It was noon when the group docked on solid ground with three tense faces. The whale remained indifferent as always; he had meticulously chosen the route and the landing site. From there, they could see the dense forest, but it was about ten kilometers inland from the coast. Between the sea and the forest, there was a deserted region covered in fine sand, like a desert.
In that place, there were no resources, or there were very few. Soon, due to the proximity to the forest, this region should be where weak beasts that couldn’t survive in the forest dwelled. It was the perfect place for them to start and for the group to practice with their new semi-mortal condition.
Everyone walked around the whale; his divine souls worked in this place. The suppression affected them slightly, which didn’t allow them to see extremely far, but they could still map out a vast area. With them as guides, they moved along the coast silently. After a few minutes, the land behind them shifted.
A Scarlet Beetle burst from the ground, emanating a bloody aura. Its sharp jaws attacked in a violent frenzy. The whale agilely withdrew a long spear and stepped forward.
As soon as the spear emerged, it became the only light in the world; everyone felt a wave of gentle and pure wind emerge. A strange feeling made everyone gaze in astonishment at the whale and his spear, as if he were in perfect harmony with the heavens and the earth. The three extremes merged to form the spear, creating a natural harmony that blended with everything around.
With precise movements, the spear blocked and deflected the blows. Alm and Bruno didn’t have QI to fully activate physical cultivation, but even so, their physical levels were terrifyingly high passively. Their physical capabilities were halved, but even a demonic beast was no match for them.
Using their new spear was much smoother and easier; without their QI and physical cultivation, they could only handle the Fides for a short time. Now, having this weapon made all the difference, but unfortunately, Luimi still showed no signs of waking up, which significantly reduced their capacity.
With precise communication through the array, all members of the group moved, coordinating their attacks, creating a deadly dance of defense and counterattack.
The whale surged forward at the frontline, attacking fiercely and pushing the enemy back. An incandescent spear sliced through the air and struck the Beetle almost timed. It was like a fireball colliding; it created a crack in its skeleton, but only pushed it back a step further temporarily.
BANG!
Next, the roar of a rifle echoed; Thea fired with her hand in the shape of a gun. The shot was precise, hitting exactly where Almin had created a crack. The enemy roared in pain, but did not retreat or fear. When it tried to advance and counterattack, a dagger pierced its body from a blind spot.
Rehvka couldn’t become invisible or hide perfectly, but with everyone’s support, she managed to move out of the enemy’s senses. The dagger penetrated the Beetle, rapidly draining its life as if its energy source had been cut off. It took only two seconds for there to be no life left in that beast.
That blade was sinister, like a villainous demon. It seemed to have a life of its own and desperately tried to devour the life of anything that came near, but unfortunately for it, there was no life to devour in its owner’s body. And that made its appetite even fiercer.
The whale looked at everyone and saw confidence return to their eyes. A cultivator without their QI was like a bird without its wings, or a fish out of water; that instinctively frightened them.
But now, they saw it wasn’t a big deal; they weren’t limited to cultivation. Rehvka was still a lethal assassin; no matter the situation, she knew how to move and approach. Almin used a simple fire pill, and he manipulated it with his spear naturally; he was an alchemist and had his own weapons. As for Thea, she couldn’t use her Yang tattoo or her most powerful weapons, but her normal weapons were equally efficient if used at the right moment. It all depended on coordination and trust in their allies, and with the whale aligning them, everything flowed naturally.
But... the whale pointed out some distant targets and sent Thea and Almin away. Alm and Bruno didn’t want anyone depending on them, they weren’t good at direct attacks, but they could handle themselves.
One would take the risk upfront, and the other would attack with everything they had. The level of the beasts in that place was low; either they got used to fighting like this or they died trying... But of course, the whale could sense them through the array and could rush to help them in an emergency using the laws of the earth from his stored rune. Those two just didn’t know that.
Soon, the whale and his disciple were together day and night. Alm focused on helping her manipulate the Yin of her body’s natural death. He taught her patiently, and they fought against specific targets to test her.
Rehvka failed and failed... she was talented, but their demands were too high. Ruri had been used to this since she was ten, but Rehvka had only been with them for a short time and finally started to feel the despair that Ruri had felt many times.
Whenever she failed, Alm controlled himself not to curse; she would love that. He strove to protect her in every failure, but after a week, the improvements were minimal, which left them pensive and tense.
’We’ll be spending a year doing this, and she still might not make it,’ Alm thought to himself. ’She has the talent, but... it seems like the fatigue and constant failures are frustrating her. Ruri’s boundless will made us forget that ordinary people aren’t so easy to teach.’
Bruno sighed and pondered another approach. ’We’ll have to be ruthless...’
So, the next day, the whale just pointed out a distant beast. They wouldn’t defend her in case of failure, or block for her. Rehvka would have to sneak up and attack it herself; if it was a success, with one strike, she’d win... or she’d put herself in an extremely dangerous situation in failure.
To Alm and Bruno’s astonishment... she failed, obviously. But... somehow, she gravely injured herself, coming to within a step of death; and when the whale threatened to rush and save her, she magically defeated the beast.
She delivered a final desperate blow, and for a moment her Dao was activated, merging with the Yin of the place and reaching an unbeatable speed. This woman refused to be a burden and disappoint them. When she realized they were going to act, she exploded without caring about anything, not even her own life.
Her will was no less than Ruri’s, but it was different; different people required different approaches. Rehvka just needed to be guided by them and have the right motivation, and soon her talent would flourish.
They rescued her after the victory, extremely wounded. Fortunately, she had undergone all the physical reconstructions, as she was a cultivator in a divine realm; her body was naturally quite resilient. Then Bruno had to use the power of faith to heal her. He couldn’t waste it, because he couldn’t replenish it, so he used it slowly in precise points. Thus, Bruno accepted his fate, he was always put in strange situations.
The power of faith was something extremely close to Yang, using it slowly in a dead Yin body... elicited groans of pain and agony... and much pleasure for her.
Rehvka was breathless, completely sweaty, and drained of energy at the end of the process that took several minutes. When it was over, she looked at them smiling and radiant; she definitely loved it. Alm obviously didn’t interfere, but to increase Bruno’s headache, she began to evolve explosively after this new tactic.
They put more and more pressure on her, causing her to injure herself and fight on the brink of death. Fortunately... or not, Rehvka never did anything to hurt herself on purpose, they were keeping an eye on her every move.
It got to the point where she could fight several times during the day, and at night they all gathered and the whale healed her. Thea approached the whale and gave silent tips through the array, indicating the most sensitive points of her companion. Bruno refused... but he was already in the rain, there was no avoiding getting wet. After a few sessions, he used the tips and raised the level of his torture skills... and how to drive someone insane...
"Ahh...ah! hmm..."
"Oh My..." Almin murmured mentally as he watched and listened, stunned.
The woman, pale as a corpse, let out loud groans, full of energy. But her face seemed flushed as if a hint of life existed there again.
As for the whale, it seemed to have a face contorted in agony, as if it were truly the one being tortured. But this method... Alm saw her evolution clearly. It was working, and she could already briefly disappear. But how could Rehvka be so strange and enjoy that? He thought silently.
After finishing healing her, Bruno seemed mentally drained. But Alm spoke coldly upon realizing something. ’Rehvka is undead, she wasn’t born that way nor was it her choice. Look at her joy... she feels alive when she feels pain, and that’s good for her. Having this undead body is a pain only she can understand, that strange taste of hers arose because of her condition. We’re not doing anything wrong, not even if Ruri were here she’d be upset.’
Bruno sighed and said, ’But... she clearly feels almost sexual pleasure in it... fortunately, she doesn’t seem to love feeling real pain. She never acts strange in a fight or tries to hurt herself on purpose. She really only enjoys it when someone she likes does it to her. It can be physical, with words... or even abuses. Anything that would make a normal person feel bad, she seems to feel alive again.’
After healing her, Thea helped Rehvka to move, and then the two settled beside the whale, very close. While Thea performed maintenance on her parts and equipment, Rehvka held the whale’s hand and closed her eyes, immersed in meditation about her progress.
Alm tried to prevent this closeness once, but received a blunt response from Rehvka: "In the past, Ruri was also a disciple, but she could do that. She even did other things... I know it’s strange, but it’s important to me."
The response left them silent for a moment. It was a kind of warning, but Rehvka had no ill intentions; she just didn’t want, and wouldn’t accept, to be separated from them in any way.
At times, the whale observed Thea and Rehvka conversing separately. In both their eyes was a clear energy of a couple; they took care of each other, and there was a deep connection and even a clear desire for each other. Meanwhile, with the whale, there was a pure and familial love; a bond devoid of desires or wills. It was as if Rehvka were a clingy little sister, without any malice. And Thea didn’t mind, getting closer to them both every day equally.
Alm and Bruno accepted that there would be misunderstandings about them. But things aren’t what they seem, Thea was there to prove that the two were a couple.
Almin was always around, and the two also shared their conversations with him. Every night the group rested and meditated, it was a necessary break for their minds to move forward. It was like they were a close-knit family, always ready to support each other.
Over time, the interactions between everyone became more relaxed. Almin became a frequent target of Rehvka’s jokes, who noticed a remarkable resemblance between Almin and his master; it was as if Almin were a younger version of Alm. His way of acting and thinking made her know a lot about her master; and at the same time, she saw the clear differences between the two.
Almin was someone easy to deal with and a genuinely good and caring person. He was as reliable and willing to help them as the whale. The two opened up and liked him equally. At the end of the nights, the three laughed and meditated together in a comforting tranquility.
So the days went by, and four months quickly passed since they arrived on the secret continent.
On that day, Rehvka finally mastered her Dao, reaching a skill level equivalent to what she used with her QI. When she started using this Dao alongside her cultivation again, she would be even more terrifying than ever.
During this time, she was trained with total dedication by her master, learning a lot... and was happy and had fun all the time. In the end, Alm and Bruno felt deeply connected to them, and they seemed to feel the same. People didn’t need to be blood relatives or have a romantic relationship to be united. The connection between them depended only on respect and the desire to see the other well.
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