The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2

Labby watched the sky turn dark, as a foreboding sensation filled her mind. She looked at the sky, watching the moon be swallowed into darkness, followed by the world all around her. A sinking chill spread throughout the area, flowing out into everything. There was something at the edge of her senses, making her feel uneasy.

Ash growled next to her, sensing something similar as well. Little wisps of flames danced around his wrists, as his eyes scanned the surroundings.

“We move. Go back to Master,” Ash said, glancing down at Labby.

Labby returned a nod. She followed behind Ash as they walked out through the gardens outside, the beautiful flowers now swaying in the cold wind with a haunting presence. Labby kept her eye out for anything around her.

Just what had happened? She’d been eating treats and dishes made from spirit herbs happily when all of a sudden the entire atmosphere had changed. It wasn’t just her or Ash either, some other people had also noticed the change and begun moving out.

She hoped Master was fine. Though she didn’t think anything could hurt him, he was strong now, very strong. But she felt worried nonetheless.

A sharp dark clade figure moved through the bushes around the garden, leaping rapidly. Labby spun, leaning back as she dodged the strike with barely an inch. The figure moved past in a blur and before she could even see what it was, fire erupted from Ash, blasting the creature who shrieked in pain as the flames began to engulf it.

It was only after the light of the flames died, as the creature fell, that Labby could see what the creature had been. A strange beast with a horrifyingly human like appearance lay, writhing in pain from the flames as Ash continued to burn the creature. Its arms had been twisted and grafted, with the portions before the wrist turning into barbed blades. Its teeth were razor sharp, eyes containing a red glimmer in them and it’s skin was a dark muddy brown, bordering on being near pitch black, and a coat of thin Gu covered its body, hiding the creature almost entirely during night unless illuminated by something.

Labby felt her heart sinking. That was not a natural creature. It wasn’t anything that could exist normally. Something or someone had made it, made them, for a single purpose. To be living weapons, meant to strike in the dead of the night.

Before she could think, four other shadow figures moved. Three leapt towards Ash, as the wolf’s fire blazed outwards, but one aimed for Labby’s throat.

Lightning surged, as Labby struck back, prepared this time to react as the creature was rocked back, tinged by the attack, but she could not detect any pain or hesitation in it. Even the strongest willed warrior would have a moment of hesitation when attacked and struck, but the creature moved towards her once more, slashing with its bladed arms, aiming to kill her in a single strike without any consideration for its own well being.

Labby moved back but felt a slash cut her cheek drawing blood, another missed her throat by an inch as she struck back with her lightning once more, channeling her Chi rapidly to match the demon’s strike.

She didn’t even have the time to look at Ash and see how he was doing, desperately moving as the creature continued to attack her. Its body mutated, bones creaking and muscles shifting. After a second the creature moved faster than before, rushing for her face, she struck back with lightning, dodging to the side but the strike had been a feint as the monster’s second claw swung around and Labby barely blocked the attack, feeling the slice cut through her shoulder, drawing blood.

She winced, the pain searing hot and felt her anger rising. Lightning burst all around her in a crackling storm as she pushed back the demon, channeling the technique she’d learned from the dragon.

The air around her shuddered, lightning forming crackles around her body as a swirling gust swirled around her with the scent of storm. She felt the surging power in her core rise as she let the technique out towards the abominable creature with a shout.

“Dragon’s Tempest!”

Lightning, carrying the might of a dragon swirled out towards the monster, charring the ground striking bolt after bolt. But the creature pushed on, its arm was scarred to a husk, dark blood seeping from wounds but the creature shrieked, eyes mad as it rushed closer trying to end her life no matter what.

Labby poured everything she had into one final strike nearly blowing off the monster’s face but even at the verge of death, using the very last vestiges of life the monster swung one last time.

It was going to get her.

She closed her eyes in fear, anticipating a painful strike as the blade sunk into her face, but the only sound that came was a crunch. Opening her eyes again, she saw Ash holding the creature’s body, crushed in his fist as blood and flesh dripped down like oozing black tar.

“Demons,” Ash growled, fury burning in his eyes. “We must run. Demons have arrived. This place is no longer safe.”

“What about Master?” Labby asked, looking at Ash.

“He will escape as well. He is strong. We must focus on our survival before we can help him,” Ash said. That didn’t sit right with Labby. She wasn’t going to abandon her master!

“You would only hold him back. Do not be a burden,” Ash said, and the words struck Labby like a slap across her face. She couldn’t deny him. As she was, she was only going to get in her Master’s way.

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With a nod, she followed behind Ash, making her way out. There were powerful arts being activated inside the palace as well, preventing anyone from seeing anything inside, plunging the entire place into darkness. The two of them ran, Ash burning any demon that came nearby, while occasionally Labby helped out by shooting a few bolts of lightning.

Moving rapidly, they soon began to see the entrance that led out into the outer castle. As the two of them reached right the edge of the inner garden, Ash stopped in his tracks, reaching out his hand to touch an invisible wall blocking the way out. “Trapped. We hide then,” he said, looking down at Labby.

She didn’t protest, simply following the wolf as they moved to a section of the garden out of the main path and hidden by bushes. Both of them hid their presences, going as quiet as they waited.

Labby simply watched, feeling her stomach churning.

She could hear screams now, people fighting the demons all across, shouts and screams echoing throughout the place. The smell of blood filled the air, the darkness only illuminated by flames and cultivation arts being used by someone fighting for their lives. Her heart sank at the sight

Her eyes moved up towards the dark sky, edges of light showing a dark moon hanging there like an omen of things to come. With a shiver, she felt something move around her, the cold intensifying with a deep longing hunger for a moment, before a voice whispered in her ears.

“This is the path you choose, child. This is war. A cruel, merciless place of death.”

Labby nearly jumped, but instead found her body frozen against her will as a dark figure manifested. She looked around and saw that she was elsewhere now, instead of the garden she had been in before.

Her eyes went to the figure standing in front of her. She knew her, she’d seen her before. One of the eight moons.

As she looked at the moon, she could feel the weight of the war, desperate cries, the wounds, the deaths, and the misery all collapse onto her shoulders. She saw images of people looking at death before a sword or a spear plunged into their bodies taking their lives. She saw the scavengers, running across the battlefield picking off pieces and bodies to feast on. She saw the rot that rose from this place of death, the misery and suffering accumulating and sinking into the earth.

And then she saw it collect together, before eventually forming into something. A demon.

“You know the path, you see its depths. Do you still wish to walk upon it? To embrace war, and obtain the powers it brings?”

The moon asked her, and Labby looked up at the darkly clad figure.

“Do you accept all of this?”

Labby closed her eyes. She was weak. Weak enough that all she could do was be a burden. She desperately desired power, to grow stronger and to help her Master. She could feel it now, that power, tantalizing and sweet like nectar, lingering just a touch away. All she had to do was to give in to the Darkness. To this war.

Labby opened her eyes, looking at the Dark moon. “Labby refuses. She does not accept this. She will help her Master and she will fight, but she won’t become… become this.”

The Dark Moon smiled.

“Then you are ready to walk our Path.”

The figure of the moon faded, as Labby felt the world around her shudder. She felt something flow into her spirit from the Dark Moon, the mark on her forehead changed, turning black and Labby felt herself changing as well.

She felt her spirit expand, changing, becoming more than before, taking the shape that it had lacked. Her clothes shifted, growing longer and becoming darker as black seeped into their colors. Labby looked down at her hands and found her lightning crackling with a deep black color instead.

As the vision faded, Labby found herself back in the garden next to Ash. The wolf looked at her with concern, but a moment later, he understood what had happened.

“Good change,” Ash said.

Labby nodded. She may not be strong enough to help her Master. But she was stronger now. She would not be a burden.

***

Yang Shen walked through the running crowds, putting a hand on his straw hat as he made his way in. He supposed he didn’t need the disguise anymore. Dark flames burned at the clothes, unraveling the disguise. Shadows stirred next to him as a dark figure appeared next to him.

“The ward is in place. The capture was successful.”

“Wonderful!” Yang Shen said, cheerfully, as he looked at the entrance of the palace in front of him. “Then let’s go greet the all mighty emperor shall we?” he said, stepping through the barrier and into the Jade court.

The sight insight was brilliant enough to make Yang Shen smile.

“Ah, what an esteemed crowd!” He exclaimed, walking inside.

The lords and nobles inside stood with expressions ranging from terrified to furious. More than a couple who had tried to resist lay on the ground, dead. While the rest were captured in a formation burning underneath their feet typing them down in place where they stood with black vines.

“Oh, I almost forgot to greet the emperor,” Yang Shen said, turning towards the man seated on the throne before giving him a bow. “Greetings, your majesty. It’s been a long time since I last saw you.”

Raising his head, he looked at the man before glancing around the area. “Oh, where are your Divinities? I thought this was a banquet for one of them!” He exclaimed.

The emperor’s expression remained dark.

Four complex formation devices burning with Miasma sat on the thrones. Each one contained a Deathless he had hand picked, meant to trap the Divinities inside, long enough for him to fulfill his purpose.

“We thought you had died, demon,” the emperor said. Even given the situation, his voice was filled with authority, not a shred of panic on his face.

“Of course, of course. I had! But you seem to be forgetting something, my dear emperor,” Yang Shen said, smiling at him. “I am Deathless, after all. Same as you!”

He could see surprised expressions and confused expressions on some of the lords. Yang Shen smiled. “Ah, I suppose they don’t know, do they? The truth behind things? Right, right, I’d forgotten. That’s supposed to be a secret and everything,” Yang Shen said.

“You walk on thin ice, demon. Speak, what do you want?” The emperor said, his aura lashing out.

“Want?” Yang Shen asked, before bursting out in laughter. “You seem to be misunderstanding something. This is not a negotiation. I’m here to simply take that which I am owed,” Yang Shen said, spreading his arms out.

“But if you want, let’s have a wager. We can have a battle, you and me, and if you win, I let everyone go free and never return. If I win… Well, let’s worry about that for later. How does that sound?” Yang Shen said, smiling.

The emperor looked at him, before standing up. A powerful authority manifested around him, Qi burning around his body. “We’ll finish what we couldn’t last time,” he said.

Yang Shen grinned.

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