《Return Of The Martial God》


 Return Of The Martial God - Prologue

    High above a grand pavilion two wrinkled hands moved in a blur. Jade figures moved to a new spot on the game board each time one of the ancient hands moved. Below the two floating figures one hundred cultivators danced like marionettes. Hours passed and the final two Qi cultivators killed each other causing the old men to sigh.


    ¡°Another tie,¡± Cao Peng said, his white hair moving with the early morning breeze. He wore a black robe embroidered on the robe was a single golden sparrow with a red rose in its mouth. His face sagged in areas only making the valleys of wrinkles on his face more pronounced.


    ¡°It has been well over fifty years since a game ended with a winner and now we have to recruit more disciples,¡± Lu Deyang said. Everything about Lu Deyang was the same as Cao Peng except for his gray hair. If someone met them for the first time you would think they were biological twins. They were not though, Lu Deyang simply aspired to be Cao Peng.


    Cao Peng put away the game board and jade pieces, empty bottles of wine soon followed. From his spatial ring the tipsy Cao Peng produced an ancient scroll, its paper was as red as the rose on his robe and golden characters sprawled across every inch of the scroll. ¡°Have you ever heard the story of Wu Jilong?¡± Cao Peng asked his tone extremely serious.


    ¡°Wu Jilong? Can¡¯t say I have,¡± Lu Deyang replied. On his leathery face a giant frown formed. In Lu Deyang¡¯s eyes he and Cao Peng were extremely close. To have never heard a story Cao Peng seemed so serious about made him feel sour.


    ¡°Wu Jilong lived 5,000 years ago when my Cao Clan was first founded. So I only know what is written in my ancestral records. Wu Jilong was an unparalleled genius birthed from two Celestial Bloodlines of the Waring Cloud Continent,¡± Cao Peng said.


    ¡°Two Celestial Bloodlines? How powerful must he have been? The current kings of the Waring Cloud Continent only have partial bloodlines yet they still easily reach the Earthly Understanding Stage, but to have two pure bloodlines,¡± Lu Deyang¡¯s voice was filled with wonder and fear as he pictured what Wu Jilong¡¯s existence looked like.


    Lu Deyang¡¯s face of bewilderment made Cao Peng smile, ¡°At the age of ten he entered the Divine Ruling Stage, by fifteen he was killing the Devas that today only exist in legend! When he walked the entire earth trembled, each breath he exhaled shifted the skies, if he wished even the stars would cease to shine,¡± Cao Peng said.


    ¡°If he was truly so great then why are there no legends of his life yet we have legend of the Devas?¡± Lu Deyang asked.


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    ¡°The Devas and the Heavens forbid it! Five hundred stars descended from the sky to kill Wu Jilong but it was a futile effort! Finally his own parents saw the danger in the child they birthed, sacrificing their lives they sealed Wu Jilong in a formation that crippled his cultivation and continually diffused the purity of his Qi and polluted his meridians. Tell me, why do you think it constantly storms and snows in the Arctic Isle?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean!¡± Lu Deyang exclaimed.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of Wu Jilong¡¯s Qi. Even today the seal is still diffusing his Qi into the outside world. But recently the storms have grown fewer in numbers. The seal on Wu Jilong is weakening,¡± Cao Peng roared.


    The very thought of this ancient figure returning to the world made Lu Deyang¡¯s blood run cold. ¡°If the seal weakens then,¡± Lu Deyang said in a weak voice.


    ¡°He won¡¯t be able to break the seal himself,¡± Cao Peng said. Hearing this Lu Deyang could finally relax, though it was short lived. ¡°Unless we help him escape of course.¡± Cao Peng¡¯s lips formed a sinister smile and his forehead furrowed. After a quick gesture a heart shaped blade appeared from thin air. ¡°Wu Jilong is but a cripple, his peerless strength is long gone but his vast knowledge about Qi Cultivation remains.¡±


    He held out the heart shaped blade towards Lu Deyang. ¡°This is a treasure passed down from the Cao Clan Founder. This is also the reason I can practice my Bewitching Mind Technique, after stabbing this blade into Wu Jilong¡¯s heart he will completely become our puppet. Lu Deyang travel to the Arctic Isles to free Wu Jilong! We will both benefit from his knowledge and finally be able to take our revenge on those who insulted us. Lu Deyang breaking the seal will require all of your energy and then some, after breaking the seal you will not be able to use the Bewitching Mind Blade so use this to distract Wu Jilong,¡± Cao Peng yelled to the heavens.


    Another scroll appeared out of nowhere, Lu Deyang grabbed it and examined it. ¡°What are these three bracelets?¡± Lu Deyang asked.


    ¡°Those are the first place reward for the Black Dragon Run in three years. They are also Wu Jilong¡¯s beloved weapons from five thousand years ago, using this you will undoubtedly get him to trust you until your strength returns,¡± Cao Peng said.


    Lu Deyang bowed. ¡°Yes! I will leave at once.¡± With the ancient scroll and Bewitching Mind Blade in hand he shot off into the sky heading north.

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 1

    ¡°Do I frighten you?¡± A hundred thousand talismans laid between Wu Jilong and Lu Deyang yet Lu Deyang could still clearly feel Wu Jilong¡¯s aura. Even without any Qi Wu Jilong exuded a menacing aura that made Lu Deyang¡¯s heart race giving him the feeling of an inescapable death.


    ¡°275. That is the number of times you heart has beat since you laid eyes on me a minute ago,¡± Wu Jilong said. But no reply came. Lu Deyang practiced what he would say a hundred times before he arrived, yet now the words would not come out. Wu Jilong approached, his crimson hair stirring in the wind was accompanied by the faint melody of the golden bells braided into his hair. Wu Jilong¡¯s expression was completely calm.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked.


    An awkward silence hung in the air until Lu Deyang finally found the courage to speak. ¡°My name is Lu Deyang. Cao Peng the current head of the Cao Clan sent me to release you from the seal that trapped you.¡± Lu Deyang¡¯s voice was thin and quiet, just these few words were difficult for him to say.


    Perhaps even if Lu Deyang did not know the history behind Wu Jilong he would still feel frightened, because Wu Jilong felt inhuman. Wu Jilong¡¯s golden eyes shined with such brilliance that all the gold in the world paled in comparison. His face was flawless and beautiful to a point that it made Lu Deyang feel that Wu Jilong was a demon sent to tempt humans with jealousy and lust.


    ¡°Cao? Where have I heard that name before? That lowly farmer my parents raised to the Heavenly Perception Realm? He was so insignificant that the Devas completely ignored him, that explains why this Cao Peng would have the key to the seals,¡± Wu Jilong said while strolling past Lu Deyang without sparing him a single glance.


    This upset Lu Deyang greatly. It¡¯s like Cao Peng said, he may have been peerless once but now he is a cripple! My strength is still much to weak to use the Bewitching Mind Blade though, for now I must be polite. ¡°Wu Jilong where are you going? Because of the seal your cultivation is crippled! If you wander around the Arctic Isle without cultivation you will die!¡± His voice was filled with so much concern it immediately came off as ingenuine.


    Wu Jilong¡¯s face was still completely calm. ¡°You insult me. This is not the first time in my life I have been without cultivation. When I would grow tired of my Dao Palace¡¯s design I would destroy it and erect a new one,¡± Wu Jilong said casually.


    Lu Deyang on the other hand almost died from shock. After 123 years of cultivation Lu Deyang had entered the peak of the Earthly Understanding Stage yet he was still two stages away from sculpting a Dao Palace within his Daitan. So to hear Wu Jilong casually mention destroying his Dao Palace to erect a new one because he grew tired of its design stupefied him. ¡°H-how many times did you destroy your Dao Palace if I may ask?¡± Lu Deyang asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Five times. The fifth Dao Palace was exceptionally grand. Over a thousand rooms carefully designed and carved with hundreds of pavilions and courtyards. A palace that put those of Devas¡¯ to shame.¡± Wu Jilong exclaimed. For the first time since he had been unsealed he wore a smile on his face. From the happiness in his voice it was clear he cherished his fifth Dao Palace or maybe he just hadn¡¯t had enough time to grow tired of its design.


    There are ten stages in the Qi Cultivation of Man. The first stage is one that all humans begin at. The Aimless Wandering Stage, without enlightenment and reason one will never learn to cultivate, doomed to live their entire life ignorant of Qi. The Shamanic Foundation Stage, the second stage of Qi Cultivation, was the starting point of cultivation where one''s body would begin to be refined while Qi accumulates in their Daitan.


    After a certain amount of Qi is accumulated in one''s daitan they would be able to enter the third stage of cultivation, The Aura Sea Formation Stage. The Essence of Qi within their body is transformed into Liquid Qi giving birth to the Aura Sea. Unlike the second stage of Qi Cultivation, Aura Seas had different grades in the order of: Tsunami, Roaring Waves, Gentle Tides, and Still Sea. The calmer ones Aura Sea was the easier it would be for them to breakthrough the fourth stage of cultivation known as Traversing the Aura Sea Stage.


    If someone was unfortunate enough to form a Tsunami Grade Aura Sea they would never be able to break through the fourth stage because the fourth stage required traveling down to the heart of one''s Aura Sea with their soul and solidifying the Qi. After the fourth stage came the Shrine Sculpting Stage in which Solid Qi is refined into a Dao Shrine. The Earthly Understanding Stage, Heavenly Perception Stage, Dao Palace Sculpting Stage, Heavenly Ascension Stage, and Divine Ruling Stage followed in that order.


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    Wu Jilong left Lu Deyang who had his mouth wide open from shock behind. He ventured out of the frozen tomb and up a winding staircase of ice for the first time in 5,000 years. Glaciers as tall and sharp as mountains covered in powdered snow stretched endlessly towards the horizon. Behind dull gray clouds dim rays of sunlight warmed Wu Jilong¡¯s face. ¡°So beautiful!¡± he said with joy.


    ¡°Wu Jilong! There is something I forgot to mention,¡± Lu Deyang said. Moments ago he had climbed up the staircase as well.


    ¡°Oh? Out with it then,¡± Wu Jilong said coldly.


    Lu Deyang gestured and a scroll appeared. On the scroll three breathtaking bracelets were painted. Dragons, tigers, and cranes were engraved on the bracelets to form an indescribable work of art. ¡°These belong to you, yes? The Cao Clan Founder described these three bracelets as your most cherished weapons, and the bracelets pictured match their descriptions perfectly,¡± Lu Deyang said.


    Wu Jilong grinned. This was the first and last time Wu Jilong showed thankfulness towards Lu Deyang. ¡°Very good! Bring them to me!¡±


    ¡°I am afraid that is impossible for me to do. The Wang Clan is offering them as a reward for first place in the Black Dragon Run in three years time. The Wang Clan has three Heavenly Perception Stage cultivators and hundreds of Earthly Understanding Stage cultivators. If you helped me break through to the Dao Palace Sculpting Stage I could go take them for you,¡± Lu Deyang said.


    ¡°How presumptuous of you. Help you breakthrough to the Dao Palace Sculpting Stage? With your talent it would take ten years.¡± Wu Jilong meant this as an insult but hearing that he would be able to enter the Dao Palace Sculpting Stage in as little as ten years, Lu Deyang began to cry tears of joy.


    ¡°All I have to do is win this Black Dragon Run then. How do I enter this competition?¡± Wu Jilong asked.


    ¡°To enter the Black Dragon Run one must be the apostle of a sect in the Grand Peak Continent. With your talent and knowledge this is but a small task,¡± Lu Deyang said while drying his eyes.


    Gazing off in the distance at the towers of ice that reached towards the heavens refusing to melt Wu Jilong was silently thinking that he was very similar to these glaciers.Wu Jilong examined his reflection on the smooth frozen cave wall. After 5,000 years all the color in his robe faded and the silk cloth he used to tie up his hair frayed and faded as well.


    ¡°What was your name?¡± Wu Jilong asked.


    ¡°Lu Deyang.¡±


    ¡°Lu Deyang, which sect is the best in this continent?¡±


    ¡°That would be the Sect of Five Corners!¡±


    The Sect of Five Corners is the strongest and most prestigious sect in the Grand Peak Continent, its name comes from the fact that the sect was built in a spot where the borders of the continents five most powerful kingdoms touch. Inside the Sect of Five Corners there are five factions, one for each respective kingdom. Each faction has their own teachers and techniques and culture.


    ¡°Take me to buy the supplies I¡¯ll need to cultivate and then take me to this Sect of Five Corners. After I shall tell you how to breakthrough to the Dao Palace Sculpting Stage,¡± Wu Jilong said indifferently.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Lu Deyang let out a shrill whistle and a seven colored crane descended in a dive bomb towards the ground. Rainbow Cranes are notoriously cruel magical beasts, Lu Deyang was preparing to protect Wu Jilong from the crane¡¯s fierce attacks. But much to Lu Deyang¡¯s surprise the Rainbow Crane only nuzzled its large head into Wu Jilong¡¯s chest, something it would never do towards Lu Deyang. In a flash Wu Jilong and Lu Deyang climbed onto the massive cranes back and shot off into the sky flying towards Polar Lotus City the largest town in the Northern Domain.


    Of course you will help me breakthrough. Once my Qi returns I¡¯ll control your mind with the Bewitching Mind Blade. After all you are nothing more than a cripple. Lu Deyang thought.

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 2

    A single gray tower stood among ten mountain ranges. To call it a tower was an insult seeing as the tower was larger than the ten mountain ranges put together. This tower was Polar Lotus City, the wealthiest and largest city in all of the Northern Domain. At different heights on the tower large slabs of stone protruded to allow entrance to the different zones of Polar Lotus City.


    Currently a Rainbow Crane landed onto the 8th platform of Polar Lotus City. Wu Jilong and Lu Deyang dismounted from the bird and walked towards the entrance of the tower. Behind a stone counter stood a young woman.


    ¡°Welcome to Polar Lotus City! What is your reason for coming here today?¡± the young woman asked with a flushed face. Wu Jilong studied her carefully, or so she thought. He was actually appreciating the robe she wore for its masterful thread work and superb use of color and patterns.


    ¡°We have come to purchase goods in the Polar Merchant Row,¡± Lu Deyang said.


    Still under Wu Jilong¡¯s gaze the young woman lowered her head, after a minute of fumbling around behind the counter she produced two pieces of lotus shaped jade. ¡°These are your proof of admittance into Polar Lotus City, if you lose them at anytime you will be forcibly ejected by the tower. If you have any questions I would be more than happy to answer them!¡±


    ¡°We have no questions,¡± Lu Deyang replied coldly as he entered Polar Lotus City. Wu Jilong however walked to the counter and gazed deeply into the young woman¡¯s eyes causing her face to turn even redder.


    ¡°Where did you purchase this robe?¡± Wu Jilong asked.


    ¡°I already have a husband! But it is my duty as a representative of Polar Lotus City to make our guests happy, if it is your wish,¡± she said. Due to her own perverted delusions when Wu Jilong mentioned her robe she started to strip, completely ignoring his question.


    ¡°Where did you purchase this robe?¡± he asked again, his voice much colder this time. The young woman¡¯s face turned even redder (if that was possible) she ducked under the counter and pointed south with her finger. ¡°I-i-i-in the Polar Merchant Row there is a shop called the Divine Thread¡¯s Tailor, the fat man who works there he made it for me.¡±


    Without offering any thanks to the perverted girl Wu Jilong walked away and entered Polar Lotus City. Once he entered Lu Deyang rushed over to his side. ¡°Wu Jilong, where would you like to visit first? The grand-master alchemists of Polar Lotus City are famous for their high grade cultivation pills!¡± Lu Deyang said with a clear tone of respect.


    ¡°Only a fool would take a pill to help with cultivation. Do you truly believe these clowns you call grand-master alchemists can refine the enlightenment of cultivation into pills? Who am I kidding, of course you would,¡± Wu Jilong sneered.


    Lu Deyang was a cultivator who like many other cultivators in the Grand Peak Continent relied on the pills from alchemists to make breakthroughs. Hearing himself be called a fool and the alchemists he held in regard called clowns Lu Deyang was furious.


    ¡°What do you mean? The pills alchemists produce allow cultivators to breakthrough the bottlenecks of cultivation they face. For what reason do you mock them? What right do you have to mock them?¡± Lu Deyang asked not caring enough to hide the disdain in his voice.


    ¡°What was your name again?¡± Wu Jilong asked. It should be said that Wu Jilong has an exceptional memory but he can¡¯t be bothered to remember the name of such an insignificant cultivator.


    ¡°Lu Deyang! Lu Deyang! Lu Deyang!¡± Lu Deyang screamed his face completely red from anger. Having Wu Jilong ask his name for the fifteenth time was the final straw. Some days he even had asked for Lu Deyang¡¯s name more than once.


    ¡°For what reason do I mock them? What right do I have to mock them? 5,000 years ago I taught cultivators of the Grand Peak Continent alchemy as a joke! They are nothing more than clowns meant to be mocked. Cultivation is about enlightenment, only a child would believe taking a pill can grant enlightenment. The difference between true cultivators and fools is that of the heavens and the earth,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    Lu Deyang wanted to speak out but how could he? Wu Jilong was an existence that Lu Deyang couldn¡¯t comprehend.  The more he thought about what Wu Jilong had said the more it made sense. Lu Deyang and Cao Peng were both cultivators at the peak of the Earthly Understanding Stage yet the difference between them was that of the heavens and the earth. The reason for this? It was none other than the fact that Cao Peng never used pills to break through while Lu Deyang did.


    Lu Deyang always thought it was only Cao Peng¡¯s talent that made the difference but now he knew it was the fact that his own cultivation was the culmination of a 5,000 year old joke. Who knows how many cultivators had their Qi ruined because of this joke. Lu Deyang felt the need to be alone, he made up the excuse of buying Wu Jilong a ring of holding and left after giving him a sack of gold coins. Wu Jilong put the coins away and walked down the pathways of Polar Lotus City¡¯s 8th level, hundreds of people moved about in all directions wares and goods in hand.


    Peddlers set up shop in the plaza to sell their magical goods, these peddlers were alternatives to the large shops and were only frequented by poor cultivators. Large magical beasts pulled caravans filled to the brim with magical goods towards the larger market houses of Polar Merchant Row.


    Finally Wu Jilong came to find The Divine Thread¡¯s Tailor. The building had complex carvings along its stone arches which were supported by stone columns carved into the shapes of dragons.


    Upon entering Divine Thread¡¯s Tailor Wu Jilong was met with the pleasant scent of lavender and wine. Tapestries of fine silk hung from corner to corner inside the building. In the back corner of the room an overweight man wearing a floral robe stood needle in hand. It must be said that from an early age Wu Jilong had a deep love of all things beautiful. Nature, battle, art, and many other things in the world all had their own potential for beauty.


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    Once the overweight man spotted Wu Jilong his beady black eyes shone with extreme concentration as he tried to imagine a robe that would compliment Wu Jilong¡¯s appearance. ¡°Hello! Though I am usually quite confident in my ability, I don¡¯t think I will be able to make a robe fine enough for you!¡±


    ¡°Your needlework and use of color and patterns are all exquisite. I wish to wear a robe made by you.¡± Wu Jilong said.


    ¡°You flatter me! Each robe is one gold coin, do you have any requests?¡±


    Wu Jilong took out the pouch of gold he had gotten from Lu Deyang. ¡°The designs are up to your own discretion,¡± he said. In seeking out the overweight man¡¯s shop Wu Jilong wanted robes made from the creativity of this master tailor.


    ¡°How many do you want sir?¡± The overweight man asked.


    ¡°50.¡±


    ¡­


    Hours passed and Lu Deyang came to find Wu Jilong much to his dismay. Wu Jilong took an olive green ring of holding from Lu Deyang. With a simple gesture of his hands 49 robes disappeared. Wu Jilong had long since changed out of his faded robe into a white and black robe with hundreds of hearts embroidered everywhere.


    With nothing left to buy Wu Jilong and Lu Deyang prepared to leave Polar Lotus City when something one of the peddlers was selling caught Wu Jilong¡¯s interest. It was a small white egg no larger than a chicken''s, however, from the bottom of the egg a pitch black stem was firmly planted in a broken clay pot filled with snow. ¡°What is the price of this egg?¡± Wu Jilong asked.


    The filthy peasant looked up from the stale bread he was eating. ¡°50 gold coins,¡± he said.


    ¡°You dirty beggar who would pay 50 gold fo¡­¡±


    Wu Jilong produced 50 gold coins and put the egg away in his ring of holding. Outside Polar Lotus City Wu Jilong and Lu Deyang sat on the back of the Rainbow Crane who was preparing to take off.


    ¡°What was that egg you bought?¡± Lu Deyang asked.


    ¡°A formless beast egg. Depending on the Qi used to nurture the egg any type of magical beast may be born,¡± Wu Jilong said. Formless beast eggs were truly a rare phenomenon, even a dragon or phoenix can be born from a formless beast egg as long as the Qi used to nurture it is good enough. How these eggs came to be in the world was a mystery that even Wu Jilong was not certain of.


    After an hour of flying Lu Deyang leaned in next to the Rainbow Crane and whispered a command softly so that Wu Jilong wouldn¡¯t be able to hear it.


    ¡°Why are we landing?¡± It was all for nought, Wu Jilong was able to hear Lu Deyang¡¯s heartbeat from afar how would he not be able to hear his whispers from a few feet away? Compared to humans and most magical beasts Wu Jilong six senses were far more evolved.


    ¡°There is something wrong with my Rainbow Crane which I want to examine before forcing him to fly for too long,¡± Lu Deyang said.


    Fool, I don¡¯t even need to listen to your heart to know you''re lying. Wu Jilong thought. Not a second after the Rainbow Crane landed Wu Jilong jumped off distancing himself from Lu Deyang who held a heart shaped blade in his hand and emitted visible killing intent with a sinister smile on his face.


    ¡°I have never used a knife before but against an arrogant cripple like yourself I don¡¯t even need to use my Qi!¡± Lu Deyang roared.


    Lu Deyang rushed towards Wu Jilong, the Bewitching Mind Blade extended in his left hand ready to pierce Wu Jilong¡¯s heart. In the blink of an eye blood ran down the blade but it was not Wu Jilong¡¯s rather it was Lu Deyang¡¯s. Just before Lu Deyang had reached him Wu Jilong dropped to the ground, using his arms to push off the ground he delivered a fierce kick towards Lu Deyang¡¯s wrist.


    Using the momentum of Lu Deyang¡¯s suicidal charge Wu Jilong broke Lu Deyang¡¯s wrist forcing the blade towards his heart. Because Lu Deyang used no protective Qi the blade easily passed through his chest to pierce his heart. From the twitches in his muscle fibers and the movements of Lu Deyang¡¯s eyes Wu Jilong was able to tell what kind of attacks Lu Deyang would use before he used them.


    But more than anything else it was the fact that Lu Deyang held the knife straight out like a lance telegraphing his intentions. Lu Deyang¡¯s claims of never using a blade before were clearly not a lie, because only an idiot would use a blade in such a manner. Even without Qi Wu Jilong was confident against such a poor opponent, his battle experience against Devas was not just for show after all.


    ¡°The spawn of a farmer dares to try and control me? This Bewitching Mind Blade isn¡¯t worthy of being used by me!¡± Wu Jilong exclaimed as he threw the blade away into a half thawed river. Wu Jilong was present when the Cao Clan Founder created the Bewitching Mind Blade but Lu Deyang and Cao Peng had no way of knowing this. With a simple chant Lu Deyang¡¯s eyes turned into empty pools of darkness, he was now the under control of Wu Jilong.


    ¡°Take me to the Sect of Five Corners then cripple your cultivation and become a meal for this Rainbow Crane,¡± Wu Jilong ordered.

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 3

    Outside the Sect of Five Corners a giant Rainbow Crane landed gracefully. Dust and rocks flew out from under the crane¡¯s wings. Wu Jilong and Lu Deyang hopped off from the back of the beast. The appearance of these mysterious figures drew attention from no small number of outer disciples of the Golden Gamble Faction.


    ¡°That¡¯s a Rainbow Crane!¡±


    ¡°That elder must at least be of the Earthly Understanding Stage!¡±


    ¡°Earthly Understanding Stage? Does that mean he is as strong as Mo Ba¡­¡±


    Ghastly sounds of bones snapping and flesh being torn to ribbons interrupted the chatter of nearby disciples. The elder they had thought to be a high level expert comparable to the Outer Elder of the Golden Gamble Faction, Mo Bang, had his skull split in two by the black beak of the Rainbow Crane. Chunks of brain matter and pools of blood fell to the ground before the crane swallowed his body whole and flew off.


    Wu Jilong never turned to look back at the horrifying scene, instead he continued walking towards the Golden Gamble Faction which made the outer disciples gasp. To reach the Earthly Understanding Realm was a far off dream that every outer disciple shared, but to this young man they were nothing more than food for his Rainbow Crane. All of the outer disciples present thought that Wu Jilong was truly too arrogant.


    From the direction of the Golden Gamble Faction an elder and his disciple walked towards Wu Jilong, upon sensing the arrival of an unknown Earthly Understanding Stage the elder hurried to meet the mysterious cultivator. Only when he arrived the expert was nowhere to be found.


    Seeing the group of outer disciples standing around upset the elder. ¡°If you have time to stand around you have the time to train,¡± Mo Bang said. ¡°Before you leave to train answer me. Have any of you seen a cultivator of the Earthly Understanding Stage?¡±


    Wu Jilong stepped forward towards Mo Bang. ¡°Yes, he delivered me to the Sect of Five Corners and left.¡± he said coolly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡±


    ¡°Your Rainbow Crane killed and ate him!¡±


    Hearing these lowly disciples speak about his business made Wu Jilong¡¯s eyes grow cold, he pointed to the sky with his right hand. ¡°And then he left in the stomach of his OWN Rainbow Crane,¡± he said.


    Wu Jilong¡¯s lack of respect caused Mo Bang to grit his teeth in anger. Like Lu Deyang, Mo Bang was an expert of the Earthly Understanding Stage. Wu Jilong disrespecting someone of Lu Deyang¡¯s stature was the same as looking down on him personally. ¡°Boy your tongue is sharp, unlike your wit. I too am a cultivator of the Earthly Understanding Stage to look down upon us so is a grave mis¡­¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I look down on a walking corpse? In five years time you will be dead,¡± Wu Jilong said indifferently.


    ¡°Trash! How dare you threaten my master! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± From behind Mo Bang his disciple Tan Fang yelled out. His black hair was messily combed and his white robe disheveled with paint stains here and there. He had a face to match his arrogant words and a voice that assaulted the ears.


    Mo Bang frowned. ¡°Tan Fang be quiet,¡± Mo Bang said. ¡°You, why do you say that I will die in five years?¡±


    ¡°Your breathe and heartbeat tell me as much,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    Wu Jilong¡¯s words drove Tan Fang crazy. How could this trash without cultivation threaten his master and then say he learned about it from his master¡¯s breathing. ¡°Master this trash is truly talking shit, even master doesn¡¯t kno¡­¡±


    ¡°Tan Fang I said be quiet,¡± Mo Bang roared, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you discovered my condition using such methods. Explain yourself or I will cut you down where you stand.¡± A violent torrent of Qi began to surround Mo Bang, twisting and growing the Qi formed a large blade of Sword Qi.


    Presently Wu Jilong hated the thought of being at the mercy of such weak cultivators but what choice did he have? Without Qi the outcome of a fight between him and a true expert of the Earthly Understanding Realm would undoubtedly end in his loss. Lu Deyang¡¯s failure to defeat him simply came from Lu Deyang¡¯s arrogance and incompetence.


    ¡°Every third heartbeat is extremely slow when compared to the others, this is because the blood is being absorbed by the Life Leeching Lilly. Each breath you inhale is short, only filling your lungs partially before you ever so slightly wince from pain, this is because the stem of the Life Leeching Lilly stabs into your lungs each time you breathe,¡± Wu Jilong said coolly.


    Wu Jilong¡¯s calm analysis of Mo Bang¡¯s condition shocked both Mo Bang and Tan Fang, they were the only people present that knew the truth of Mo Bang¡¯s ailment. Every word Wu Jilong said was the undeniable truth. Years ago while exploring an ancient cave three seeds forced their way into Mo Bang¡¯s mouth before running down his esophagus and taking residence there.


    Before they had a chance to reply to Wu Jilong¡¯s claims however the outer disciples were once again crying out.


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    ¡°What shit!¡±


    ¡°Tan Fang was right! This guy is shameless! To spout such nonsense in front of an elder is extremely disrespectful.¡±


    Wu Jilong had every intention to ignore the outer disciples but they were making it much too difficult of a task. Killing intent and malice surged from Wu Jilong of its own accord causing everyone in the surrounding area to tremble. Outer disciples could only sense the aura but Mo Bang clearly saw the killing intents cruel form.


    In an attempt to remedy the situation Mo Bang stepped forward yet when he tried to speak his voice trembled. ¡°Y-you¡¯re right. Everything you have said so far is correct. But why did you use my heartbeat and breath to discover my condition?¡± Mo Bang asked.


    ¡°The heart and lungs are the most important organs for cultivation and living. When you meditate Qi moves to your Datain through breathing. Without your heart you can¡¯t breathe, these are the first areas to check when diagnosing someone,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    ¡°What about the brain?¡± Mo Bang questioned.


    Wu Jilong shot a glance towards the group of outer disciples then chuckled. ¡°Clearly a brain is not needed for cultivation.¡± The disciples wished to cry out again but who would be able to after having Wu Jilong¡¯s malice directed at them. Some of the outer disciples had their hair fall out in clumps under the influence of his aura.


    Mo Bang coughed. ¡°Why have you come to the Sect of Five Corners?¡± Wu Jilong¡¯s potential medical knowledge piqued Mo Bang¡¯s interest but what interested Mo Bang the most was the the fact that a young man with no cultivation had caused him to feel such terror. No matter what Mo Bang would recruit Wu Jilong to the Golden Gamble Faction today.


    ¡°I have come to join the Sect of Five Corners, let me enter the Golden Gamble Faction. In return I will rid you of the Life Leeching Lilly which ails you,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    Hearing Wu Jilong agree so readily made Mo Bang ecstatic. In order to recruit Wu Jilong, Mo Bang was prepared to offer medicinal pills and martial arts to him. ¡°As an elder I welcome you to the Golden Gamble Faction and the Sect of Five Corners! Hmm¡­ I never did ask you your name did I?¡±


    ¡°My name is Wu Jilong,¡± he said coldly.


    ¡°Welcome to the Golden Gamble Faction, Wu Jilong!¡±


    ¡°Mo Bang how underhanded and shameless can you be? Secretly admitting disciples to your own faction without letting the other factions inspect them first is simply unfair.¡± A simple looking man clad in a violet robe jumped down from a nearby tree. He walked towards Wu Jilong and Mo Bang. Once he reached the two he placed his sap covered hand on Wu Jilong¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Brother Wu, do not let Mo Bang fool you. The Golden Gamble Faction is the weakest faction in the Sect of Five Corners. They do not even possess a single offensive cultivation method,¡± Ma Lin said. 5,000 years ago anyone who tried to lay a finger on Wu Jilong would be executed by him before they could do so, Ma Lin had clasped his shoulder without permission and even went as far as too dirty one of his robes with the sap.


    Wu Jilong turned his head to meet Ma Lin¡¯s. Earlier the aura Wu Jilong released was only a fraction of his true killing intent. Now Wu Jilong directed his malice towards Ma Lin in its entirety, the World Qi which surrounded Wu Jilong turned red with black streaks. Although he had no cultivation base his killing intent was so great it affected the Qi around him.


    W-what is this? I can feel my soul being destroyed. Ma Lin¡¯s previously all blonde hair was now riddled with strands of white. I am going to die, run. I need to run. Killing intent is not something that is birthed from strength alone. It is a combination of emotion, might, and experience. Wu Jilong¡¯s bloodlust was so powerful Devas would have a hard time resisting it. Once his cultivation returned Wu Jilong would be able to infuse his killing intent with Qi, just through thoughts alone weaker cultivators would fall like stalks of wheat before a scythe.


    Wu Jilong walked away from Ma Lin who remained motionless as rivers of sweat fell from his once arrogant face. ¡°Mo Bang, I wish to enter the Golden Gamble Faction,¡± he said. His tone was neither respectful nor disrespectful it was completely neutral.


    Wu Jilong, Mo Bang, and Tan Fang entered the Golden Gamble Faction together through the large golden gates that separated it from the other factions. ¡°Wu Jilong I can go to the alchemists of the Medicinal River Faction and request medicinal pills if you wish. Likewise I can bring you Martial Arts if you would like,¡± Mo Bang said.


    ¡°That is not necessary. I will be entering closed door meditation, make sure I have a place to cultivate where no one will bother me. This is important for your treatment,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    ¡°Ok! I will bring you to one of my personal training caves at once.¡± Tan Fang was speechless, the master at the Earthly Understanding Stage he respected so much was now obeying this cultivation less trash like some dog with his tail between his legs.

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 4

    Wu Jilong sat crossed legged in meditation on the cold stone floor of the training cave Mo Bang provided. His breathing was extremely even as Wu Jilong attempted to sense his Unique Qi within the world. The notion that all Qi in the world was the same is actually incorrect. From birth a person''s Unique Qi formed their meridians and Daitan, because of this a clear difference in the purity of Qi and natural talent became apparent.


    It was this very fact that let Wu Jilong be confident in regaining his cultivation after the first time he was crippled, if the Unique Qi formed his meridians and Daitan before why wouldn¡¯t it be able to do it again? There are many mysteries that are unknown to the world but just because they are unknown does not mean they can¡¯t be done. A true cultivator refines the unknown to create their own will.


    Hours passed and no change in Wu Jilong¡¯s condition came about. Just as Wu Jilong was about to stop meditating for the night he felt an extremely familiar feeling. It was his Unique Qi! He wasted no time and quickly began attempting to absorb his Qi but was only met with disappointment.


    Wu Jilong frowned. ¡°This has never happened before, there are twelve others who posses my Unique Qi. Could it be because of the seal?¡± Wu Jilong thought. Twin brothers possessing the same Unique Qi was not impossible but for twelve beings to possess the same Unique Qi was without precedent.


    Originally Wu Jilong thought he would be able to cultivate normally but now he knew this was not the case. During the 5,000 years Wu Jilong spent sealed, his cultivation dispersed into the world endlessly. Such a strong Qi would eventually give birth to magical beasts and that was exactly what happened. Twelve frightening beasts were given life by Wu Jilong, if he wishes to return to his previous stages of cultivation Wu Jilong has no choice but to kill the twelve magical beasts.


    To create something from nothing is impossible, every action of creation required something different but it required something all the same. Since his Unique Qi was still present in the world Wu Jilong had no way to create more Qi for his cultivation stages. ¡°With the amount of Qi present to me I will only be able to form my Aura Sea. Mother. Father. Damn you! Even in death you spite me,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    With a clear understanding of his situation he returned to meditating calmly. More time passed, soon an aura as red as his hair engulfed his body. Flames danced along every inch of Wu Jilong¡¯s meridians burning away the impurities that accumulated over 5,000 years. The flames raged within his meridians well into the night until they finally turned the last of the impurities to nothing.


    Wu Jilong¡¯s entire body glowed. His robe, his hair, and his skin sparked occasionally causing him to look aflame. Above the training room a full moon illuminated the vast lands of the world, only tonight the moon was completely crimson, storms of fire appeared throughout the world claiming thousands of lives. Volcanoes erupted spewing lava and ash which blanketed cities and towns. Countless experts would come to agree that on this night an unforeseeable disaster had befallen The Grand Peak Continent. To Wu Jilong this night was nothing special, it was only the night he entered the Higher Realm of The Shamanic Foundation Stage.


    ¡­


    ¡°Wu Jilong, you were able to breakthrough?¡± Mo Bang asked, his voice filled with amazement. Originally Mo Bang thought it would take Wu Jilong at least a year to enter the lower realm of The Shamanic Foundation Stage, but the very next day he emerged from the training cave at the Higher Realm. What sort of talent is this? In a single night he is now a match for the outer disciples of the faction.


    ¡°Breaking through these low stages of Qi Cultivation is but a simple task,¡± Wu Jilong said. Only now did Mo Bang take note of the unique aura Wu Jilong gave off. His robe was singed and smoldered like the embers of an aging fire. Sparks and smoke would occasionally drift off of his body.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear! Wu Jilong, when will you be able to dispel the Life Leeching Lilly? I do not mean to sound impatient but my cultivation has started to decline since I was poisoned. I fear that if it takes to long I may fall back to the Shrine Sculpting Stage,¡± Mo Bang said worriedly.


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    Wu Jilong pondered the question for a second before replying. ¡°Once I form my Aura Sea I will be able to dispel the Life Leeching Lilly.¡± In truth riding Mo Bang of the Life Leeching Lilly was far easier when compared to burning away the impurities in his own meridians, however, once Mo Bang was cured there was no guarantee he would continue to shelter Wu Jilong. So to make sure his next three years in the Golden Gamble Faction went as smoothly as possible Wu Jilong lied.


    Mo Bang wore a worried expression on his face. ¡°Are you sure that within five years you will be able to form your Aura Sea?¡± Mo Bang asked. To reach the Aura Sea Creation Stage was the first real challenge in cultivation. Even geniuses who reached the upper realm of the Shamanic Foundation Stage at the age of ten would require five years to form their Aura Seas.


    ¡°I do not like repeating myself. As I said before breaking through such low stages of cultivation is but a simple matter. I Wu Jilong, swear to you that as long as you protect me from annoyances in the faction I will cure you of the Life Leeching Lilly within three years time,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    Mo Bang would be skeptical if these words came from anyone else. Wu Jilong posses a unique charisma and confidence that swept away Mo Bang¡¯s worry. ¡°I naturally agree. I will not allow anything to annoy you while you are apart of the Golden Gamble Faction. Wu Jilong as a new disciple of the Golden Gamble Faction and the Sect of Five Corners you have the choice of competing in the Feasts of Magical Beasts Tournament,¡± Mo Bang said.


    ¡°The Feasts of Magical Beasts Tournament?¡±


    ¡°It is a tournament held every year to welcome new cultivators to the Sect. All four factions send hundreds of new disciples into Grand Beast Canyon to kill the most delicious magical beast they can find,¡± Mo Bang said. ¡°After a week in Grand Beast Canyon disciples return to the Sect and a lavish feast is held using the magical beasts brought back by new disciples. Because it is a tournament naturally there are prizes but they will not be revealed until the day of the feast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll join.¡± Wu Jilong cared little for the tournament. Instead what he was interested in was finding out which of his martial arts he would be able to use at this low level of cultivation. Although he could test his skills in the practice cave he wouldn¡¯t, Wu Jilong desired to test them out in real combat.


    ¡°Very good! I will let the Head of the Golden Gamble Sect know I have two disciples entering.¡± Mo Bang calling Wu Jilong a disciple was nothing more than a formality. Mo Bang would not teach Wu Jilong anything nor would Wu Jilong ask him anything. Mo Bang turned into a shadow and left.


    ¡°I have three days until the tournament, I will take a look around the Golden Gamble Faction while I wait.¡±


    ¡­


    Meanwhile in the Southern Domain Cao Peng stood in front of a complex sealing formation. A thousand spears as black as a starless night sky were firmly planted into the stone floor, their points stabbed into the roof overhead forming a metal gate. Behind the spear cell an archaic serpent lay in slumber, its body was wider than five full grown oaks bundled together, on its wide body hundreds of eyes covered the serpent from head to tail. At both ends of the snake its head and tail split into five different directions giving the serpent five eyeless heads and five blade shaped tails.


    ¡°If I am correct Wu Jilong will come to me looking for you. It is only a matter of time,¡± Cao Peng said as he affectionately cleaned the Bewitching Mind Blade that was covered in mud from the river which retrieved it from.

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 5

    In the embrace of the early morning sun disciples leisurely moved about the courtyards and pathways of the Golden Gamble Sect. Wu Jilong was one of them, he strolled along the golden brick pathways of the faction accompanied by the soft song of bells. True to its name nearly everything in the Golden Gamble faction was well¡­ golden.


    Off in the distance from the plaza of the faction a single sight drew Wu Jilong¡¯s intrigue. Hundreds of solid cubes revolved in the air and fell. From afar Wu Jilong could tell they were dice but that was not what interested him. No matter what number was rolled on the dice they always totaled 888, the sheer absurdity of such an occurrence was shocking.


    Qi was used to move the dice but only partially. Luck decided which numbers would be rolled. Wu Jilong¡¯s face was tranquil as he watched the dice rise and fall like waves in the ocean.


    ¡°Amazing isn¡¯t it?¡± an ancient voice asked. The voices owner was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°When the outcome is certain it ceases to be a gamble instead becoming fraud,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    Next to Wu Jilong a golden radiance formed the figure of an old man, his robe was white with golden swirls which spun each time the dice in the air spun. ¡°The Golden Fraud Faction doesn¡¯t have the same ring to it unfortunately.¡± Ignoring the old man¡¯s words Wu Jilong analyzed the dice carefully.


    ¡°These dice are influenced by your cultivation technique. The small amount of Qi is not actually meant to roll the dice but instead steal luck from the heavens themselves!¡± Though Wu Jilong looked down upon the majority of cultivators he respected the man who created a cultivation technique to steal from the heavens. The thought of stealing from the heavens rested somewhere between insanity and brilliance.


    Ma Lin said that the Golden Gamble Faction was the weakest faction in the Sect of Five Corners yet Wu Jilong couldn¡¯t help but feel this was untrue. In competitions with the other factions when a disciple of the Golden Gamble Faction won it was dismissed as them simply being lucky, but creating luck was what the disciples of the Golden Gamble Faction cultivated in.


    ¡°What a sharp young man. If I had taken offense to you analyzing my methods of cultivation what would you have done?¡±


    ¡°The head of the Golden Gamble Faction would not be so low as to attack a member of his young disciples would he?¡± Wu Jilong asked.


    In front of the faction head Wu Jilong showed no weakness. though he was still outclassed by him. In his entire life Wu Jilong had never bowed to anyone. If one doubts and regrets their decisions was there ever a point to making the choice in the first place?


    ¡°Boy what is your name?¡±


    ¡°Wu Jilong.¡±


    ¡°Wu Jilong, what do you hope to gain from the Sect of Five Corners and my Golden Gamble Faction?¡±


    ¡°In three years I will enter the Black Dragon Run and take the rewards for first place.¡±


    ¡°That is an extremely arduous path to take. The top geniuses in the younger generation from all three continents will take place in the Black Dragon Run. Hoping to be first is fine but achieving it is another story.¡±


    Wu Jilong remained indifferent. ¡°Removing an obstacle from a path is far easier than deciding upon a path.¡± After hearing Wu Jilong¡¯s answer the old man felt content, his figure abruptly disappeared from Wu Jilong.


    After analyzing the mystery of the dice Wu Jilong grew bored, he turned and walked towards the center of the Golden Gamble Faction to find something to eat. Before he could reach the diner however he stumbled upon a girl sitting under the shade of an aged tree. A ripe red apple was pressed against her apple red lips, not far from the girl was an easel. Behind the easel sat an arrogant looking youth completely immersed in painting.


    Each brush stroke gracefully flowed into the next one forming a mesmerizing dance upon the easels surface. On the canvas hundreds of colors joined to form a picture even more breathtaking than the actual scene of the girl before him. Twenty cultivators watched the man painting from afar not daring to approach because the young man was none other than Tan Fang.


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    The girl sitting under the tree was his fiancee Su Ruiqi! Within the new generation of disciples Su Ruiqi is without a doubt the most talented and possibly one of the most talented disciples to ever enter the Sect of Five Corners. She came from an extremely powerful family and had great favor with the elders of the Golden Gamble Faction, upsetting her was the same as signing your own death warrant within the faction.


    Tan Fang was just about to stand up and walk over to Su Ruiqi when he heard a familiar voice behind him.


    ¡°How beautiful!¡± Wu Jilong exclaimed. On canvas Su Ruiqi was painted with the apple pressed to her lips but in the painting she gazed off into the distance with a faint smile on her delicate lips. Tan Fang¡¯s masterful use of shadows served to enhance the realism of Su Ruiqi¡¯s painted figure.


    Each detail of her being was carefully depicted. The tightness of her silver robe as it hugged her bountiful curves and its ruffles as it bunched in other areas, her black hair neatly fastened with a golden bow, even the small black beauty mark under her lilac left eye received attention.


    ¡°Who is that guy?¡±


    ¡°He dares to flirt with Su Ruiqi in front of Tan Fang?¡±


    ¡°Tan Fang is the disciple of Mo Bang who would offended him?¡±


    Voices rang out from the crowd of disciples but the loudest voice of all of them was Tan Fang¡¯s. ¡°Wu Jilong! You are courting death! To flirt with my future wife in front of me, you are truly shameless!¡± His nasally voice echoed throughout the buildings of the outer faction drawing more attention.


    Soon an even larger crowd gathered waiting for the impending fight to start, Tan Fang¡¯s aura became violent as he made no attempts to hide his hatred for Wu Jilong. Only two days have passed since they first met but Tan Fang already hated Wu Jilong down to his bones.


    While Tan Fang readied for a battle Wu Jilong continued to appreciate the work of art before him, he did not hear the words Tan Fang said nor did he care. At this moment in the entire world nothing mattered to Wu Jilong more than the beauty of the painting. Seeing this, the veins on Tan Fang¡¯s forehead became completely visible. Tan Fang gritted his teeth like a beast and pointed at Wu Jilong.


    ¡°You dare to ignore me Wu Jilong? You actually dare? Today I wi¡­¡±


    Wu Jilong turned to look at the ruddy faced youth. ¡°Have we ever met before?¡±


    ¡°Y-y-ou are simply too shameless! Just two days ago we met for the first time. I am the disciple of Mo Bang. You don¡¯t dare say that you don''t remember me do you?¡±


    ¡°What is your name?¡± Wu Jilong said in a voice so cold it could freeze fire.


    ¡°Tan Fang.¡±


    Wu Jilong nodded silently. ¡°Tan Fang your talent in painting far surpasses your talent in cultivation. Instead of wasting your time cultivating you should pursue art.¡± His words were meant as a compliment but only Wu Jilong would know that.


    ¡°What right do you have to judge the talent of my future husband?¡± This time it was Su Ruiqi that spoke up. She moved gracefully and soon appeared next to Tan Fang.


    ¡°I offered him advice out of respect for his talent as an artist. Once Tan Fang forms his Tsunami Grade Aura Sea his advancement in cultivation will come to an end.¡±


    Su Ruiqi scowled. ¡°Such arrogance,¡± she said. ¡°You speak as though you can see into the future. Wu Jilong let us gamble!¡± Su Ruiqi gestured and a gray medicinal pill appeared. ¡°This is an Aura Sea Formation Pill, Tan Fang take this! If Tan Fang forms an Aura Sea of the Tsunami Grade I Su Ruiqi will cripple my own cultivation, however, if Tan Fang forms an Aura Sea of any other grade you must cripple your cultivation. Do you accept this gamble?¡±


    ¡°No. I could not care less about your cultivation. What I want is that painting. If I win the gamble I am taking the painting, if I lose I Wu Jilong will cripple my cultivation. Su Ruiqi do you accept this gamble?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡±

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 6

    In the Golden Gamble Faction all issues are resolved with gambling. A gamble can be as straightforward as who wins in a duel or as complex as both parties wish. Under the eyes of the other disciples the outcome of a gamble are absolute, death is the only reward awaiting someone who cheats the rules of a gamble. Once an elder was found to have cheated in a gamble with an outer disciple and was put to death by the Faction Head.


    ¡°A gamble! I have been in the Golden Gamble Faction for two months but this is the first gamble I have seen.¡±


    ¡°This Wu Jilong is simply too arrogant. First he flirts with Su Ruiqi in front of Tan Fang and now he gambles his cultivation for a painting.¡±


    Tan Fang took the pill from Su Ruiqi¡¯s soft pale hand and swallowed it. Shortly after he sat cross legged and began to meditate. While the groups of disciples watched Tan Fang intensely awaiting the results of his Aura Sea Formation, Su Ruiqi studied Wu Jilong.


    What strange cultivation technique has he used? No matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t fathom his Qi. Could this be the reason behind his strange aura? It is as though he is burning alive yet his robe and body are fine.


    Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. Tan Fang¡¯s Qi reached the most critical step before forming an Aura Sea. Qi flowed into his body heading straight for his daitan, the Qi essence within his body changed natures becoming water like. Tan Fang had successfully formed his Aura Sea, as he did the color left his face as fast as the dreams of being a great cultivator left his heart.


    Impossible. This can¡¯t be happening! I won''t let this happen! ¡°Wu Jilong you¡¯ve cheated in this gamble. No other explanation as to why I would form a Tsunami Grade Aura Sea exists!¡± Tan Fang roared. Wu Jilong ignored the cries of desperation coming from Tan Fang. After a gesture the painting disappeared into Wu Jilong¡¯s ring of holding. Wu Jilong turned to leave when he heard Tan Fang cry out again.


    ¡°Wu Jilong what are you doing? I clearly said you cheated. Return the painting now!¡±


    ¡°Tan Fang do you intend to embarrass yourself even further? From the start Wu Jilong never once set his eyes on me, his words of praise were for the painting and the painting alone. Out of respect for the promise between our fathers and my duties as your fiance I issued a petty gamble to save your face. Yet now you make me lose face by not honoring the gamble,¡± Su Ruiqi said. ¡°Seeing as you will never be able to traverse your Aura Sea in this life the promise between our fathers ends today, so too does our period of engagement. I will let my grandfather know at once.¡±


    The fourth stage in the Qi Cultivation of Man, Traversing the Aura Sea, was the first true bottleneck of cultivation. To breakthrough the fourth stage one must use their soul to dive into the depths of their Aura Sea and solidify the Qi within. If someone formed a Tsunami Grade Aura Sea the chances of their soul being able to withstand the force of waves within their Aura Sea was zero.


    Cultivators with a Roaring Waves Grade Aura Sea would only have a thirty percent chance to breakthrough the fourth stage of cultivation. The Gentle Tides Grade Aura Sea gave cultivators a sixty percent chance to breakthrough to the Shrine Sculpting Stage. A Still Tides Grade Aura Sea has a one hundred percent chance of advancing to the Shrine Sculpting Stage.


    Under the intensity of Su Ruiqi¡¯s words Tan Fang collapsed to the ground with tears in his eyes. Su Ruiqi, Wu Jilong, and the other disciples left in the same direction leaving the pitiful Tan Fang behind. Tan Fang¡¯s soft sobs filled the air.


    Ill kill him. This is his fault! I¡¯ll kill him. Master said he is entering the Feasts of Magical Beasts, I will kill him then! Once he¡¯s dead Su Ruiqi will return to me. In two days Tan Fang¡¯s entire life was left in ruins, his hopes and dreams turned to ash before Wu Jilong. The intense shock sent Tan Fang into a psychotic episode he would regret for the rest of his life.


    ¡­


    ¡°Wu Jilong, I apologize for forcing your hand earlier, in truth I knew Tan Fang would form a Tsunami Grade Aura Sea. My grandfather told me,¡± Su Ruiqi said. ¡°Unfortunately, my father forbid me to end our engagement until the day Tan Fang formed his Aura Sea. So I would like to apologize and thank you.¡±


    ¡°Apologies or thanks it makes no difference,¡± Wu Jilong said, ¡°a trivial matter such as that is not worth remembering.¡± They started back down the golden pathways of the Golden Gamble Faction. Hordes of eyes seemed to follow them as they walked.


    ¡°I agree! You were able to see through Tan Fang¡¯s latent talent. I wonder if you can see through mine as well?¡± Su Ruiqi asked in a playful tone with a mischievous smile on her beautiful face.


    Wu Jilong looked at her for a moment. ¡°Su Ruiqi you are a true cultivator, so long as you do not ruin your cultivation with medicinal pills you will be able to form a Frozen Ocean Aura Sea.¡± His words left Su Ruiqi speechless because she had never heard of a Frozen Ocean Aura Sea.


    A Frozen Ocean Aura Sea is something said to only exist in legends, the number of times it has appeared in the world can be counted on one hand. It was only inferior to the Aura Sea of Cinder that Wu Jilong alone possessed. An Aura Sea¡¯s grade not only determined the probability of breaking through the fourth stage of cultivation but also the purity of one¡¯s Qi.


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    In the Shrine Sculpting Stage solid Qi is sculpted into a Dao Shrine, the purer the Qi was the more Dao Gates it could form. A Dao Shrine¡¯s strength was determined by the number of Dao Gates it possessed, as the number of Dao Gates increased so to does the amount of Qi a cultivator¡¯s Dao Shrine possesses. A cultivator who entered the Shrine Sculpting Stage from a Roaring Tides Aura Sea would only be able to form two Dao Gates.


    Su Ruiqi fidgeted with her hands. ¡°Since you remembered my name that must mean that my talent is quite good, right? If you¡¯ll excuse me, Wu Jilong it was a pleasure meeting you!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Wu Jilong said coolly.


    ¡­


    ¡°The engagement between Tan Fang and myself has ended. Grandfather have you ever heard of a Frozen Ocean Aura Sea?¡± Su Ruiqi asked. Su Ruiqi had only heard of the four original Aura Seas so she could only ask her grandfather for an answer. Her grandfather Su Baoji was an expert at the peak of the Heavenly Perception Stage, it could be said that he knew all of the secrets that the Grand Peak Contient held.


    ¡°Little Qi, where did you hear about this?¡± Su Baoji¡¯s voice carried a hint of concern. Hearing this Su Ruiqi felt it was best not to tell Su Baoji about Wu Jilong¡¯s identity. There was no need to specifically mention that a disciple around her age told her this.


    ¡°Today I met a mysterious expert who said I would be able to form a Frozen Ocean Aura Sea as long as I do not use medicinal pills to breakthrough,¡± Su Ruiqi said. ¡°So I was wondering if you knew anything about it.¡±


    ¡°Su Ruiqi, you must stay away from this expert. I have always felt that your talent was extraordinary but I was unable to discern it. The Frozen Ocean Aura Sea is one of the legendary Aura Seas, never reveal this to anyone. To be able to see through your potential when even I cannot you can be sure that this person¡¯s background is not simple,¡± Su Baoji said.


    ¡°Yes grandfather,¡± Su Ruiqi replied. Though she agreed to her grandfather¡¯s demands how could Su Ruiqi not show interest in Wu Jilong? The grandfather and granddaughter said their goodbyes before crushing the communication jades in their hands.


    Su Ruiqi sat down in meditation to try to advance her cultivation even just a little more before the Feasts of Magical Beasts Tournament. ¡°Since even grandfather does not know what secrets you hold Wu Jilong, I will find them out myself!¡±


    ¡­


    Disciples from all five factions stood on the rim of Great Beast Canyon. Each faction wore specific colored robes to differentiate themselves. Gold for the Golden Gamble Faction, green for the Medicinal River Faction, red for the Sword Sonata Faction, silver for the Shining Star Faction, and white for the Favorable Wind Faction. Disciples from the Medicinal River Faction stood in the middle acting as a buffer between the two opposing alliances.


    Inside the Sect of Five Corners constant internal struggles shaped the current faction alliances. In order to sell medicinal pills to all four factions the Medicinal River Faction remained neutral. The Faction Heads of the Golden Gamble Faction and the Shining Star Faction are sworn brothers and life long friends thus giving birth to The Golden Star Alliance.


    As the only factions that use Martial Arms, the Sword Sonata Faction and the Favorable Wind Faction naturally formed the Favorable Sword Alliance. Martial Arms are magical weapons forged using Qi and metal by Martial Smiths. A cultivator can pour their Qi into the Martial Arm to perform a powerful Martial Art. For the Sword Sonata Faction a bladed Martial Arm was preferred while the Favorable Wind Faction used war fans.


    ¡°As the head of the Sect of Five Corners I welcome all the new disciples of our great factions. Once inside Great Beast Canyon you will be on your own, no faction elders will be there to save you if you are in danger. The prize for first place this year is something every new disciple dreams of. It is none other than the Aura Sea Advancement Pill! Once consumed a cultivator will be able to calm the waves of their Aura Sea into the next grade. So now young disciples enter the canyon, we will return for you in a week.¡± After the Sect Head spoke the faction elders turned and disappeared back towards the Sect of Five Corners leaving behind their disciples.


    In the group of disciples no one was more excited than Tan Fang because if he won he would have a chance at marrying Su Ruiqi again. Though he was the weakest among disciples of the Aura Sea Formation Stage he was the only new disciple present who had formed an Aura Sea.


    Once a disciple formed their Aura Sea and it was above the Tsunami Grade, they would be able to enter the interior of their faction. Compared to the outer faction the interior faction had superior martial arts, medicinal pills, and elders. The difference was that of the heavens and the earth.


    Knowing that Tan Fang was the only disciple at the Aura Sea Formation Stage, no one was more sad than Su Ruiqi. She had longed to be free of him yet the heavens seemed to grant him another chance. On the other hand, no one could care less about any of this more than Wu Jilong.

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 7

    Anxious to find the most delicious magical beasts possible all of the disciples but two descended into the canyon in a flash. Dust kicked up from the rush of disciples causing Wu Jilong to frown as the dust cloud floated towards him. The two disciples who stayed behind were Wu Jilong and Su Ruiqi.


    ¡°Wu Jilong, you stayed behind as well?¡± Su Ruiqi was watching Wu Jilong while the Sect Head gave his speech, to her it seemed that not a single word the Sect Head spoke reached Wu Jilong. By chance she guessed that he would not leave with the others so she did the same. In life she enjoyed nothing more than the things that were exciting. The rush of battle and thrill of adventure were what drove her to aspire to be a strong cultivator.


    ¡°What idiot would enter the territory of magical beasts in such a large group? With that many cultivators entering at once the magical beasts will either go into hiding or leave the canyon from the southern rim,¡± Wu Jilong said. Compared to humans magical beasts have extremely fine tuned senses. When something lives in an environment with the constant threat of being eaten by stronger beasts, they grow to be more attentive.


    Su Ruiqi nodded. She had never thought of the possibility that the magical beasts would leave from the southern rim but she agreed to avoid suspicion from Wu Jilong. ¡°Wu Jilong, I can¡¯t help but find myself agreeing with your words. I also thought the same things and stayed behind because of them. What do you say we travel to the southern rim together?¡±


    ¡°I am not going to the southern rim and if you attempt to follow me again I will kill you.¡± Wu Jilong¡¯s words were like a knife pressed against her throat. Su Ruiqi came from the Su family, one of the most powerful families in the entire Grand Peak Continet, never once in her life had she been threatened before let alone offended.


    Yet now she could tell this was not a threat, Wu Jilong spoke with the same confidence as when he said Tan Fang would form his Tsunami Grade Aura Sea. Wu Jilong¡¯s words were not a threat but an edict! ¡°You have mistaken my intentions, since you are not going to the southern rim I shall go alone,¡± Su Ruiqi said. She turned and headed towards the south without stopping to turn around once out of fear.


    Wu Jilong hiked down narrow switchback after switchback, the ground was smooth from the constant use by mercenary bands who came to Grand Beast Canyon to hunt for magical beast cores. The alchemists of The Grand Peak continent used these beast cores to help create medicinal pills, so they sell for a generous price throughout the continent. When the Sect of Five Corners holds the Feasts of Magical Beasts Tournament not a single mercenary band dares to enter the valley out of fear of offending the Sect of Five Corners.


    To the east of Wu Jilong a river snaked its way through the canyon, its clear water flowed fast and roared loudly as it echoed off of the canyon''s walls. On both sides of the river thick vegetation grew giving the canyon floor a dense forest. Behind the river close to a hundred caves had been dug out of the bronze canyon walls. These holes were home to thousands of Moonlight Hornets.


    Moonlight Hornets are magical beasts who hunt in packs for fun. They do not require food as they receive nourishment from the moon itself, this has lead to the Moonlight Hornet turning its stomach into an extra space to store a deadly neurotoxin. While a single Moonlight Hornet may not be hard to deal with, an entire hive of them would spell a death sentence for no small number of the cultivators who ventured out at night.


    Switchbacks eventually gave way to a gradual sloping hill, at the bottom of the hill rows of ancient trees with yellowing leaves stood tall like sentinels guarding the entrance to the canyon. Layers of decaying underbrush and twigs crunched under Wu Jilong¡¯s feet as he walked, the serenity and silence of the canyon was occasionally interrupted by the howls and roars of magical beasts off in the distance.


    ¡­


    Wu Jilong snapped his fingers in order but nothing happened until he reached his index finger. A scarlet flame hung in the space above his hand, with a simple thought Wu Jilong split the flame into ten equally sized flames before making them disappear. ¡°So the only Martial Art I can use is the Sovereign Creation Flame and my limit is ten separate flames, I disappoint myself.¡±


    After confirming which of his Martial Arts he could use Wu Jilong continued deeper into the canyon, three hours passed before Wu Jilong saw another human or a magical beast for that matter. As he entered a clearing Wu Jilong found two disciples from the Sword Sonata Faction. Hung from their hips and fastened to their bright red robes were two pristine Martial Arms that looked as though they had never been used.


    ¡°Haha! Brother Tianyi, you are a genius! She can¡¯t leave her cubs behind or I¡¯ll kill them! Who would have thought that killing an Autumn Tiger would be this easy?¡±


    ¡°See, brother Kuo. Just listen to me and we will win this competition easily.¡± The two disciples stood equal distance apart from the mouth of a bronze stone cave. Inside the cave was a severely injured Autumn Tiger shielding her cubs from the ranged attacks of the two disciples with her body. Normally neither of the disciples from the Sword Sonata Faction would be a match for her, but because of their positioning she was not able to leave the cave unless she was willing to sacrifice her cubs to Ni Kuo¡¯s ferocious attacks.


    Ni Tianyi raised his hand ready to deliver the final blow when he sensed Wu Jilong approaching from behind. The fact that Wu Jilong was able to get so close without Ni Tianyi sensing him earlier shocked him because this entire time Ni Tianyi had been observing the surrounding area to make sure no cultivators or magical beasts were waiting to ambush them from the shadows. ¡°Ni Kuo turn around someone from another faction is coming. I¡¯ll keep watch on the tiger.¡±


    Ni Kuo obeyed his brothers orders without question as he always did and turned his body to face Wu Jilong. ¡°You stop right there. What is a disciple from the Golden Gamble Faction trying to do by sneaking up on us? These Autumn Tiger Cubs are ours and so too is the magical beast core of their mother.¡±


    ¡°I want to help,¡± Wu Jilong said while grinning. The sunlight that shone overhead made his crimson hair glow even brighter as sparks drifted off of it.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need the help of a disciple from the Golden Gamble Faction,¡± Ni Kuo spit out. Long before Ni Kuo joined the Sword Sonata Faction his father and grandfather had attended the Sect of Five Corners also joining the Sword Sonata Faction, from an early age both Ni Kuo and Ni Tianyi were taught to hate all members of the Golden Gamble Faction.


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    ¡°Not you, the Autumn Tiger. The act of a mother protecting her cubs at the expense of her body is a beautiful act. I won¡¯t let trash such as yourselves defile such beauty,¡± Wu Jilong said. The grin he previously had was replaced by an completely calm face and an indescribable coldness.


    Wu Jilong snapped but after a minute nothing happened as far as Ni Kuo could tell. At the sight of this Ni Kuo burst into laughter. ¡°Haha! Brother Tianyi forget about the tiger for a minute. She is fatally injured, she is not going anywhere. Look at this idiot, he comes forward to help a magical beast, snaps and nothing happens. Do you think his Martial Art failed?¡±


    Ni Tianyi turned to look behind him and his eyes grew wide. ¡°Brother Kuo, on your forehead! There is a flame on your forehead can you not feel it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Ni Kuo quickly used his hands to try and put out the flame but to no avail, it remained on his forehead burning so gently that Ni Kuo could not even feel it. If Ni Tianyi didn¡¯t point it out to him Ni Kuo never would have known it was there.


    ¡°Ni Kuo the flame is spelling something! Be careful this must be part of his Martial Art.¡± On Ni Kuo¡¯s forehead the flames transformed into two characters: ±¬Õ¨. The two scarlet characters continued to burn dimly on his forehead causing no harm to Ni Kuo.


    Wu Jilong snapped his fingers again and yet again nothing happened. ¡°You bastard! What have you done to me? If you do not remove this mark now, I will kill you,¡± Ni Kuo said, his voice full of fury. Earlier he claimed that Wu Jilong¡¯s Martial Art failed but now some strange flame appeared on his forehead before he could even notice it.


    ¡°Kill me? You are already dead,¡± Wu Jilong said coldly. He snapped his fingers again but this time a deafening explosion followed. BOOM! The characters on Ni Kuo¡¯s forehead meant explosion and that is exactly what happened after Wu Jilong snapped. Where Ni Kuo¡¯s head once rested a fountain of blood and gore appeared. Blood erupted from his neck with such force that it showered down upon his brother dying his robe a deeper shade of red. From head to toe Ni Tianyi was covered in the warm blood of his younger brother.


    Before Ni Tiyani could attack he noticed Wu Jilong pointing towards his arm, it was as though time stopped as he turned his head slowly to look at his arm. And sure enough on his wrist a single character was written in scarlet flames. ½£, the character for sword. The flame itself did not hurt him at all but the mark filled him with despair.


    ¡°From the way he stood I could tell that he was a poor swordsman. You seem decent enough, attack me I could use some warming up. If you manage to scratch me I will spare your life and only take both of your hands. If you do not scratch me I will let you die by the sword that you cherish so.¡± Wu Jilong approached Ni Tianyi slowly, each step he took seemed to make the earth around them tremble. Facing such an insidious aura the injured Autumn Tiger whimpered softly while trying to calm her cubs as they cried out in fear. Earlier Ni Tianyi had been the superior predator standing before an injured prey but now he felt that he was in a far worse position than the Autumn Tigers ever were.


    The technique that Wu Jilong used earlier is known as the Sovereign Creation Flame. It is an extremely unique Martial Art that acts out whatever action the character spelt with its scarlet flame denotes. Earlier Wu Jilong snapped which summoned the flame, however, to catch Ni Kuo by surprise he had the flame run up his arm and down his back and across the forest floor so that it would be able to approach Ni Kuo from his blind spot. In the same fashion as when the flame was on Ni Kuo¡¯s forehead the Sovereign Creation Flame does not actually burn anything that it touches, unless if Wu Jilong were to have it write out the character for burn.


    Just as the flames in a furnace use metal to forge weapons, the Sovereign Creation Flame uses World Qi to form whatever is spelt out with the scarlet flame. Before Wu Jilong activated the Sovereign Creation Flame to kill Ni Kuo he had snapped again, he did this to split the flame on Ni Kuo¡¯s forehead into two and sent the second flame down Ni Kuo¡¯s body towards Ni Tianyi from his blind spot.


    It is said that experienced cultivators can determine the level of an opponent after seeing them perform a single attack, this is known as the warrior''s soul, while walking the path of cultivation one must fight many battles against those both weaker and stronger than themselves. In a world where the strong rule and the weak are surpassed knowing when to fight and when to flee is an important skill.


    After seeing Wu Jilong¡¯s technique Ni Tiyani knew he had to run, deep within his soul he knew that fighting with Wu Jilong was the same as suicide. Although he was not confident in fighting him Ni Tianyi was confident in fleeing, he drew his Martial Arm and stood on the blade preparing to fly away when from the corner of his eye he spotted a fist.


    Unbeknownst to Ni Tianyi, Wu Jilong already closed the distance between them and threw a fierce fist towards his head, without the time to react Ni Tianyi had no chance to surround himself with Protective Qi. Under the force of Wu Jilong¡¯s fist Ni Tianyi¡¯s jaw shattered like glass. ¡°I know that you do not dare think of fleeing when I have been cordial enough to spare your life thus far,¡± Wu Jilong said coolly.


    Ni Tianyi forced himself to stand and hobbled over to his Martial Arm which was sent flying by Wu Jilong¡¯s punch. Each time he slid his feet across the ground his body started to shake to the point of collapse, once he bent over to pick up his Martial Arm his vision faded and he passed out never to awaken again. This caused Wu Jilong to sigh in disappointment.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I hit him from the side, otherwises he may have stained my robe with his blood,¡± Wu Jilong said evenly. At the end of the fight he was just as well put together as he was before the fight started. His hair was neatly tied up and his robe had not even a single drop of blood on it. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that earlier only his head exploded, I was trying to make his entire body explode but the Upper Realm of The Shamanic Foundation Stage is too weak for that.¡±


    Wu Jilong approached the wounded Autumn Tiger and snapped. A soothing scarlet flame surrounded her body providing her with a comforting warmth, its brilliance illuminated the entire clearing where they were with a bright scarlet light. On the forehead of the tigress the scarlet mark ( ÖÎÁÆ ) denoting heal shone. Wu Jilong left the tigress and her cubs shortly after in search of more cultivators to reawaken his fighting spirit.

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 8

    Night fell clear and cold. With it came screams of horror from disciples who failed to take notice of the caves made by the Moonlight Hornets. Wu Jilong had long since already found a cave to wait out the night in.


    Wu Jilong sat cross legged in meditation with his eyes closed. The cool air in the cave was filled with the faint smell of coal dust which caused his nose to wrinkle but he ignored it. Far away at the mouth of the cave the scarlet character denoting wall burnt dimly while a wall of scarlet flames sealed Wu Jilong off from the world. Currently Wu Jilong was circulating all of his Qi within his daitan.


    To form an Aura Sea one must amass enough Qi within their daitan to influence a change in Qi Essence. This is common knowledge to all cultivators in the Grand Peak Continent but it is only the most basic step of Aura Sea Formation. What Wu Jilong is doing is the first step in forming an Aura Sea of Cinders, inside his daitan an ash moon began to take form. The moon controls the oceans and seas of the world, forming a moon inside one¡¯s Daitan will allow them to calm their Aura Sea to levels past that of the Aura Seas of legend.


    Yin and Yang are two constantly opposing yet complementary forces striving to be complete: fire and water, the sun and the moon, heaven and earth, life and Qi. One cannot exist without the other. This was the answer to the first step of forming an Aura Sea of Cinders that bridges the Yin and Yang of fire and water, heaven and earth, and life and qi. The aura sea of cinders burned with the heat of a raging fire but stood still like a frozen lake.


    ¡­


    Four days passed in the blink of an eye. Inside Wu Jilong¡¯s daitan the ash moon smoldered brilliantly as it took its final shape. Black and gray Qi spiraled around the ash moon giving it an otherworldly feeling, it felt as though it came from the after life to rule over death. Content with the results of his meditation Wu Jilong snapped causing the scarlet flame at the mouth of the cave to disappear.


    The gentle warmth of a dawn sunrise greeted Wu Jilong as he emerged from meditation. Only three days remained in the Feasts of Magical Beasts Contest but Wu Jilong did not feel rushed in the slightest. In truth, nothing of value to him could be gained from this tournament.


    Originally he entered to reawaken his combat prowess but after a single fight with cultivators of the Shamanic Foundation Stage Wu Jilong knew this was nothing more than a far fetched wish. Four days ago while fighting Ni Kuo and Ni Tianyi he chose to fight tactically, Wu Jilong did this to stop himself of continuing his old habit of outright crushing his opponents through sheer force. From the very beginning killing both of them would have been as simple as snapping his fingers for Wu Jilong.


    Upon exiting the cave Wu Jilong realized something was wrong. The canyon was far too quiet. Wu Jilong could feel it. Even with hundreds of cultivators inside the canyon an occasional roar from magical beasts that stayed behind would sound out, yet today it was eerily silent. It was as if even the trees dared not to make a sound on this morning.


    Wu Jilong donned an olive green robe before sneaking his way through the woods of the canyon. The air was rich with the scents of blood and grass, mixed with the pleasant fragrance of fresh rain. Overhead the remnants of once mighty storm clouds remained. ¡°The blood is fresh, otherwise the rain would have washed it away,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    Without making a noise Wu Jilong ran past tree after tree trying to find the source of his unease. Not long after he started running he once again found the Autumn Tiger and her cubs that he saved four days prior. Only they were no longer alive.


    Tigress and cubs hung from a single tree impaled by the tree¡¯s dark black branches. Each body was missing its head.¡°The lack of blood on the branches means that the tigress and her cubs were impaled after being killed,¡± he said. Wu Jilong took a step forward to inspect the corpses and then froze in place. Off in the distance Wu Jilong sensed an extremely suffocating killing intent.


    Twenty meters away a pair of cold black eyes fixated on Wu Jilong. They seemed barren of all emotion, devoid of any sympathy. These eyes belonged to the magical beast which killed the tigress and her cubs, the very same magical beast who caused the canyon to grow silent.


    Wu Jilong couldn¡¯t make out the beast¡¯s figure because it was concealed under multiple fallen trees but behind the fallen trees the headless bodies of more than twenty disciples from the Sect of Five Corners hung from the trees like rotting fruit. Their once brilliant robes of gold, red, silver, green, and white were now stained red with their own blood and tissue.


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    Boom!


    Suddenly the fallen trees surrounding the beast were sent flying with ease revealing the beasts true form. Pitch black fur as sharp as knives covered its huge body which sat upright on its hind legs with its two tree trunk sized arms out in front. Yellow teeth sharp and jagged like mountain ranges formed multiple rows in the beast''s mouth as it smiled at Wu Jilong.


    It was a magical beast that filled the hearts of many cultivators with terror. The king of the forest. An Obsidian Backed Gorilla. Obsidian Backed Gorillas are the most sadistic of the Gorilla species of magical beasts, once picking a target to hunt the Obsidian Backed Gorilla will follow the prey at a speed slow enough to give its prey the hope of escaping yet fast enough to become their shadow.


    After killing its prey the Obsidian Back Gorilla will only eat the brain of whatever it has killed then hang its body from the tree branches just as Wu Jilong had seen on the way here. The Obsidian Back Gorilla¡¯s title as king of the forest was not an empty title, at a young age they would reach the Earthly Understanding Stage, in adulthood they would reach the peak of the Heavenly Understanding Stage.


    Had the Sect Head and Faction Elders known that an Obsidian Back Gorilla was in the area they would have never sent the disciples into Grand Beast Canyon. It was unheard of for such a strong magical beast to enter Grand Beast Canyon, this was because compared to other areas within the Grand Peak Continent the World Qi here was less pure and could only nurture the life of weaker beasts.


    The reason why the Obsidian Back Gorilla entered Grand Beast Canyon was the very same fire storms from seven days ago, its previous home was burnt to the ground so the beast had to find a new place to live and it came to Grand Beast Canyon. Such a coincidence could be said to be the will of the heavens.


    Wu Jilong knew full well how dangerous the beast before him was, this Obsidian Backed Gorilla had already entered the Heavenly Understanding Stage, at this moment for it to kill Wu Jilong was but a simple task. Wu Jilong wasted no time and turned to flee, while he was fleeing he snapped causing ten scarlet flames with the character for pierce  to appear.


    The ten scarlet flames transformed into scarlet spears, around the spears the surrounding air began to tremble, the heat gave off by the spears was enough to singe the underbrush beneath Wu Jilong. With a gesture the ten spears flew forward at blinding speeds to stab the Obsidian Backed Gorilla.


    Clank!


    Although the force of the spears was great it was not enough to pierce the Obsidian Backed Gorilla¡¯s fur. From the start Wu Jilong knew that this attack would not be enough to so much as even scratch the beast. He had only used this as an opportunity to distract the Gorilla while he ran. Wu Jilong speed through the forest with the Obsidian Backed Gorilla in pursuit, when the distance between the two of them got to small he would snap and ten more flames with the character for pierce would appear.


    Thirty minutes passed and the gorilla grew tired of chasing Wu Jilong. It¡¯s massive right arm shoot out towards one of the many trees to its right, in the blink of an eye one of the massive trees was uprooted and sent flying towards Wu Jilong. Without turning to look Wu Jilong snapped and a scarlet axe appeared in his hands. Wu Jilong swung his arm behind him forming a crescent arc using the scarlet axe, the tree was split in two easily. Seeing this the Obsidian Backed Gorilla roared in joy. Without stopping Wu Jilong continued to run while the Obsidian Backed Gorilla threw trees continuously.


    ¡°None of my attacks are strong enough to hurt him. If I can lead him back to that cave, I will kill him.¡± Wu Jilong thought. His mind was racing through hundreds of scenarios and possible actions he could take to fight the Obsidian Backed Gorilla. Possibility after possibility appeared in his mind. Although he was currently in a life or death situation a smile appeared on his face.


    This entire time he wanted something that would reawaken his combat prowess but nothing inside the Canyon could rekindle the feeling of urgency and alarm that a true fight brings. But now Wu Jilong had the perfect opportunity to fight against an opponent who he had no hope of defeating.

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 9

    Wu Jilong turned and met the charging Obsidian Backed Gorilla. His face was completely calm but an intense light shone in his eyes. Some distance still remained between Wu Jilong and the cave where he sat in meditation prior. For the sake of keeping the Obsidian Backed Gorilla interested in chasing him Wu Jilong knew that he had to risk death and fight.


    Wu Jilong snapped and ten scarlet flames became razor sharp scarlet wires attached to his fingers, so thin that sunlight hardly noticed them. The only thing that gave away the wires were the sounds they made as they travelled through the air. Circling around Wu Jilong the Obsidian Backed Gorilla wore an expression of twisted enjoyment, his devilish black eyes stayed fixed on Wu Jilong. Each step the beast took caused the earth under it to sink. In the eyes of the Obsidian Backed Gorilla Wu Jilong was nothing more than an ant trying to fight against himself.


    Wu Jilong swept his arms to the side and the scarlet wires danced to his command slicing through the air to attack the Obsidian Backed Gorilla¡¯s eyes before it could react. The attack was short lived, as the wires made contact with its eyes the Obsidian Backed Gorilla shut its eyes while letting out a beastial roar in anger.


    The Obsidian Backed Gorilla¡¯s reaction was better than Wu Jilong hoped for. He snapped and the ten wires became a single slender spear with a star shaped spearhead in his hands. Wu Jilong let the spear loose faster then any arrow from any bow. Hisses came from the spearpoint as it cut through the air towards the Obsidian Backed Gorilla.


    Just as the spear entered its mouth the Obsidian Backed Gorilla chomped down with its blade like yellow teeth shattering it into pieces. Though it was only for a second Wu Jilong put the Obsidian Backed Gorilla in danger, even a second later and the spear would have stabbed the back of its throat from the inside. Cautious, the Obsidian Backed Gorilla no longer viewed Wu Jilong as an ant but rather a dangerous prey that needed to be killed.


    In a full out charge the Obsidian Backed Gorilla appeared before Wu Jilong in a second, both of its massive arms slammed downwards to kill Wu Jilong. In a single set of fluid motion Wu Jilong slipped past the attack like water and snapped producing ten razor wires once again. The wires tightened around the beast¡¯s neck like a noose although it cannot harm the Obsidian Backed Gorilla Wu Jilong used the wires to pull himself onto the back of the beast¡¯s neck.


    He snapped once again transforming the wires into twin curved swords which he brought down towards the eyes of the Obsidian Backed Gorilla. As he swung down the scimitars the Obsidian Backed Gorilla used the momentum from his attack to flip its entire body sending Wu Jilong flying from his neck like a kite with its string cut.


    In air Wu Jilong transformed the twin scimitars into a single longsword which he stabbed into the ground to stop himself from flying any farther. For a split second Wu Jilong and the beast held eye contact before Wu Jilong darted towards the cave, as he ran he held out his arms threading two scarlet razor wires through the canopy of trees overhead. ¡°The coal dust inside the cave should be enough to cause an explosion large enough to kill him,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    When coal forms it naturally produces methane and coal dust, both of which are extremely prone to explosions when they appear together in large quantities. Methane is more likely to ignite under heat but the explosion produced is shorter lived than an explosion caused by coal dust. Earlier when Wu Jilong was meditating he had to be careful of using the Sovereign Creation Flame to seal the entrance of the cave because of the fear of setting off a chain reaction of explosions. Wu Jilong hadn¡¯t went too deep into the cave because the smell of coal was off putting to him so Wu Jilong could only guess that the deeper into the cave he went the more coal dust there would be.


    Behind Wu Jilong the Obsidian Backed Gorilla charged after him faster than before, it no longer cared for the chase and only wanted one thing. To kill Wu Jilong, just as Wu Jilong had hoped for. After narrowly dodging the Obsidian Backed Gorilla¡¯s killing blows for 45 minutes while threading two wires throughout the forest Wu Jilong finally returned to the mouth of the cave. Sweat pooled on his temple and ran down his face, just from looking at Wu Jilong one could tell how difficult it was to continually dodge the attacks from a magical beast much stronger than himself.


    Wu Jilong snapped producing two scarlet spears which he sent flying into the cave. Two deep cuts were carved high up on the left and right sides of the cave walls by the two spears, as the cave widened the spears followed as if they had intelligence of their own, Wu Jilong ran behind the spears with his arms out threading razor wire through the swathes. As he ran deeper into the cave the smell of coal became stronger and so to did the feeling of the Obsidian Backed Gorilla¡¯s breath on the back of his neck.


    Finally Wu Jilong came to a dead end in the cave, behind him was a wall a shade blacker than the others in the cave. Wu Jilong put his back to the wall and used all of his strength to pull his arms back which were flexed like the limb of a crossbow while the wire in his hands tried to pull him out of the cave. Wu Jilong snapped and produced six flames with the character for explosion which he left on the wall behind him.


    Faster than a serpent''s strike the Obsidian Backed Gorilla struck out towards Wu Jilong again with its fists. Wu Jilong jumped up and pushed off of the wall passing over the Obsidian Backed Gorilla. Crack! The horrific sound of bones snapping echoed throughout the cave. At the same time the wires slipped out of the cuts in the cave wall pulling Wu Jilong out of the cave so violently that Wu Jilong¡¯s arms were nearly ripped off of his body, under the pressure of the wires all of the bones in his arms snapped. The Obsidian Backed Gorilla¡¯s reaction was by no means slow, it raised its hands in an attempt to catch Wu Jilong as he passed overhead but the speed Wu Jilong gained from being pulled by the razor wires was simply too fast.


    Wu Jilong gritted his teeth and tried to snap his fingers. A sharp pain shot through his arms but his expression remained completely calm. Ignoring the intense pain that he felt Wu Jilong snapped again detonating the marks for explosion that he had left behind.


    Boom! Boom! BOOM!


    The explosions triggered by Wu Jilong shook the entire canyon shocking the disciples and magical beasts who were still alive within Grand Beast Canyon. Even Su Ruiqi who was the farthest away of all the disciples heard the explosion clearly. Because the Obsidian Backed Gorilla was right next to the source of the explosion it never had a chance to escape from the blast. The force of the explosion tore the Obsidian Backed Gorilla¡¯s tough body into hundreds of pieces, the heat of the flames produced from the coal dust burnt those hundreds of pieces to ash.


    Behind Wu Jilong an ocean of flames rushed through the narrow passage of the cave towards him while boulders rained down from above. As Wu Jilong exited the cave he snapped and the razor wires disappeared but his momentum did not. Wu Jilong flew forward and crash landed into the canyon floor. He rolled four times and crashed into one of the ancient trees left standing after the Obsidian Backed Gorilla¡¯s rampage.


    Wu Jilong spit out a mouth full of blood. Earlier Wu Jilong snapped to detonate the explosion but this was the last of his strength. Fighting a magical beasts of the Earthly Understanding Stage quickly depleted his Qi. At the height of his cultivation making over a million scarlet flames constantly was as simple as snapping his fingers but now he had reached his limit after only using the Sovereign Creation Flame multiple times.


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    A grim realization dawned upon Wu Jilong as he sat against the tree trunk that he crashed into. ¡°I was foolish. Without the help of another cultivator killing the twelve magical beasts birthed from my Qi is impossible. But how can I trust another cultivator to be able to kill a magical beast made from my own Qi? They are simply inferior to myself,¡± Wu Jilong said while frowning.


    The Obsidian Backed Gorilla was a magical beast that inspired fear in cultivators of the Qi Cultivation of Man but there are levels far above this realm, namely the Qi Cultivation of Asuras and the Qi Cultivation of Devas. It was highly likely that the magical beasts birthed from Wu Jilong¡¯s Qi surpassed the Qi Cultivation of Man and entered the Asura Realm, some may have even entered the Deva Realm given enough time to mature.


    Wu Jilong sighed. He rose from his sitting position and prepared to leave the canyon, his arms hung at his side immobile. Behind him where a cave once rested at the bottom of the canyon¡¯s walls a new canyon appeared running directly through Grand Beast Canyon. In front of him a small child no older than eight ran from a small Blue Tongued Salamander. The salamander¡¯s pudgy legs made it extremely slow on land, slow enough that even a human with no cultivation would be able to escape from it.


    Sensing that the young girl had no cultivation Wu Jilong appeared next to her in a flash. His leg came down like the blade of an executioner and split the Blue Tongued Salamander straight down the middle. The cut was so precise that the Blue Tongued Salamander¡¯s body was cut into two identical pieces. Seeing this the young girl''s eyes glowed in amazement, she ran over to Wu Jilong and started hugging him. Wu Jilong on the other hand was disgusted. Why? Because this young girl before him was the dirtiest person he had ever seen in his life.


    A dozen strands of her once black hair remained but they were surrounded by hair turned brown from layers of mud that were left to harden. Her tiny cheeks showed no color that a humans should, instead dirt and dust covered her innocent face making her look like she had never taken a bath in her life. Wu Jilong who admired beauty more than anything else in life was angry at the sight of someone being so filthy.


    ¡°Little girl, what are you doing?¡± Wu Jilong asked coldly.


    The little girl came back to her senses. She stopped hugging Wu Jilong and  pushed out her chest proudly. ¡° I am training! If I want to learn how to be a cultivator then I need a strong body!¡± Her voice was filled with so much pride that Wu Jilong was shocked that someone could be so proud of such a stupid action. He had met many arrogant and ignorant people in his life but never had he met such a young child who would enter the Grand Beast Canyon with no cultivation and call it training.


    ¡°Training? You are an idiot. In all my years of living I have never met anyone as foolish as you. Out of all of the people I have had the displeasure of meeting you are by far the dumbest. You are filthy and yet you dared to hug me and dirty my robes? Little girl, for what reason have you entered Grand Beast Canyon?¡± Wu Jilong asked in a cold voice. Although Wu Jilong¡¯s words were harsh his question was still genuine, somewhere deep down he felt a strange sense of familiarity when he looked at the young girl.


    The little girl fidgeted with her hands while casting her eyes downwards. She looked up but Wu Jilong¡¯s cold gaze made her shudder. ¡°W-w-ell I didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go. Seven days ago my parents died in a fire, and because my parents¡¯ house was the only one in the village that caught fire the other villagers thought I was bad luck and kicked me out of the village,¡± she said. Her once proud voice was now much softer.


    Wu Jilong¡¯s face was still completely calm and cold but his anger had disappeared completely. ¡°Little girl, the one who killed your parents is me,¡± Wu Jilong said coolly. He had no reason to lie to this little girl, he knew that the fire that killed her parents was caused by him regaining his cultivation.


    However much to his surprise the little girl didn¡¯t cry nor did she curse him. Instead she looked at him with bright eyes and said, ¡°mister is also the one who saved me.¡± In truth the little girl¡¯s parents were extremely cruel to her. While drunk her father would often beat her and her mother never once spoke out about it. Often times both parents would scream at her that she was unnecessary and only a problem. Towards Wu Jilong, the man who killed her parents, she was grateful.


    Seeing this Wu Jilong roughly understood what the girl was thinking. Although he did not know what her parents did to her Wu Jilong knew that the little girl did not resent him. Wu Jilong¡¯s face suddenly became extremely cold and killing intent poured out of him as he remembered things he had long since thought forgotten. It only lasted for a second before Wu Jilong regained his composure.


    ¡°Girl, do you truly wish to become a cultivator?¡± Wu Jilong asked. After hearing this girl''s story Wu Jilong came to have an idea. Although he could not trust the skill of other cultivators, he trusted his own knowledge regarding cultivation. In order to kill the twelve magical beasts and regain his cultivation Wu Jilong decided take in his first disciple ever.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The young girl exclaimed. On her face was a smile so beautiful and innocent that her filthy appearance no longer mattered.


    ¡°The world of cultivation is dangerous. You may even die. Do you still wish to be a cultivator?¡±


    ¡°If the sky was not dark then we wouldn''t be able to see the stars!¡±


    The young girl had shocked Wu Jilong again. Never once did Wu Jilong think that this dirty young girl would say something that he liked so much. Those words accompanied by the brilliant smile she showed off truly made Wu Jilong forget how dirty she currently was.


    Wu Jilong smiled unkowingly to himself. ¡°Little girl, what is your name?¡±


    ¡°She Yen,¡± she said.


    ¡°Forget that name. From today on you are Wu Meiling, the disciple of Wu Jilong and the second member of the Wu clan,¡± Wu Jilong said coolly. The name Wu Jilong was something that he had given himself, from the first time he met his parents until the day he was sealed away they never once named Wu Jilong. They only referred to him by his title, The Martial God.


    ¡°Yes master,¡± Wu Meiling exclaimed. Her dream of becoming a cultivator had finally come true, she ran forward again and hugged Wu Jilong once more only this time Wu Jilong did not grow angry. He realized where his feeling of familiarity towards this girl came from, much like himself she was a child hated by her parents.


    --------------------------------------------------


    Hey boys, Indubitabl here. Sorry about the inconsistent updates Black Ops 3 is making it hard to focus on writing. Had a game on the giant lag out at round 86 and a game of dead ops disconnect after round 64. I will be including a link in this post that contains a few spoilers about the general direction the next four arcs will be heading, so if that is something that interests you check it out! Also I will be accepting suggestions for powers soon, so if you have any free time start thinking of some unique powers and I may include yours in the story! http://pastebin.com/BhdmYR7E</a>

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 10

    The brisk morning air started to heat up under the gaze of the morning sun, inside a once clear stream Wu Meiling sat chest deep in warm water. Dirt ran off her petite body in all directions. A scarlet doppleganger of Wu Jilong stood right behind her scrubbing her dirty hair. Wu Jilong¡¯s doppelganger caused the water to warm to an extremely comfortable temperature turning the stream into a hot spring. Wu Meiling had never been more comfortable in her life, she fluttered her feet up and down in the water while merrily humming.


    On the gravel shore next to the stream Wu Jilong sat atop a throne made of scarlet flames which caused the air near him to tremble, around his arms the scarlet mark for heal burned brilliantly giving Wu Jilong an ephemeral glow. The bones in his arms slowly rejoined each other, soon both of his arms were healed to a useable state. Wu Jilong threw out a punch with both arms testing out his recovery.


    ¡°Master, I hope one day I am as pretty as you,¡± Wu Meiling said. Her words were not flattery, Wu Jilong was just the most beautiful person she had ever seen. Wu Meiling looked at her reflection on the surface of the river and sighed.


    Wu Jilong ignored Wu Meiling¡¯s words. ¡°Do you know why a fire burns?¡± he asked.


    Wu Meiling stopped splashing and thought about Wu Jilong¡¯s question. She cupped her hands and filled them with water which she dumped on her head. ¡°Well, because that¡¯s what it wants to do right? Otherwise why would it do it?¡±


    Wu Jilong snapped and a scarlet flame appeared. ¡°Flames, ice, magical beasts, or humans it makes no difference, because in the end everything is destined to disappear. Meiling you are not wrong, everything exists because that is what they want to do, they strive to become complete, everlasting. Only when something becomes complete can it live forever, becoming more beautiful than anything incomplete.¡±


    ¡­


    Wu Jilong and Wu Meiling made their way towards the northern rim of the canyon, Wu Meiling was seated upon a steed made from Wu Jilong¡¯s Sovereign Creation Flame. The scarlet mustang stood two meters tall, a mane of flames made the horse look like the warhorse of a supreme warlord. Wu Meiling who had the appearance of a small fairy looked out of place on top of its back. As they traveled Wu Jilong began to lecture Wu Meiling on the basics of cultivation. Every word he spoke Wu Meiling memorized and repeated out loud.


    His lessons only lasted for a few minutes before Wu Meiling would be distracted by something off in the distance. Each time she interrupted his teachings Wu Jilong would smack the back of her small hands, never hard enough to cause her any harm but hard enough to make her think twice about interrupting him. And yet Wu Meiling continued to be distracted by other things while Wu Jilong talked.


    ¡°Her age plays a part in it but it is also her personality to be interested in things,¡± Wu Jilong thought to himself. He knew it was pointless to try and teach her anything with so many distractions laying in wait inside the canyon, so he stopped. Together the two walked through the woods at the bottom of the canyon. Wu Meiling was amazed by everything and anything. She would occasionally ask Wu Jilong questions about the things that caught her attention. ¡°Does master have anyone he loves?¡±


    ¡°No, it is not necessary,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    ¡°Master how can you say that? Love is the most beautiful thing in the world!¡±


    ¡°A little girl who knows nothing of the world is trying to teach me about things that are beautiful?¡±


    ¡°I know some things!¡± Wu Meiling pushed out her little chest confidently, ¡°True love is the most beautiful thing in the world. Wh¡­¡±


    Just as Wu Meiling was about to finish her sentence a figure appeared from behind a tree. Wu Jilong knew the figure was there but he ignored it because the person was in no way a threat to him and Wu Meiling. Clad in a dirty gold robe the figures appearance looked extremely rough, his black hair was a mess and his eyes were bloodshot. When compared to Wu Jilong who wore a new robe everyday and Wu Meiling who wore a robe Wu Jilong shortened for her, the figure before them looked like a peasant standing before royalty.


    The figure was Tan Fang! When he saw Wu Jilong approaching a twisted smile came to rest upon his face, he has been waiting for this day ever since Wu Jilong humiliated him in front of Su Ruiqi and the other disciples of the Golden Gamble Faction. In his mind even if the earth were to tear in two it would not be enough to stop him from killing Wu Jilong. ¡°My luck is truly turning around! To finally run into you Wu Jilong, the heavens have granted my wish,¡± Tan Fang yelled.


    ¡°Master do you know this person?¡± Wu Meiling whispered to Wu Jilong.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°My master says he doesn¡¯t know you,¡± Wu Meiling yelled back to Tan Fang.


    Hearing this Tan Fang¡¯s rage exploded from deep inside of him. ¡°Let him keep pretending because first I will kill you Wu Jilong. Then I will win the Feasts of Magical Beasts Tournament with the Lavish Maned Lion I killed on the first day and take back Su Ruiqi¡¯s heart from you,¡± Tan Fang roared.


    ¡°Master you said you didn¡¯t love anyone but isn¡¯t this a love triangle?¡± Wu Meiling asked. Her doe eyes shone brightly and a string of drool escaped from her tiny pink lips.


    Wu Jilong ignored the young girl as he had done most of the time she spoke. ¡°Wu Meiling, if I gave you seven days to catch a fish from a river on what day would you catch it?¡±


    ¡°The seventh day!¡± Wu Meiling did not even need a second to think about the question.


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    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°That way the fish will be its freshest! And i¡¯ll have more time to play!¡±


    Wu Jilong silently nodded in agreement with the first part of her answer. ¡°Tan Fang was it? This young girl is only ten years old yet she is already wiser than yourself. You won''t have a chance to to enter the judging because you have been stupid enough to threaten me. Not a single soul has ever had a chance to threaten me a second time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! No one is stronger than master!¡± Wu Meiling had no proof for her statement but she felt as Wu Jilong¡¯s disciple and a member of the Wu Clan this was something that she had to do.


    ¡°Shut up. From the very first time I met you I have hated you. Your face is simply to arrogant looking, it''s unbearable,¡± Tan Fang said, ¡°now I will kill you in front of the stupid little girl you have tricked into being your disciple.¡±


    It was as though Wu Jilong could not hear Tan Fang speaking. ¡°I am going to kill him, if you look away I will not take you in as my disciple.¡± Wu Jilong¡¯s words were concise. While walking the path of cultivation Wu Meiling would need to kill to protect herself and to protect Wu Jilong¡¯s interests so he wanted to acclimate her to killing as soon as possible.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Wu Meiling replied. Back when she lived with her parents in her village she had seen criminals executed before so she was not afraid of seeing Wu Jilong kill someone. She sat up straight on the back of the horse and stared at Wu Jilong.


    Wu Jilong left Wu Meiling¡¯s side, his face was completely calm and his eyes lifeless and cold. Tan Fang was not an opponent worthy of awakening his fighting spirit. Wu Jilong snapped and a scarlet sword appeared in his hand along with four razor wires. He waved his arms downwards and the wires disappeared. Tan Fang readied himself and violent Qi of the Aura Sea Formation Stage began to pour out.


    The Qi started to build up around Tan Fang¡¯s fists, this was Mo Bang¡¯s Fist of the Flowing Strike, a martial art where the user covers their hands in Qi and uses it to strike their enemies endlessly. ¡°Wu Jilong you have finally brought yourself to die, don¡¯t worry I, Tan Fang, am not such a small person that I would torture you. I will make your death quick and painful, ¡± Tan Fang said. He started to laugh like a madman but when Tan Fang tried to walk towards Wu Jilong he couldn¡¯t! Around his ankles and wrists scarlet razor wires so thin that he never saw them approaching coiled around his body.


    Wu Jilong strolled towards Tan Fang casually, his movements were slow and deliberate which horrified Tan Fang because he was completely at the mercy of Wu Jilong. Tan Fang did not know that from the very start he was already in check. The difference in their battle experiences was that of the heavens and the earth and this showed by how quickly Wu Jilong had completely defeated Tan Fang.


    ¡°Y-you don¡¯t have to do this. I am sor¡­¡± This was the type of man Tan Fang was. When he was faced with an opponent he thought inferior to himself he would be cruel and merciless. But when he ran into an opponent stronger than himself he would beg and kowtow for his life, he would even throw Su Ruiqi to the wolves if it meant his survival.


    Wu Jilong removed Tan Fang¡¯s head with a single slow swing of the scarlet sword. From the blade of the sword heat radiated so strongly that it sealed the wound on Tan Fang¡¯s neck the instant it beheaded him resulting in no blood spilling out from his corpse. The force of Wu Jilong¡¯s strike caused thirty trees to the side of Tan Fang¡¯s headless corpse to fall.


    ¡°Master, will you teach me that move? It was so cool!¡± Wu Meiling was not put off by Wu Jilong killing Tan Fang in the slightest. Instead she was captivated by how cool her master was to defeat someone who wanted to kill him so easily. The scarlet sword which Wu Jilong wielded was extremely beautiful when he held it in his hands, so much so that Wu Meiling wanted to learn how to use it too.


    ¡°No, I will teach you a different set of techniques.¡±


    ¡°Aww, ok.¡± Wu Meiling started to pout but after noticing that Wu Jilong would not budge an inch she stopped.


    ¡­


    On the seventh day elders from the Sect of Five Corners returned to Grand Beast Canyon to bring their disciples who survived back to their factions. The judging for the Feasts of Magical Beasts Tournament would start later that night after the disciples had a chance to clean themselves and rest.


    The first elder to arrive was none other than Mo Bang of the Golden Gamble Faction, when he arrived he was shocked to see Wu Jilong already there. Even more shocking was the young girl who sat next to him because she had not been with him when he left. ¡°Wu Jilong how did finding a delicious magical beast go?¡±


    ¡°I only entered the tournament so that I would be able to test out my martial arts, I never had the intention to try and win,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    Mo Bang was slightly disappointed, when he reported that he had two disciples entering the Feasts of Magical Beasts Tournament to the Head of the Golden Gamble Faction he had hinted at the fact that they would be able to bring glory to the faction and himself, but now one of his hopes admitted that he was never interested in it from the beginning.


    ¡°Then have you seen Tan Fang?¡± Mo Bang asked.


    ¡°Tan Fang? Master, isn¡¯t that the guy you killed?¡± Wu Meiling blurted out without thinking about what she was saying.

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 11

    ¡°You killed Tan Fang? Wu Jilong this is very bad, although Tan Fang¡¯s talent was poor he still belongs to the Tan Clan which is second in the Golden Sands State only to the Su clan that Su Ruiqi comes from. You must leave at once, if members of the Tan Clan were to find out that you killed him they will surely come find you and kill you,¡± Mo Bang said. He was only worried for Wu Jilong because Wu Jilong was the only person he had met that knew how to dispel the Life Leeching Lilly, if Mo Bang let Wu Jilong die now, he would lose his chance at being free of the poison and ultimately die.


    ¡°Let them come then. When they come to the Sect of Five Corners and ask about the death of Tan Fang, as his master you tell them it was an Obsidian Backed Gorilla that killed him. That is why I beheaded him after all,¡± Wu Jilong said indifferently. From his ring of holding Wu Jilong produced a new piece of cloth which he used to tie up Wu Meiling¡¯s hair. If any of the Devas Wu Jilong killed saw this scene their faces would turn green with regret, the Martial God Wu Jilong was acting like a doting mother.


    ¡°An Obsidian Backed Gorilla? Wu Jilong there is no way they will believe that. The thought of an Obsidian Backed Gorilla being in Grand Beast Canyon is an unthinkable nightmare,¡± Mo Bang said. If an Obsidian Backed Gorilla truly was in the canyon then no small amount of disciples from the Sect of Five Corners would have died during this Feasts Of Magical Beasts Tournament. And if the Sect of Five Corners sent disciples into Grand Beast Canyon while such a dangerous magical beast was present that would surely anger many of the clans who sent their young disciples to the sect.


    ¡°Oh? Then why don¡¯t you go inspect the countless bodies of disciples from the Sect of Five Corners that the Obsidian Backed Gorilla left behind,¡± Wu Jilong said. He spoke casually about the deaths of so many disciples as though they were nothing more than ants to him. This made Mo Bang realize how cold Wu Jilong could be.


    Mo Bang gasped. ¡°Wu Jilong you stay here, if the Obsidian Backed Gorilla is still in the area it could be very dangerous. I will go make sure that more of our disciples come back alive.¡±


    ¡°Searching for the beast is a fruitless endeavor, the Obsidian Backed Gorilla is already dead.¡± Wu Jilong chuckled. Seeing Mo Bang be so terrified of a magical beast at the Earthly Understanding Stage was like watching a child in Wu Jilong¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Dead? What do you mean? An Obsidian Backed Gorilla is an extremely fierce magical beast, how could it possibly die when only disciples from the Sect of Five Corners were present in the canyon?¡± Mo Bang asked.


    ¡°Master killed it! Didn¡¯t you master?¡± Wu Meiling said.


    ¡°Little girl don¡¯t be foolish, Wu Jilong is only at the peak of the Shamanic Foundation Stage. Killing an Obsidian Backed Gorilla is too impossible to even call a dream.¡±


    ¡°Mo Bang it may be impossible to you but that is only because you are limited. It is unwise to speak badly towards Wu Meiling. Soon she shall be stronger than yourself,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    Mo Bang was at a loss for words. The awkwardness that he currently felt was something that he himself created. No matter what Wu Jilong said Mo Bang would never grow angry towards him because of the importance of dispelling the Life Leeching Lilly. In order to contain his own emotions Mo Bang shot off into Grand Beast Canyon in order to confirm the words Wu Jilong spoke.


    ¡°I am going to cultivate, Meiling do not do anything stupid while I am meditating. And do not speak without thinking anymore, if you do I will discipline you,¡± Wu Jilong said. Wu Jilong was cold and indifferent towards the world of mortals, but Wu Meiling was still the first disciple he had ever taken in. In life Wu Jilong admired beauty which led to him becoming someone who strove towards perfection. If he took in a disciple then he would become the perfect master.


    ¡­


    Wu Jilong sat down and began to meditate, after encountering the Obsidian Backed Gorilla he came to realize a problem that he had overlooked. 5,000 years spent sealed away had caused his body to weaken to a point that he was able to injure himself with such a weak attack, before being sealed the attacks of Asuras would give him no problems, he would not even have to use protective Qi to block them. His body was simply too powerful. But now his body was incredibly weakened, even with his unrivaled knowledge of cultivation Wu Jilong did not know what stage he would need to cultivate to in order to regain his body¡¯s strength.


    With nothing to do Wu Meiling grew bored, she got up from imitating Wu Jilong¡¯s meditation and started to walk around. From the south Su Ruiqi¡¯s beautiful figure came into view, her black hair was tied to the right into a ponytail which was fastened with a bow made from fine golden silk. She wore a robe of gold and purple, the purple of the robe matched her lilac eyes perfectly. In her hands she held the jade handle of the parasol which she used to block the sun. Wu Jilong ignored her arrival and continued meditating.


    Wu Meiling on the other hand took immediate notice of Su Ruiqi. Seeing this she approached the young girl. Although she had never seen Wu Meiling before Su Ruiqi could tell that Wu Meiling had some sort of connection to Wu Jilong because the robe she wore was the same style of robes Wu Jilong wore as well as the way her hair was tied up as it was the same way that Wu Jilong tied up his hair.


    ¡°Such a cute little girl,¡± Su Ruiqi said, ¡°I believe this if the first time we have met, I am Su Ruiqi. You are?¡±


    Wu Meiling had never before had anyone introduce themselves so politely towards herself. She started to smile like crazy because having someone act like this towards her made her feel like a grown up. ¡°My name is Wu Meiling,¡± she replied, ¡°is it true that your heart has been stolen by my master?¡±


    ¡°That was supposed to be a secret,¡± Su Ruiqi said while smiling, ¡°who told you that?¡±


    ¡°Tan Fang, said he would win a tournament and take your heart back from my master. When he heard that master killed Tan Fang!¡± Wu Meiling said. She waved her arms just as Wu Jilong did, trying to copy her master¡¯s technique.


    ¡°Oh, Wu Jilong why are you so kind to me?¡± Su Ruiqi could tell from this short conversation that Wu Meiling was just as disillusioned towards love as she had been as a child. When she was young Su Ruiqi was a hopeless romantic who dreamed of true love much like Wu Meiling does now. Only after being forced into an engagement with Tan Fang did she come to realize that true love was something that was very rare, more often than not marriage was only used as a tool to secure power for yourself or create alliances between clans.


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    ¡°If you follow me I will take you to see master!¡± Wu Meiling had such a sweet smile on her face that it almost made Su Ruiqi feel bad for taking advantage of her naivety.


    ¡°Sister Meiling, I cannot see him now. In truth can I tell you a secret?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Wu Meiling said while nodding her head.


    Su Ruiqi looked around making sure no one else was near and then leaned right next to Wu Meiling¡¯s ear. ¡°Just standing in front of Wu Jilong makes my heartbeat like crazy, I am much to nervous to meet with him. How about when we return to the Golden Gamble Faction you come and visit me everyday and tell me how Wu Jilong is doing?¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± Being able to act as the middleman in her master¡¯s love life made Wu Meiling ecstatic. She had no way of knowing that Wu Jilong was not a tsundere and truly did not have the slightest interest towards love.


    Together the two made their way back to the outcropping overlook where more and more elders and disciples from the Sect of Five Corners began to show up. Mo Bang was talking with the other elders from the five factions as well as the Sect Head who looked extremely worried.


    Disciples from the Sword Sonata Faction stood together off to the side of the other factions. In their minds anyone who did not posses a Martial Arm were trash not worth noticing, even towards disciples of the Favorable Wind Faction who were their allies who also used Martial Arms they felt superior. Su Ruiqi grabbed their attention the second she came into view, although they looked down on the other factions not a single one of them dared to offend Su Ruiqi and the Su Family.


    From the group of disciples a single young man stepped forward. He was a handsome youth of sixteen, slender and graceful, his green hair matched the arrogant pair of eyes which lusted after Su Ruiqi. ¡°Su Ruiqi it has been to long!¡± Jiang Xin said. Jiang Xin like Su Ruiqi came from an extremely powerful family, compared to the other disciples near him he gave off an air of royalty. If compared to Wu Jilong however the air Jiang Xin gave off was that of a mutt.


    The Jiang Clan much like the Su Clan was one of the rulers of the Five States which made up the Sect of Five Corners. Effectively making Jiang Xin a prince and Su Ruiqi a princess in their own rights, within the Sect of Five Corners they held special power within their factions and the sect as a whole. It was for this reason that no one dared to offended Su Ruiqi. Their families were extremely powerful, in truth they could have stayed with their families and cultivated but they were sent to the Sect of Five Corners as a political message and display of strength.


    ¡°Jiang Xin, it has been a long time. But right now I am extremely tired and have to walk sister Meiling back to her master, so if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± Su Ruiqi wasted no time in coming up with an excuses that allowed her to walk away from Jiang Xin. Wu Meiling and Su Ruiqi walked over towards Wu Jilong who had finally opened his eyes and stopped meditating. Generally people will not meditate in front of others out of the fear of exposing the cultivation technique they practiced, yet Wu Jilong felt no worry towards meditating in front of even the Sect Head of the Sect of Five Corners. The reason being that he knew that not a single person present would be able to see through his cultivation technique.


    ...


    On the surface Jiang Xin looked extremely calm and collected but inside his heart he felt anger start to build up. After hearing that Su Ruiqi and Tan Fang had finally ended their engagement Jiang Xin felt that his chance to get closer to Su Ruiqi Had finally come. He sent letters home asking his father to arrange a marriage with the Su Family but they rejected his father''s request, the thought of being rejected by another family had never even occurred to Jiang Xin who thought himself to be the best.


    ¡°Brother Xin don¡¯t take it personally that is just how Su Ruiqi is. She is cold towards others but soon she will warm up towards you,¡± Tu Peide another disciple of the Sword Sonata Faction said. Jiang Xin like other young masters felt the need to surround himself with other disciples who would lay down on the road and let himself walk over them if need be.


    ¡°Have you ever seen that man Su Ruiqi is standing near before?¡±


    ¡°No I haven¡¯t. But from what I have heard that should be Wu Jilong the man responsible for ending the engagement between Su Ruiqi and Tan Fang.¡±


    ¡°Wu Jilong huh?¡±


    ¡­


    Two hours passed and finally all of the disciples who had survived the Feasts of Magical Beasts Tournament returned. The Sect Head of the Sect of Five Corners wasted no time in ordering everyone to return to the sect. One by one the faction heads instructed the elders of their factions and disciples to leave in an orderly manner. As the disciples of the Golden Gamble Faction prepared to leave the Sect Head appeared before them. ¡°Which one of you is Wu Jilong?¡± he asked.


    Wu Jilong remained indifferent towards the Sect Head calling him out personally. Mo Bang must have mentioned something he shouldn¡¯t have. In the future I will not let him know anything important. ¡°I am Wu Jilong.¡±


    This is Wu Jilong? He should only be at the peak of the Shamanic Foundation Stage how could he kill an Obsidian Backed Gorilla? Mo Bang would never dare lie to me and I personally saw the remains of disciples killed by the beast. ¡°Wu Jilong come with me there are something that I wish to speak with you about.¡±


    ¡°Wu Meiling follow me,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    ¡°Yes master!¡±

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 12

    The Sect Head of the Sect of Five Corners was an older man with a hunched back, from his facial features it was obvious he had once been an attractive young man but now his face wrinkled like a desert that had been deprived of water for countless years. He wore a robe that contained all of the colors of the five factions which made up the Sect of Five Corners. His cultivation was the highest Wu Jilong had seen since being unsealed, the Sect Head was at the Heavenly Ascension Stage.


    His fragile looking hand stroked the graying hairs that formed a patchy beard on his chin. ¡°Wu Jilong, I was told by Mo Bang that an Obsidian Backed Gorilla appeared in Grand Beast Canyon during this year, which is shocking. Even more shocking is that Mo Bang says that it was killed by you. Pray tell me, how could a disciple at the peak of the Shamanic Foundation Stage kill an Obsidian Backed Gorilla?¡±


    Wu Meiling did not know how absurd of an occurrence this was but she was beginning to understand because of the shock and disbelief both of these old men had when Wu Jilong said that he was the one who killed the Obsidian Backed Gorilla. Although she was easily distracted and occasionally gave of a ditzy aura Wu Meiling was by no means foolish, rather she was incredibly bright. More so than Wu Jilong gave her credit for.


    ¡°By using my martial arts. No different than how you would have. It was as simple as snapping my fingers,¡± Wu Jilong said. Truthfully killing the Obsidian Backed Gorilla was not difficult at all, dodging the beast''s attacks was only tiring because of his low cultivation base and the fact that Wu Jilong was unable to use his movement technique, The Dance of Fire Walking.


    Wu Jilong¡¯s movement technique The Dance of Fire Walking was unlike any other movement technique in existence, the beauty of his movements drew admiration from those who were able to see it and dread from those who faced it. Thousands of flames would shoot out of Wu Jilong¡¯s body in all directions, they would hang in the air, hide in the ground, and burn out in the open. Wherever a flame was present Wu Jilong to could be present, Fire Walking meant that Wu Jilong could teleport from flame to flame. Paired with the overbearing strength of his body and his lethal martial arts The Dance of Flame Walking became a waltz of slaughter that was relentless.


    Sima Gongming, the Sect Head, was having none of Wu Jilong¡¯s answer though. ¡°Do I look like a fool to you?¡±


    ¡°You look like an old man who is nearing the end of his life who is desperate to ascended to the Divine Ruling Stage and extend his life,¡± Wu Jilong said, ¡°if you were to help me with something then I would in return help you breakthrough.¡± Simple words were all Wu Jilong needed to use to help Sima Gongming breakthrough to the Divine Ruling Stage but Wu Jilong needed his help in establishing Wu Meiling¡¯s cultivation base.


    Wu Jilong decided that he would pass down the cultivation methods of the strongest Deva he had ever fought onto Wu Meiling. Since birth Wu Jilong has had the ability to see through one''s methods of cultivation and their martial arts with only a glance, this had nothing to do with the power from two Divine Bloodlines he inherited but rather just a unique talent he possessed. In order to allow Wu Meiling to cultivate with such a powerful method from the start Wu Jilong would need to forcefully refine her daitan to a certain point, doing such a thing was unheard of but for Wu Jilong it was possible.


    He only lacked an enormous amount of Qi that he could transform into Wu Meiling¡¯s unique Qi. Unique Qi was different for everyone, that was why it was called unique, but Qi is something that is easily influenced. Qi reacts to the will of its cultivators this is why martial arts are able to be performed using Qi and this is why a person is able to cultivate Qi. Wu Jilong would take a massive amount of Qi and force his will into it, such a thing was never even imagined in the Grand Peak Continent.


    ¡°You will help me reach the Divine Ruling Stage? Will you also cause the sky to storm? Brat there is no need to lie to me in order to gain more fame within the Sect of Five Corners,¡± Sima Gongming said.


    ¡°With the remaining years of your life entering the Qi Cultivation of Asuras is possible, so choose now.  Live out the rest of your life in arrogance or accept my offer,¡± Wu Jilong said. He was an extremely charismatic person, or perhaps he only offered logical offers that were impossible to decline.


    ¡°Y-you how do you know of the Qi cultivation of Asuras? Even I have only faintly heard rumors from the spirits of my clan,¡± Sima Gongming was beside himself, ¡°I accept what is the task I must help you with?¡± A chance to enter the Divine Ruling Stage was a once in a lifetime event, though Sima Gongming had no way to confirm that Wu Jilong was able to help him break through there was also no reason to think that he could not. After all Wu Jilong had casually spoken about the Qi Cultivation of Asuras that Sima Gongming had only heard faint rumors of.


    Wu Jilong turned to leave and Wu Meiling followed suit. ¡°In three days time come to the northernmost training cave in Mo Bang¡¯s possession.¡± Wu Jilong offered no explanation because he knew no explanation was needed. Controlling a person was as simple as finding their deepest desires and exploiting it, Sima Gongming the proud Sect Head of the Sect of Five Corners had unknowingly already submitted to Wu Jilong when he heard that advancing his own cultivation was possible.


    ¡­


    ¡°Master, since you won¡¯t be teaching me that move you used what kind of move will you be teaching me? Is it strong? Is it pretty like yours?¡± Wu Meiling asked. The anticipation of learning cultivation and martial arts was slowly driving her crazy which in turn caused Wu Jilong to almost go crazy. He had never had someone pester him in the way that this young girl did, 5,000 years ago no one would even dare to speak to Wu Jilong without him initiating the conversation.


    ¡°I will teach you three martial arts. One of which summons a divine spear and shield, a movement technique, and a spear striking technique. They are very strong techniques which you will never teach to anyone else, you will also never listen to advice regarding cultivation given to you by anyone but me. As for how beautiful they are, that depends on yourself,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Master what do they do?¡±


    ¡°You will know when I teach them to you.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Wu Jilong respond.


    ¡°I want to know now,¡± Wu Meiling said. Wu Jilong reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could react. A single fierce slap smacked into the back of her hand causing an imprint of Wu Jilong¡¯s hand to appear on her white skin. Wu Meiling smiled at this though, having Wu Jilong discipline her for doing wrong made him feel like a true master and a truer parent than she ever had. Part of the reason she had said this was her excitement towards cultivation but another reason was her desire to receive Wu Jilong¡¯s attention.


    Wu Meiling paraded forward with Wu Jilong in tow, the young girl looked extremely happy as she always did but Wu Jilong seemed less cold as he followed the young girls shadow. Her seemingly endless state of happiness made Wu Jilong remember a young boy who used to smile in the same manner. A child alone in the world who only had thousands of purples flowers for company, surrounded by the swaying sea of purple and the dull gray sky of smoke overhead the boy found solace in the beauty of the flowers. This was where Wu Jilong¡¯s enjoyment of beauty began, at a time in his life when he knew not who he was or for what reason he was born the simple beauty of purple flowers contrasted against a gray sky gave him the fulfillment to keep living during his confinement.


    ¡°When we return to the Golden Gamble Faction I will enter meditation. You are free to do as you please but do not cause any problems for me. On the third day come to the training cave where I am meditating and we will being your training,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    ¡°Yes! Thank you master!¡± Wu Meiling was ready to start training she once again started waving her arms just as Wu Jilong had done before while fighting.


    ¡­


    ¡°Can I really have this?¡± Wu Meiling asked Su Ruiqi. Both of the girls sat together overlooking a cascading waterfall. Su Ruiqi held out sweets that she offered to Wu Meiling.


    ¡°Of course you can! We are friends aren¡¯t we?¡± Su Ruiqi said sweetly. Wu Meiling took the sweet from her hands and stuffed it into her mouth whole, causing her cheeks to puff up like that of a chipmunk who stuffed its mouth. The sweets filling ran down the corners of her mouth but Wu Meiling did not notice and kept chewing on the sweet.


    ¡°Ith dewliscious,¡± Wu Meiling said with a full mouth. If Wu Jilong was present he would have disciplined her again for being so unrefined. Su Ruiqi could only laugh at the sight of the young girl enjoying the sweets so intently.


    ¡°Is this the first time you have ever enjoyed sweets?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Mother and Father never bought me anything so this is the first time anyone has ever offered me anything this delicious, wait no. Master made me food once and it was very good,¡± Wu Meiling. For only a second an out of character somber look appeared on the small girls face followed by a faint trail of tears. Su Ruiqi felt the change in the young girls mood and could not ignore it.


    ¡°Wu Meiling what is wrong?¡±


    ¡°Is it okay for master to be so nice to me? Can I really be this happy?¡± Wu Meiling who had been neglected all of her life did not know how to react to Wu Jilong¡¯s kindness, though what Wu Jilong had done was very little to Wu Meiling who had never so much as been offered a new robe or ribbon to tie up her hair was at a loss for what to do. Years of verbal abuse caused Wu Meiling to believe that she was unnecessary but now Wu Jilong took her in as a disciple, in front of Wu Jilong she did not cry and forced herself to be happy out of fear that he would think she was more of a problem than she was worth. Ever since Wu Jilong said she would be able to learn Qi Cultivation she had been holding back her tears.


    Wu Meiling¡¯s sobs caused Su Ruiqi¡¯s heart to throb, she took the young girl into her arms and patted her on the head. ¡°Of course it is.¡±


    ¡­


    Wu Jilong brought his fist down in a flash and it slammed into the floor of the training cave. Under the force of his blow the cave floor shook and cracked, so to did his fist. Wu Jilong snapped with the broken hand and the scarlet mark for heal appeared immediately.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Over and over again Wu Jilong brought his fist down shattering it only to repair it to be broken once again. Each time his fist broke after being healed it broke slightly less, this was because when Wu Jilong used the Sovereign Creation Flame to denote heal it infused whatever injuries it healed with Qi making the wounded area heal stronger than it was before. Although it was not comparable to his body previously it was a temporary fix that Wu Jilong had decided upon. Over the next three days Wu Jilong systematically broke his body down again and again, he shattered bone, tore muscle, and slit veins, only to heal his injuries and do them over again. Pools of dry blood filled the training cave which shocked Sima Gongming who arrived just as Wu Jilong had instructed.


    ¡°Wu Jilong, I have come on the third day just as you said to. Tell me what is it you need my help doing?¡± Sima Gongming asked.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Hey guys, so lately I have been having trouble writing the story but tonight after writing a piece for a short story contest I found it easy to write again. I noticed the quality of the writing in the past chapters slipping but I think I found my groove again. So enjoy!

 Return Of The Martial God - Chapter 13

    ¡°Wait, Wu Meiling has not yet arrived.¡± Inside the training cave Wu Jilong and Sima Gongming stood in silence which was only interrupted by the drops of water that fell from the cave¡¯s damp ceiling, the heat from Wu Jilong¡¯s Sovereign Creation Flame had caused the inside of the training cave to fill with humidity that stuck to their skin closer than their robes. Song Gongming¡¯s blade like brow furrowed after hearing Wu Jilong instructing him to wait. Who in the Sect of Five Corners would speak so impolitely towards him? Only Wu Jilong would. Song Gongming remained quiet and waited patiently with his arms folded behind his back he twiddled his thumbs.


    After an hour passed Wu Meiling entered the training cave from the outside world. She wasted no time in walking over to Wu Jilong who sat cross legged with his eyes closed. Each step she took was filled with the same bounce that she always had seemingly she had recovered from crying earlier but deep within her eyes the faint redness that crying brought about still lingered, on the skin of her cheeks the slight scent of salty tears drew Wu Jilong¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Wu Meiling, for what reason do you cry?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Master why do you think I have been crying? I haven¡¯t been crying,¡± Wu Meiling lied. In responses to her lie Wu Jilong gave her another smack on the back of her hand. Compared to the other times Wu Jilong disciplined her this smack was slightly harder, the sound of him striking her echoed of off the cave¡¯s rugged walls. He did this because she had lied to him.


    ¡°The reason you have cried matters not to me, but do not think of lying to me girl,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    From Sima Gongming¡¯s forehead a vein appeared, clearly being ignored by Wu Meiling and ordered around by Wu Jilong had taken its toll on the Sect Head¡¯s immense pride. ¡°Wu Jilong the young girl has arrived. Can you tell me what it is that you need my help with now?¡±


    ¡°What I need you to do is bring forward all of the Qi you currently are able to and use it to surround your body. Wu Meiling sit in front of me and meditate,¡± Wu Jilong¡¯s words were spoke coolly but from the way he spoke Sima Gongming could tell that the words were not a question but an order.


    ¡°Ok!¡± Wu Meiling sat down in front of Wu Jilong and started to meditate in the same manner that Wu Jilong did. Slowly Wu Jilong raised his hand a strand of scarlet Qi entered the young girl¡¯s body while remaining attached to Wu Jilong¡¯s body, at first the Qi caused her to feel discomfort but as the Qi spread throughout her body it brought a feeling of warmth and comfort to her.


    Sharp strands of white Qi rose from Sima Gongming¡¯s elderly figure, the fierceness of his Qi caused the entire mountain which the training cave was carved from to shake. Sima Gongming was the eye of a fierce storm and his Qi was the winds which caused devastation and destruction, under his feet the cave floor began to fracture and crack. The once proud stone could only struggle momentarily before turning to dust and rubble. Whispers and hisses came from the winds that shot out from Sima Gongming¡¯s body, he used his full strength just as Wu Jilong said to. Outside of the training cave every elder of the Sect of Five Corners felt the overbearing aura of the Sect Head and started to worry profusely. They did not know that Sima Gongming was currently only bringing out his Qi, to them they thought that the Sect Head using so much of his strength meant that someone had offended him and would surely die today.


    ¡°Wu Jilong, I have brought out all of my Qi just as you asked.¡±


    In his left hand Wu Jilong held the strand of Qi which ensnared Wu Meiling¡¯s pitiful daitan. Her daitan was shriveled and neglected showing that she had never cultivated before, in order to allow her to began cultivating with techniques that befit the strongest Deva Wu Jilong had ever killed he would use Sima Gongming¡¯s Qi to create a new type of Unique Qi for Wu Meiling and force it to integrate with her Daitan. Although Qi was easily controlled it was not easily subdued, cultivators could refine Qi and use it to their will but only because that was their Unique Qi that resonated with their daitan. What Wu Jilong was about to do was not something that the logic of Cultivation supported, this was something that only a Deva would know how to do.


    Ten crimson flames appeared in the palm of his right hand, each burned brightly denoting the character for steal. Like greedy children the flames began to devour the fierce Qi which Sima Gongming surrounded himself in with ease. Never in all of his years of cultivation had Sima Gongming seen someone handle Qi of the Heavenly Ascension Stage so easily. One wrong move and it could have easily costed Wu Jilong his life but now his Qi was swallowed so easily that it scared Sima Gongming half to death.


    As if the flames were alive they grew larger and began to burn hotter, within the cave only Sima Gongming showed a reaction to this, on his face sweat began to flow freely and a look of worry appeared clearly. Wu Jilong was naturally not affected by his own technique he continued to look as peaceful as he did when he meditated but at the same time he used the strand of Qi that entangled Wu Meiling¡¯s daitan to protect her from any harm which allowed Wu Meiling to continue cultivating in peace.


    In an instant the ten flames which burnt in his palm disappeared, they were replaced by a clear Qi so refined that it reflected all of their appearances. Wu Jilong pulled on the strand of Qi and forcefully pulled Wu Meiling¡¯s daitan out of her body. Her face remained completely calm as she could not feel what had happened and her eyes were closed so she could not see what was happening. With Wu Meiling¡¯s daitan in one hand and the refined Qi in the other Wu Jilong began to forcefully fuse the two separate energies using his own body as the vessel to discharge any harmful rejections that occurred.


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    The refined Qi rushed into Wu Jilong¡¯s body by his own will, as it flowed through his meridians his entire body began to shake and his bones began to crack. Inside his body the Qi was running wild which caused Wu Jilong to spit up a mouthful of blood. He snapped and produced ten flames denoting heal. In order to reach Wu Meiling¡¯s daitan which he held in his left hand the refined Qi would need to pass through his entire body and come out on his left side.


    ¡°Wu Jilong, what are you doing? This is much too dangerous that girl could die,¡± Sima Gongming said.


    Compared to when he forcefully broke down his body Wu Jilong was now experiencing pain one hundred times worse. He gritted his teeth so hard they began to chip and tears of blood started well up in his eyes causing him to look like a madman. With the refined Qi inside his body Wu Jilong¡¯s aura felt like what it would when he reached the Heavenly Ascension Stage for a brief second. It was in this second that Wu Jilong responded to Sima Gongming.


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Sima Gongming¡¯s entire body froze, he dared not even to think. In his mind the vision of Wu Jilong killing him played over and over again in his mind''s eye. This was what happened when someone experienced such a strong killing intent infused with Qi. The target would experience hallucinations depicting their death.


    Wu Jilong¡¯s breathing became stable once again, he snapped and healed his injuries once again. From his right hand the refined Qi appeared once again only this time it was much more calm, as if it had been tamed by Wu Jilong¡¯s will. It floated towards Wu Meiling¡¯s daitan and began to be absorbed by the pitiful thing. Before Sima Gongming¡¯s eyes Wu Meiling¡¯s daitan transformed into something incomparably different from what it had been before. Her daitan contained an Aura Sea that was completely still that reflected the glass moon that hung above her Aura Sea.


    ¡°Master what is this? I feel so different,¡± Wu Meiling asked.


    ¡°Close your eyes and search for a strand of Qi that is leaving your body and shooting off into the sky,¡± Wu Jilong instructed.


    Sima Gongming¡¯s face completely changed from shock to an expression of deep thought. He had always felt that there was a portion of his Qi that he could never access but he did not know what it meant. But after hearing Wu Jilong tell Wu Meiling to follow the strand of Qi that returned to the heavens he understood what he must do to break through to the Divine Ruling Stage.


    ¡°Wu Jilong, I thank you for your advice regarding cultivation. I will take my leave now,¡± Sima Gongming said before leaving the training cave. Neither Wu Jilong or Wu Meiling cared much about what he said. Instead they were both focused on Wu Meiling sensing her strand of Qi.


    ¡°I found it! Master it just keeps going. I can see past the clouds, master there are so many stars. Waaa! So pretty, there has to be at least a hundred of them¡± Wu Meiling said. While Sima Gongming thought he understood what Wu Jilong meant by instructing Wu Meiling to do this the truth was he only understood the bare minimum of what this action entailed.


    ¡°Very good, what you have found is your Strand of Fate, judging from the distance of this strand I can tell how powerful your future in cultivation will be. Your daitan did not reject my will and even has great compatibility with it. As your master I am proud of you,¡± Wu Jilong said. Although she had did nothing other than sitting in meditation her acceptance of Wu Jilong¡¯s will showed that she had completely accepted him as her master and would follow him until the end of time.


    ¡°Master how far did your Strand of Fate reach?¡±


    ¡°It continued on endlessly,¡± Wu Jilong said. Wu Meiling¡¯s strand ran past hundreds of stars which meant that her talent would be extraordinary as it should be because she had started to cultivate using the methods of a great Deva. But Wu Jilong¡¯s strand had no end in sight, it was for this reason hundreds of stars descended from the sky to kill him. Each star was actually the Daitan of a Deva who had ascended to the Heavens and Wu Jilong was destined to rule over them all.


    Wu Meiling¡¯s cultivation had surpassed Wu Jilong¡¯s in an instant, she was already at the Aura Sea Formation Stage. She stood up and started to run around at speeds she had never ran before. ¡°Master, can I learn those techniques now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sit back down and close your eyes. The first technique you are going to learn is calling upon the Coiling Dragon Spear and the Reflecting Moon Shield. The Coiling Dragon Spear can expand and retract according to the users will granting a wide range of attacking options. The Reflecting Moon Shield is a shield that absorbs the Yin energy of an attack and returns it with a Yang energy attack. Together they form an overwhelming offense and unbreakable defense,¡± Wu Jilong said.


    The thought of having such great techniques made Wu Meiling ecstatic but once she thought about it she had a question that she needed to ask her master. ¡°Master if they are so strong then why do you not use them?¡±


    ¡°It is much too weak for me to use,¡± Wu Jilong said.