Ave Xia Rem Y-Chapter 354: Half

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Su Daji is silent as she considers the white space in front of her. Her ears stand straight on top of her head, barely twitching even as her head tilts from left to right.

She raises one of her tails and brings it forward.

The drain begins immediately. It does not matter that her tail is not touching the ground. It is enough that she has trespassed the territory of the True Dead Plains. She advances her tail another two inches and flinches when the tug on her Qi becomes stronger. It is not so strong that she is in danger of being turned into a withered husk, but it is definitely noticeable. Manageable, but noticeable.

Steeling herself, Su Daji takes a whole step inside the True Dead Plains.

The drain magnifies. Before, it only came from one direction. Now, thousands of invisible hands tug on her Qi, trying to take it all away from her. Lesser people would have been overwhelmed by the sudden increase in difficulty, but she is Su Daji. Qi shines around her body as she holds tight and lets it go no further.

It is enough for now, but the True Dead Plains will never tire. The pull will only grow stronger as she ventures deeper inside. That means the effort required to prevent her Qi from being taken will only grow.

Can she do this for a full day? For two?

For a week?

“This is not going to work,” she says as she turns around to look at Boss and Big Nose. “I’m only one step into this place, and it’s already difficult. There’s no point even attempting a journey. The wagons will collapse before we clear the first yard. The pets will run scared, and…you will probably disappear, Boss.”

Cries of outrage rise from the dog and the bird at being called pets, but Su Daji ignores them and focuses on the Boss. Unlike the rest of them, he is not here in his own body. He might feel incredibly similar, but the man in front of her is a copy of the original Liu Jin. Though nearly as strong as the real thing, his existence is considerably more frail. He will not last under the constant drain of the True Dead Plains.

“I concur,” the lady from the Divine Frozen Palace says. “I’d hoped I would be able to bear this, but it really is quite trying.”

Su Daji frowns. Unlike her, Bai Wen is already a few yards into the True Dead Plains and shows no sign of strain. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think the woman was making fun of her.

“I imagined it’d be like this,” Liu Jin says, sitting down on the ground and rubbing his chin in thought. “However, there has to be a way to cross. Otherwise, those from the Other Side wouldn't be such an issue.”

“I mean, that’s natural, right?” Big Nose Li says. “They’re from the other side. They can do all sorts of weird things.”

“The ceremony to renew the barrier takes place somewhere in there,” Su Daji says, pointing at the white wasteland. “That means there is a way for people from this side to go, but maybe it can only be done if you’re escorted by an Emperor or something.”

“Xun Huwen managed it somehow,” Boss says after a while. “He was only in the Heaven Realm.”

Bai Wen raises an eyebrow.

“That madman?”

“You know of him?” Boss asks.

“His release caused quite a stir among several important people,” Bai Wen says. “Even though I was in the Storm Dragon Empire back then, my master deemed it necessary for me to be aware of his existence. Having read his history, I can tell you that the Divine Frozen Palace would have never nurtured such a toxic talent. Do you really believe he made it to the other side?”

Boss frowns menacingly. That usually means he is deep in thought, probably considering some very important, needlessly complicated thing.

~~~

He badly wishes he had punched Xun Huwen in the face.

Just thinking about the mad cultivator annoys Liu Jin. Though he only encountered the man twice, Xun Huwen undeniably left an impression on him. Such tends to happen when the same person is responsible for nearly killing you twice. Even when the tide turned in Liu Jin's favor, Xun Huwen still managed to get away without a scratch.

Liu Jin can still remember Xun Huwen's words about the weight of one’s existence. As much as Liu Jin wishes he could dismiss them as nothing more than the crazed ramblings of a lunatic, the more he learns about the world, the more he realizes that Xun Huwen was more right than wrong in his assertions. That burns him more than words can say.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Xun Huwen is alive and on the other side of the Dead Plains,” he says.

Big Sister Bai frowns. Slowly, she walks out of the True Dead Plains. That says much about how annoying the drain must be.

“That’s almost hard to believe considering he was supposed to be in the early stages of the Heaven Realm,” she says. “If he truly managed to cross, it must be due to a manifestation of his Dao.”

“Burnt Path Manifestation," Liu Jin says. “That’s probably the technique he used.”

After the ordeal in the Dead Plains was over, Liu Jin researched all he could about Xun Huwen. His deeds before his imprisonment, his fighting style, and, more importantly, his Dao. The Eternal Flame Clan keeps extensive records on all things related to Destruction, and becoming a Core Disciple made it relatively easy to access them.

“It is a technique only those with a Dao tied closely to Destruction can use,” Liu Jin explains. “It destroys every single path of attack towards the user, making it impossible for any harm to befall him.”

For an attack to do that damage, it has to reach its target. That is common sense. However, if a path towards someone does not exist, how can any attack reach them? That is the basis of Burnt Path Manifestation. The technique doesn’t only affect physical paths. Going by what Liu Jin read, the effects seem to go deeper than that. It is a completely outlandish technique, yet that is Xun Huwen’s standard mode of defense.

Thinking about it… that technique might be how he has survived for so long.

“Ah, the Eternal Flame Clan,” Big Sister Bai shakes her head. “I realize you still belong to the Sect, but that place is far too dangerous. They make a habit of nurturing things that should not be nurtured. No one should be so proud of having produced so many Dao tied to Destruction.”

“I will not deny it is a problem, but Big Sister Bai, you forget something,” Liu Jin smiles and points at himself. “As far as many people are concerned, I am also something that should not have been nurtured.”

“Do not say that!” Big Sister Bai tells him.

“Even if it is mostly true,” Su Daji adds. “The people close to you will be sad if you speak like that, Boss.”

“I disagree. It is only right and proper for people to be aware of their standing.”

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Everyone freezes in place.

It was not Big Nose Li who said that. It also wasn’t Liu Jin. Marrow and Soaring Feather did not spontaneously gain the ability to use human speech, yet it was definitely a male voice that suddenly reached their ears.

At once, their senses reach out. Their heads all turn toward the same direction.

Towards the True Dead Plains.

A black blur appears in the distance. In the blink of an eye, it is suddenly in front of them. A furious Qi that feels weirdly familiar washes over them. Liu Jin’s aura flares. A qi snake appears around his hand while purple flames float in front of Su Daji. Big Nose Li has his fists raised.

Big Sister Bai is faster than all of them.

A mighty wall of ice rises before them. The force created by the abrupt appearance of such a large mass sends them flying back, effectively pushing them away from their attacker and the True Dead Plains.

The ice shatters into a million pieces.

Countless impacts echo throughout the Dead Plains in less than a second. Ice covers the land, only to be immediately destroyed. Though Liu Jin is already in the Heaven Realm, his eyes struggle to follow what is unfolding before him. He only sees the final hit clearly, steel shattering ice, before both fighters step back. Big Sister Bai stands protectively in front of them. Her breathing is heavy, and the single cut on her robes speaks volumes.

“That was interesting.”

The man in front of them looks... familiar. Certainly, there are some differences. His jaw is more pointed, and he might even be an inch shorter than the last time Liu Jin saw him. However, there is no denying who it is. The violet-eyed man dressed in black and white robes is undoubtedly…

“Bright Sword,” Liu Jin says, narrowing his eyes.

“Wrong.”

Liu Jin blinks. He is not the only one.

“Do you mean to mock us?” Big Sister Bai asks, having also met Bright Sword in the Storm Dragon Empire. “You clearly are…” She trails off. A puzzled look appears on her face. “No. You are… What are you?”

‘Bright Sword’ frowns.

“That is quite a rude way to ask,” he says. “However, I realize underdeveloped people such as yourselves are bound to be confused. I am half of a greater whole. I am the Somber Edge. The affairs of this side of the Dead Plains are usually beneath my notice, but my other decided to take a disciple from this side. Then, there’s you.”

The black sword in Somber Edge’s hand is pointed at Liu Jin.

“The boy who has everyone running around like idiots,” Somber Edge says. “Well, that’s nothing new, but you experienced Divinity, didn’t you? You would have killed my other if that annoying woman hadn’t interfered. That’s far more than I can allow.”

He moves.

Bai Wen tries to intercept him, but Somber Edge swiftly moves past her and breaks the wall of ice she is in the process of making. His eyes lock in on Liu Jin.

They clash.

Somber Edge’s blade comes down at the same time as Liu Jin's Qi snake rises. The purple lightning around the construct rages against Somber Edge's Qi, but it is the latter that seems to be winning the struggle. The dark blade begins cutting through the purest form of lightning. Liu Jin grits his teeth as he pours more Qi into his construct.

That is when he senses it.

Until that moment, Somber Edge’s Qi felt exactly the same as Bright Sword’s. However, as their souls war against each other, Liu Jin notices the differences. Though not lacking in strength, Somber Edge’s soul is duller somehow. Darker. A picture faded with age. A tree that has lost its leaves in autumn.

“Not bad.”

The blade cuts through. Liu Jin barely manages to dodge, but Somber Edge spins and lands a kick on his side, sending Liu Jin flying away. Soaring Feather catches him by the shoulders and flies him to safety before Somber Edge can land another hit.

“What a pity. It seems you are not yourself,” Somber Edge says as Soaring Feather sets Liu Jin on the ground. “You have stepped away from the orthodox and begun playing with flesh like those fools from the Death Fashioning Scripture.”

“Does someone like you really have any right to say something like that?” Liu Jin asks, reading himself. “I felt your soul just now. You’re not that dissimilar to me.”

Purple flames shoot towards Somber Edge. A slash of his sword dispels them, but Big Sister Bai is immediately on him. Glacial cold spreads throughout the Dead Plains. A single point of blue shines in Big Sister Bai’s hand.

[Sovereign Spear]

A spear of ice surges, freezing everything and digging a trench through the land that goes on for miles.

“That is the height of rudeness.”

Somber Edge is unharmed. His body is covered in frost that breaks as he moves, but there are no visible injuries on him. As the attack was about to hit him, he cut the air in front of him, somehow making the attack go around him instead.

“I’m not a mere soul fragment shoved into a pile of corrupted flesh,” Somber Edge says, glaring at Liu Jin. “I am also not a heart demon harnessed into a weapon like those fools in the Temple of the Thousand Shadows often tend to use. I am necessary detachment. Vices taken away from the self so that they might be observed from afar.”

“You are far more talkative than Bright Sword,” Liu Jin notes.

“Like I said, vices,” Somber Edge says.

A solitary breath passes.

Violence ensues.

A strong [Void Fist] erupts in the spot Somber Edge is standing on. It is a noble effort from Big Nose, but Somber Edge is already dashing out of the way. Dozens of fox-shaped constructs leap at him. Their eyes shine with spectral flames before they explode into a massive purple fireball that clears out every cloud in the sky.

A dark blade slashes the air. Space twists, and suddenly, Somber Edge is upon them. Big Sister Bai meets him head-on. Ice clashes against steel as the earth rumbles beneath their feet. Frost grows on Big Sister Bai’s body, shaping itself into armor as she exchanges blows with Somber Edge. Her Qi rises to the utmost.

Liu Jin observes carefully, waiting for the right moment to strike, but it looks like it will never come. Somber Edge does not leave any openings. His offense is perfect. His sword moves too fast. It stabs and slices, leaving behind trails of light that chip away at the ice. With every exchange, it is Big Sister Bai who keeps being pushed back.

Impatience begins to mount. Liu Jin’s qi rises violently.

If there is no opening, he will make one.

A gigantic snake construct bursts from the ground between Big Sister Bai and Somber Edge, glowing with dangerous white Qi. Immediately understanding what is about to happen, Big Sister Bai covers herself in ice. Su Daji and Big Nose Li are already running away while Soaring Feather grabs Marrow and takes to the skies.

Poison erupts across the land. The ground rots, and the ice melts away. Only Liu Jin is immune to his own poison. Flames and ice rain from above to support him as he rams the giant snake into Somber Edge

“Dull.”

The blade cuts through his construct, splitting it in half as though it were paper. Somber Edge appears before him, his body completely untouched by the poison. His sword glows with dark light.

“Tell me something. Do you suppose that if I strike you perfectly enough, the real you will feel it?”

Time slows down for Liu Jin as the sword closes in on his neck. He feels Big Sister Bai is already moving to save him, but she will not be fast enough. That’s fine. There is no need for her to do anything. He is just a copy. If he is destroyed, the original will still be there.

Still, Liu Jin does not want to know what losing his head feels like just yet.

His mind races through his options as he raises his arm and reinforces it with Qi to block the incoming blade. That will not be enough. There is only one thing that might work. It is not perfect, but there are no better alternatives. Liu Jin draws all his Qi into himself, hardening his body. Scales grow over his skin as he allows the dragon aspect of himself to take over.

A dragon cannot be changed.

The clang that rings out across the plains is not the sound of a sword cutting through flesh. Instead, it almost sounds like steel striking steel. The impact clears the poison mist and reveals Liu Jin and Somber Edger at its center. The scales on Liu Jin’s arm managed to stop the blade.

Then Somber Edge draws his sword back and slashes again.

Liu Jin’s hand goes flying.

A distant part of his mind notes, with some amusement, that it is not the first time he has lost a hand. The rest of him is busy shutting down the pain, stopping the bleeding, and trying to retreat. However, Somber Edge grabs him by the scruff of his robes and smashes the handle of his sword into his face.

[Peerless Blade: Fourth Form - Thousand Fold Slash]

As Big Sister Bai and the others reach them, Somber Edge's blade glows with purple light. Countless Qi blades are unleashed in all directions, forcing them away.

“All things change,” Somber Edge says. “There is nothing permanent in this world. Trying to wield the arrogance of dragons against me was a mistake.”

His blade closes in, yet Liu Jin does not panic. He feels it. It shines on the horizon like the sun itself, crossing countless miles in an instant and arriving like the clap of thunder. The blade is blocked. A powerful fist strikes Somber Edge, landing the first real blow on him and sending him flying away. Sky blue eyes turn in his direction, and perfectly white teeth form a confident smile.

“Little Brother, why is it that I always find you in dangerous situations?”

Xiao Nan, the number one prodigy of the Xiao Sect, has arrived.

~~~