and straightening his robe out before taking a deep breath to compose himself before starting to fly back towards The Sky Severing Mountain Range.
He flied for an hour or two, the sun slowly dipping below the horizon the sky starting to become darker and darker.
He arrived at the base just before the sun had started to set. Painting the sky in a mix of golden and red.
Landing with a small thump he looked around, the celebrations having died down and the ornaments that decorated the buildings, were now removed.
Jinshen was tapped on the shoulder and when he turned around to see who it was, he was pleasantly surprised to see none other then Elder Sima Ruyu who was standing behind him with a small smile on his face.
"It has been a while Jinshen. I think I should call you Vice Captain Jinshen now." Ruyu began, his voice still as warm and comforting as Jinshen remembered. "Congratulations. For growing so much within just 3 weeks."
Jinshen smiled faintly, still a bit disturbed but the presence of Ruyu made him feel a bit relaxed.
"Oh. Elder. Yeah, its been a while." He paused, shaking his head as he sighed. "Its nothing Elder.. I'm still weak compared to the other Elders and some members."
Ruyu sighed softly, rubbing his chin as he noticed that Jinshen's body was tense and stiff. Not relaxed and confident like it was.
"Something on you're mind Vice Captain Jinshen?"
Jinshen sighed once more, running a hand through his hair before looking at Ruyu.
"Well.. I did have some hallucinations and stuff."
Ruyu nodded, his eyes momentarily narrowing in contemplation before a small smile spread across his face.
"Well, I suppose then you should go to Librarian Xueyan. And a small tip from me. Cultivate using the Fourth Stage of the Path of The Withering Enemies. Pyre Heart."
Jinshen nodded before giving a small bow to Ruyu and walking away, a deep contemplative expression on his face as he walked alone to the Demonic Ember Library.
The sun had fully set by now, darkness had started to envelop the base as well as the stars starting to appear, making the sky beautiful and mesmerizing.
Jinshen arrived in front of the mountain that harbored the library once more as he jumped up. Landing in front of the door before he walked in, the wave of Demonic Qi hit him once more, like the previous time he was here.
But this time Jinshen simply absorbed it, feeling his Qi reserves starting to become more vast as he smirked in a dry manner.
Maybe I should cultivate here...
He saw the Old Man he met the first time he came to to the library sitting at a desk, sipping tea casually before his gaze met him.
"Vice Captain Jinshen. What brings you here to little old Xueyan?" Xueyan asked with a small teasing smirk on his face.
Jinshen sat in front of him, the Demonic Qi surprisingly stopping their assault on him. Instead it formed a dark, smokey chair for him to sit on.
"Well, I was just.. Hallucinating a lot. Elder Ruyu told me to come here.."
Xueyan nodded, his eyes flickering with understanding as he stood up, his hands behind his back.
"Sit here, let me find a book for that.." He said while pulling out a small, white book and putting it in front of Jinshen. "Here, I think the Demonic Qi you're cultivating is starting to overwhelm your heart."
Jinshen looked at the book titled 'The Heavy Heart Of The Demon'. Jinshen picked up the book, flipping through its pages quickly before putting it inside his robe.
"How? Doesn't everyone cultivate Demonic Qi here?"
Xueyan nodded slowly, steepling his fingers together before resting his chin on his thumbs, his voice turning more serious.
"Well, your body is fit for Righteous Qi, not Demonic, but it seems to be adapting to it. It'll take a while but you'll breakthrough to maybe the Nascent Soul stage. And eventually further. But until then. Read this book."
Jinshen nodded, contemplating Xueyan's statement. He narrowed his eyes, thinking of all the times he tried to cultivate.
"You are right, Xueyan. I remember that I was always receptive to Righteous Qi." Jinshen stood up, a small grateful smile on his face. "Thanks again Old Man."
Jinshen opened the door and jumped down to the ground, leaving Xueyan alone in the library.
Jinshen landed with a small thud before he started to walk to the Ashen Hall, nostalgia filling his eyes as he looked at the gate of the ground floor.
"It hasn't even been a whole month but I already miss this place..."
Jinshen muttered before pushing the gate open and walking in. The floor completely unchanged, the lady still scribbling away on paper but as she saw Jinshen she immediately stood up.
"Greetings Vice Captain.."
Jinshen nodded to her greeting, feeling a bit victorious considering how brutally cold and stoic she was while Jinshen was here.
"Its all good. Sit down."
Jinshen sighed softly before walking through the wooden door and beginning his ascent to the fifth floor, even the sound of his footsteps getting muffled out.
The Qi grew heavier and heavier as each floor passed before eventually reaching the fifth floor, which used to belong to the Grand Marshall's family, was now in the hands of the highest ranking members, or ones that show the most potential.
Those three idiots are also here. They show a lot of potential...
The gate was the same as it was before. Jinshen pushed it open with ease, the gate silently opening up to let him in.
The inside was dark, the light from the outside pouring in, everyone seemed to be sleeping but Jinshen couldn't help but notice a small, extra bump in Ruoxue's bed.
Oh? Whose that? It better not be Yanwei.
Jinshen curiously walked over to Ruoxue's bed after closing the gate behind him.
He saw that Ruoxue had someone else in the bed along with him which brought a massive grin to Jinshen's face.
He's getting better huh?
Jinshen noticed that the person's eyes were fluttering open, revealing their green hue.
Jinshen, not wanting to get caught immediately got onto his own, large and plump bed.
Putting the blanket over himself, Jinshen tried to calm himself down. Stifling his laughter as his whole body shook under the blankets.
Don't laugh... Don't you dare laugh Jinshen..
Jinshen took a few deep breaths, calming himself down as he pulled the book Xueyan gave him and put it besides his pillow for him to read.
Alright.. I ain't cultivating right now... I'm sleepy now...
Jinshen slowly fell asleep, his eyes closing shut as the exhaustion from the day caught up to him. Fatigue settling itself in his bones.
A few hours passed, Jinshen was asleep, rolling around in his bed but there was just one thing off.
In his nightmare he was in a void, everyone was there with him, Ruoxue, Yanwei, Jinhai and even little Lianhua. But they weren't.. Alive.
Instead they were frozen statues of ice, their face frozen in horror and their bodies in the form. Jinshen was holding a large sword and first pointed it at Ruoxue's chest, plunging it inside.
He started cutting their statues one, by one, by one. Shattering each of them as he heard their muffled cries for mercy.
Jinshen's was unable to speak. Unable to stop himself, his body was trapped and finally he reached Lianhua.
Lianhua's cries were audible, she was desperate.
"Jinshen! Why are you doing this! Why are you so heartless!"
Jinshen's body moved on its own, the sword raised high above his head as with one final slash, the statue broke, but it was different, blood poured out from it.
The scenery shifted, he was on the ground, enchained by black hands that pulled him closer and closer, submerging him in liquid that was as black as ink.
He watched as the statues reconstructed themselves, their form twisted in unimaginable ways, Lianhua's hand was crawling towards Jinshen on its own.
It started choking Jinshen as he finally regained control of his body and voice, he felt the icy cold and vice like grip of the hand as just before he felt death take him he let out a yell of helplessness.