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043 - A Blaze in a Storm
🕑 Added 2024-07-24 20:06:07 +0000 UTCSeeing the blade quickly speeding toward his neck, Qin Yun let his instincts take over. He raised his hand in a jerking motion, barely meeting the deadly instrument in time, swatting it away at the last second.
Adrenaline rushed to his brain, heightening his senses as he sought to discover his assailant's location. Unfortunately, Qin Yun saw no signs of him; only the endless rain pouring onto him and the hurricane overhead deafened the world. He only just now noticed blood flowing from the slight wound on the back of his hand as it slid across his skin before free-falling to the ground, mixing into the puddles of rainwater at his feet.
His eyes narrowed slightly, remaining immobile for the moment, knowing this shouldn't be the only attempt this unknown opponent would make on his life. As for who it was, Qin Yun had many guesses yet so little evidence to rely upon. He could only catch him to know the truth.
As he pondered, Qin Yun felt a hint of murderous intent behind him. He didn't have to turn around to find out what awaited him. He pushed the ground as hard as he could, yet his foot only dug into the soft, muddy ground as water pooled into the hole he was in. Still, the ground provided just enough rebound to allow him to evade the same blade aiming for the back of his head.
Qin Yun felt sweat pool on his forehead before being washed by the rain; he knew this blade could threaten his life, yet he couldn't keep himself from smiling. Despite the tension that hung in the air, Qin Yun shook his head and chuckled slightly before raising his head towards the sky.
Overhead was a light show of ethereal beauty yet macabre significance. Green and blue intertwined, battling for control over this insignificant space. Winds emerged from the core of the conflict, scattering to all directions only to be met by the overpowering rain that drowned the world in its weight. Still, the winds refused to yield as they cut through the water using their sharp edges before fizzling out on a sturdy bell, making its sound ring over the battlefield.
While Qin Yun had seen many sights that were more beautiful or divine, nothing evoked more emotions in his heart than the struggles of man. Seeing an individual at the edge of life and death always kindled his own desire to live. While Qin Yun had never exclusively sought death, it had always been a constant reminder, a close friend.
There should be nobody as familiar with death as Qin Yun was. Still, for the first time in a long while, Qin Yun felt the threat of death loom over him. Even when Ma Yongzheng had launched his strike, he hadn’t felt like his life was in danger. Yet, this solitary blade hidden in the rain gave him the urge to live.
Without missing a beat, the blade came once again, this time from the side. Qin Yun turned his head quickly, hoping to catch a glimpse of the one seeking his life, yet all he saw was a dim outline within the rain. Still, this was enough for him to infer a few things.
Firstly, his opponent's spiritual roots were, without a doubt, of the water element. Only such a thing would enable him to blend so perfectly in the rain, masking most of his presence. Also, his cultivation should be quite high, as Qin Yun could barely notice him despite his gaze being locked on him. If not for the man's blatant murderous intent, Qin Yun would have no way of knowing from which angle he would strike.
Still, water element spiritual roots were one of the most common. Qin Yun had no way to determine this man's origin. As for being a man, his silhouette hinted as such. While it might have been a woman, Qin Yun highly doubted it as it didn't resemble one in the slightest.
Through a quick and accurate motion, Qin Yun caught the blade mid-flight in his hand, clenching his fist as hard as he could despite the blade digging into his palm, even reaching the bone. As he needed all his senses on full alert, Qin Yun didn't choose to cut his nerves, and he felt the full brunt of this pain assault him.
Despite his extensive encounters with pain, Qin Yun couldn't help but wince, but then he felt the blade lose its shape, becoming a liquid before falling to the ground. The silhouette quickly retreated, and Qin Yun could swear he saw it sneer despite the lack of facial features. Then, he could barely muffle a scream.
Qin Yun could feel the liquid the blade was comprised of rushing through his arteries, invading his body like a parasite. Everywhere this liquid went, Qin Yun could feel his body start to break down as he was attacked from the inside out. Yet, Qin Yun had a grin on his face, which prompted his opponent to wait and see. Qin Yun could see the uneasiness in his body language, to which he couldn't help but laugh.
Even as the storm overhead deafened the world and pain worse than death assaulted him, Qin Yun's laughter pierced through it all, sending shivers down the backs of those unfortunate enough to hear him. Even Lian Huiling, a short distance from the hole, couldn't help but recoil as she noticed the madness within that laughter.
Qin Yun felt alive at the edge of death; something he had sought for so long had been so easy to encounter. He couldn't help but laugh at his own stupidity. Why didn't he think of it? Yet Qin Yun knew why. While the threat of death felt wonderful, death was also something he wished to avoid.
To leave this world for a new one, once again, wasn't something he could bear. Qin Yun had promised himself this would be the last time; yet, here he was, going against his own wishes. Was the only way to regain his emotions using the same method that had made them so faint in the first place? What irony...
Qin Yun couldn't help but laugh at himself and his own folly. Surely, something was broken in him, something that was necessary for all living beings. Yet, he was also like all others, simply trying to make the best of what he could with his limited means.
Some of those he once knew had expressed envy toward his situation, yet Qin Yun could only scoff at the time. Only he truly knew what it meant to him; nobody could understand what it was like to live and die without end, only to do the same thing again. While the worlds were different, Qin Yun mainly remained the same.
Lost in his euphoria, Qin Yun couldn't even feel the foreign liquid ravage his blood vessels, prompting his skin to turn red from internal hemorrhaging. Then, using the last of his Innate Qi, Qin Yun flooded his whole body with it, regenerating the recent internal destruction while displacing the foreign substance from his body.
Qin Yun then leapt toward his assailant, his feet flinging mud slabs backwards toward the hole's walls. He reached him instantly, clenching his fist with all the strength he could muster, distorting space in the process.
His punch flew forward without an ounce of mercy, creating shock waves and a sonic boom just before reaching its intended target. The watery outline exploded as they collided, yet Qin Yun couldn’t feel any resistance from it. He knew his opponent was still hidden within the storm.
Still, the aftereffect of his punch didn't stop there. It rammed into a nearby wall, creating a deep trench within the soil that emerged upward to level ground. Yet even that wasn't enough to stop its momentum. The punch cut through the storm, leaving spatial disturbances in its wake that collapsed soon after, creating a temporary zone devoid of wind and rain.
Still, the storm was relentless, and that area soon collapsed, as did the blue and green colours, which still battled. Yet, onlookers could now see hesitancy within those two opposing forces as if they were wary of a third one.
Qin Yun remained attentive as he scanned for the watery figure’s presence. Once again, all he could hear was the rain near his feet and the wind overhead, yet he knew this was only a temporary reprieve. In fact, Qin Yun didn’t have to wait more than a few seconds.
Unperturbed by Qin Yun's display, the figure sought his life once again. Qin Yun had a new appreciation for this unknown character's determination. Not many would have the courage to trudge forward after seeing Qin Yun's strength firsthand. Maybe it was born out of ignorance; Qin Yun didn't know.
Once again, Qin Yun felt something behind his head, yet he ignored it. In fact, he didn't feel the usual murderous intent in that attack at all. Instead, he had a strange feeling that this was but a feint to make him lose his vigilance. Maybe he overthought, but Qin Yun chose to trust his instincts forged through countless battles and experiences.
Soon enough, his hunch would be proven right. An arrow made of water materialized behind his back, aiming straight for his heart. It flew at breakneck speed yet disintegrated as soon as it collided with Qin Yun's clothes. Qin Yun's head turned slightly to the side, showing a confused expression.
Then, the familiar figure appeared on the opposite side of where his gaze was pointed, holding a white blade in its hand. Compared to the liquid blade he had experienced previously, Qin Yun felt a much greater threat from that white one. Yet, Qin Yun only showed a slight smile.
Without allowing his opponent to react, Qin Yun ducked under the swipe aimed at his head, toppling its body in a wrestling move. While Qin Yun couldn't see the figure's expression, he knew he must've been bewildered as no cultivator would wrestle with his opponent; this simply wasn't something they were accustomed to.
Qin Yun couldn't care less about seeming graceful. All his experience told him that only victory mattered. How you achieved it was inconsequential, as survival was paramount.
Once on the ground, Qin Yun mounted the figure and wrapped his hand around the knife's handle, crushing the watery hand. Then, with a single, forceful tug, Qin Yun ripped the hand from its shoulder, yet the body under him collapsed into a puddle, evading his hold.
Qin Yun frowned. While he could battle this strange phenomenon, he couldn’t deal any lasting damage. How could one strike something as intangible as water itself without the support of Qi? While Qin Yun could try his sword intent, he had something much better in mind.
He rose quickly as a jet of water barrelled past where his head used to be, but he was left entangled by the muddy, uneven ground below. He fell and tumbled, splashing water everywhere as the hole was slowing filling from the unending rain.
Once Qin Yun rose again, he seemed exactly where he wished to be. Behind him was the blade he had let go sometime earlier, still immobile, encased into the same rock. Qin Yun didn't waste any time, ripping the blade out of the stone, using all his strength.
An explosion occurred as the blade left his stony prison, prompting the stone remains to fly in all directions. Some even collided with Qin Yun, leaving next to no damage. The same applied to his intangible opponent.
Then, in the same motion, the blade fell down again. While the blade seemed unwieldy, as its weight was much too overbearing for anyone other than Qin Yun to wield with any sort of precision, it was enough to point it in the right direction.
The water figure saw the blade fall toward him and sought to evade, yet the world seemed to collapse as the blade travelled through it, creating shock waves in its wake. Even Qin Yun could barely resist its might while being on the other side of the blade.
The water and blade collided, but then an explosion occurred. A flash of light blinded Qin Yun, yet he could still feel the blade in his hand. The blade ended its journey into the muddy ground, creating a deluge of mud flying into the air. Once Qin Yun could finally see again, he couldn't help but smile.
Comments
lenkite
Think its actually great that his Innate Qi disappeared - he will be forced to be active instead of lackadaisical now if he wants to proceed further.
