The sound of fingers drumming on wood in an irate rhythm filled the study.
Grand Elder Redclaw sat hunched in his seat while mulling over a series of reports he had been putting off for a while. Yet, even while engrossed in his work, he subconsciously breathed in and out in a controlled manner, circling fire Qi throughout his body, slowly pushing the boundaries of his Star Core.
He could feel its warmth in his chest. Despite being in the center of a forest, practically overnight, the place had become drenched in fire Qi. Of course, it wasn't as dense or pure as the Qi back in the volcanic region, but it had been a blessing after weeks without any fire Qi to cultivate.
His brows furrowed when he saw the latest report at the top of his pile that had come in just hours ago. The Ashfallen Sect had provided additional funding of ten thousand dragon crowns for the event. A rather inconsequential sum to a large family, but for the Redclaws, which lacked much value to the Blood Lotus Sect, it was a significant sum.
The Grand Elder let out a sigh. All fire Qi cultivators had going for them was firepower and an edge in alchemy, but they didn't have the resources to train up their trainee alchemist any further.
Why couldn't I rule over a family of earth or metal cultivators? Then I would live a rich and comfortable life under any demonic sect Patriarch rather than being kept in reserves for any potential wars.
As the Blood Lotus Sect was somewhat notorious for being one of the strongest sects out here in the wilderness, his days of fighting were long in the past. A warm orange flame sprouted from his open palm, illuminating his face with dancing shadows. This flame had burned to death thousands in past centuries, but now he felt like a forgotten old man.
Grumbling to himself, he extinguished the flame and leaned back in his wooden chair, rubbing his chin while reminiscing. This went on for a while until a flash of Qi caught his attention.
A communication talisman hanging from a hook on the wall had lit up, but rather it being one with an Elders name written on a plaque above the hook, it came from one off to the side with the words council written haphazardly on a block of wood nailed to the wall.
The Grand Elder raised a brow. It was very rare for the mortal council to dare send a message straight to his study—as to potentially disturb a Star Core cultivator from their work or meditation was enough to lose one's head.
Raising from his chair and strolling across the room, he fished the communication talisman from its plaque and inserted a sliver of his Qi.
"Grand Elder Redclaw, this is the council's representative speaking. Please forgive us for the spontaneous communication, but the situation is potentially urgent."
The Grand Elder could hear chatter in the background beside the representative's voice. It would appear the mortal council was engaged in a furious debate regarding something.
Mortals are constantly arguing over pointless things. Although, I suppose living for a few fruitful decades at most puts more importance on the mundane things in life.
Rolling his eyes, the Grand Elder suppressed the urge to ignore the mortal's request as he was terribly busy, but in the end, he decided to humor the man on the other end of the communication talisman.
"Tell me, councilman, what terrible travesty has befallen you?"
There was a brief pause as the man on the other end seemed to be listening to the developing situation being relayed to him by the others in the room.
"Esteemed Grand Elder, the city is experiencing tremors."
"Tremors, you say?" The Grand Elder spread his spiritual presence toward the city but couldn't pick up on these tremors. "Tell me more."
"They were occurring in the southwest of the city and were faint, to begin with, but have been getting more severe over the last hour." The man paused to catch his breath as he had spoken very quickly, "We originally believed them to originate from earthquakes as the beast tide is expected to come from the north, but due to the weird pattern of the tremors, we believe a titanic creature may be lurking below the ground."
There was a long pause as the Grand Elder mulled over the councilman's words. "I see. That is indeed concerning."
"Which is why—"
"Although I don't see what you want me to do about it." The Grand Elder cut the man off, "Until this lurking monster rears its ugly head above ground, I'm unable to offer much assistance."
It was shameful for him to admit, but these tremors could go on for weeks, and considering he could fly to the site of the monster within minutes should it surface, he was unwilling to idly stand around the city to give fake reassurance to the mortal council.
The councilman's tone lost a hint of respect, "Esteemed Grand Elder, the people of Darklight City have put up with a lot of nonsense in recent weeks, ever since you took over. We hardly complained when half the city was transformed into a foul-smelling forest or the mine was mismanaged for weeks. We pay hefty taxes to you for security, a duty I implore you to conduct—"
There was a loud crack as the Grand Elder's shaking hand crushed the communication talisman. A flame of anger flashed past his eyes, and he felt his body heat up.
Who in the nine realms does that puny mortal think he's talking to? He implores me to do something? ME? I have lived through ten generations of his pathetic lineage, and yet he dares to lecture me?!?
His teeth ground together as he paced the room, desperately trying to calm his raging spirit. The last thing he wanted was for his heart demons to flare up over a foolish argument with a mortal that would perish to the grasp of time by the end of his next secluded meditation.
Ten minutes later, his rage finally subsided, and he opened his palm. In his anger, his fire Qi had run rampant across his skin, reducing the cracked artifact to nothing more than ashes that fell to the floor, forming a neat little pile. The room was also sweltering hot, and the air shimmered with heat.
Breathing in once and cycling his Qi, the room's temperature plummeted and returned to normal.
"Tsk, what an awful day." The Grand Elder rolled his shoulders as he glanced at the pile of work still sitting on his desk. Due to his foul mood, the mere thought of returning to work irked him, so he decided to leave his study for the courtyard.
Through the corridors of the white stone palace, he briefly passed a few Silverspire servants that were chatting away with his own family's servants. It seemed they were on their way to replenish their master's mountain of metal.
What a weird form of cultivation—terribly expensive but also with the advantage of being possible anywhere so long as a steady supply of metal can be brought in.
The Redclaw Grand Elder was especially envious of the location part. Although fire Qi was now available to him, the shock of being without it for weeks still plagued his mind.
Exiting the front door and strolling into the courtyard, his long crimson hair fluttered in the mountain breeze. Many of his family members were nestled within the windbreak provided by the tall walls, diligently cultivating the ambient fire Qi.
He wished to join them, but his Star Core would overpower everyone else, and all the Qi would be drawn to him, so he had to refrain. Walking with quiet steps, he strode through the courtyard and emerged at the peak of the steps that led down to the mountain's base.
From up here, he could survey the expansive forest—a sea of lush greenery broken up by the occasional splash of red—between him and Darklight City. But, even from up here, he could see a white mist swirl between the trees, giving it a haunted feel.
Breathing in the fresh air, he expelled the last remnants of rage and achieved inner peace. He hadn't got that furious in a long time, and if not for the Ashfallen Sect that loomed over him, he might have acted rashly.
To be fair, it's not my fault. Cultivating fire Qi turns even the most placid youth into a raging hotheaded idiot. Sometimes I feel we spend more time and effort cooling our emotions than advancing our realm.
It was the fate of all cultivators to be altered by the affinity they filled their souls with. "I would still choose rage over the madness of heart demons, though." The Grand Elder muttered as his spatial ring flashed with power.
The sword he had used to ride into battle versus the Dao Storm materialized in his hand. Despite his words earlier, he did plan to check out the city as it had been entrusted to him by the immortal of Ashfallen, and he knew his time was less valuable than his.
Although I hadn't lied. I really can't do anything unless it comes above ground.
He could expend a vast amount of his Qi to turn the ground into a molten wasteland, but that was both counterintuitive if the monster wasn't lurking below the city and a terrible waste of the Qi he had spent weeks meditating for. Ideally, he would avoid fighting at all costs and wasting his Qi as he was on the verge of the next stage in the Star Core Realm, which would boost his power significantly.
Alas, he refused to travel on foot, so his Star Core pulsed with power as his waiting sword became sheathed in crimson flames and floated before him, inviting him to step on.
However, the spiritual sense he had tapped into earlier alerted him to a pulse of spatial Qi to his left.
"Ah, Grand Elder." A woman he was very familiar with stepped through a rift beside him. Her blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight, flowed down her shoulders, and a white wooden mask obscured her features.
"Stella," The Grand Elder replied respectfully, "To what do I owe the sudden visit?"
Stella tilted her head, looking at the floating sword he had been about to board to fly to Darklight City.
"Heading to Darklight City?" She replied coldly.
He calmly nodded, ignoring the cold tone as he was used to it from her.
"Great, we can speak on the way." She gestured to the sword with her chin, "Get on and take me. I can't fly."
***
The Grand Elder felt the wind rustle his dark-red robes as he soared through the clear sky on his flaming sword. The forest below was a blur, and soon enough, he had passed over the city walls and was making his way to the southwest, where the councilman had reported the tremors.
He had taken a journey like this many times before, but he had never had such an important person on the back of his sword and clutching his shoulders so... aggressively.
She's in the Soul Fire Realm, so maybe...
"Never flown before?" He asked casually, careful not to disrespect one of Ashfallen's leaders.
"N-no... not on a sword," Stella replied, loosening her grip slightly, "I usually use rifts to travel around."
The Grand Elder gave a hearty chuckle to dispel some tension. Although he had to admit it was odd for someone of her caliber to have never flown on a sword before. Didn't she have Elders at her beck and call to take her around?
"Well, you might not notice due to your own Qi," The Grand Elder said calmly, "But the sword is enveloped with my fire Qi. Don't you see that I have no need to hold anything while standing here?"
He felt Stella shift behind him as if peaking over his shoulder to check he really wasn't holding onto something.
Sometimes I forget she is pretty young for such a powerful cultivator. It's the wooden mask and haughty attitude that makes her seem older than she really is.
"Yes, I see," Stella said sheepishly.
"My Qi will keep you rooted to the sword. If you believe me, then release your hands from my shoulders." He chuckled, "It's not like you would die from a fall from this height anyway."
He slowly felt the grip loosen and then a gasp of amazement. He briefly checked over his shoulder and saw Stella leaning side to side, clearly testing if she really would fall, and her masked face looked down at the burning sword.
The Grand Elder returned his sights to the distant southern section of the city. "Anyway, with that out of the way, I was informed by a councilman of tremors below the city. Hence I am heading there to investigate."
I'll just keep the whole fact I tried to ignore it to myself.
Awkwardly clearing his throat, the Grand Elder continued, "So why did you come to see me?"
"Oh, for something similar," Stella said over the roaring wind. "The immortal casually fought with a Star Core worm monster deep in the wilderness through some rifts, but the worm emitted a poisonous cloud that wafted through the rifts and ended up becoming a problem."
There was a long sigh until she continued, "Anyway, that's beside the point. The worm monster, clearly enraged at being attacked, retreated underground. The immortal thought nothing of it until the demonic trees he is linked to picked up its vibrations under Darklight City."
The Grand Elder's face paled. An earthquake was one thing, but a Star Core-level monster was another.
When they become that strong, they reach an intellect closer to an animal or human rather than a bloodthirsty monster hellbent on consuming prey for power. Although not as aggressive, these intelligent monsters are far harder to deal with because they know when to escape a losing fight.
"That's a concern." The Grand Elder eventually said, rubbing his chin as he watched the horizon. "Especially if the monster can travel underground, it will be tough to pinpoint its location—"
"That won't be an issue," Stella said in her usual cold tone. Seemingly some of her confidence had returned.
He felt her hand brush past his arm, then saw her hand point into the distance. "Through the tree roots throughout the city, the immortal always knows the worm's location. We just have to follow the signs."
"Signs?"
"Yes, signs." She insisted, "Look where I'm pointing. Don't you see the demonic tree on that building's roof glowing with spatial Qi?"
The Grand Elder was a fire cultivator, so his body wasn't as in tune with the surrounding spatial Qi as Stella's, so he had to focus his spiritual sense on the area she was pointing before he noticed that there was indeed a single demonic tree lit up with spatial Qi like a beacon.
Wait, why did it stop.
The purple flames had extinguished a mere moment later, but before he could ask Stella why, he noticed another tree that was further away light up with spatial Qi.
Oh, I see what's going on here.
That tree then extinguished, and another lit up a few hundred meters further. "It's moving away from us very fast." He noted, and Stella hummed in agreement.
But then something weird happened. The distant tree remained lit with purple flames for quite a while, enough time for him to close the gap.
"Why is the monster waiting there?" Stella asked from the side, but her question was soon answered when the distant tree dimmed, and one much closer to them suddenly exploded with spatial Qi.
Then another and another. Many trees in a direct line toward them lit up all at once. Even though they were hundreds of meters in the air, the Grand Elder pushed some more Qi into his sword to make it ascend slightly higher, just to be safe...
The ground exploded in a surge of rock.
To say his heart jumped in his chest was an understatement. He had expected something big, but this was enormous. An entire city district had been obliterated as the monster rose from the earth. Shaking everything.
The rock and dust cloud was shoved aside as the worm's abyssal mouth of razor-sharp teeth encompassed his entire vision. He could feel Stella panicking behind him because her hands suddenly clasped his shoulders again, but he paid it no mind.
His centuries of experience in combat that had laid dormant for far too long flared up to the surface. His mind became a still lake as it logically processed the situation.
He knew the worm would catch him if he tried to fly over it, and he couldn't fly under or risk being crushed to death. In a split second, his sword, enshrouded in flames, was moving to the left, but the worm was far faster than he expected. Its sheer size meant it took a few hundred meters to escape the circumference of its mouth.
Aiming to the right with both hands, his Star Core burned brightly in his chest as a javelin of deep crimson flames sprung from between his fingers and bolted, leaving a trail of fire and superheated wind in its wake.
The worm appeared oblivious to the attack but clearly felt it as the javelin of crimson fire containing Qi from a week's worth of meditation tore a hole in the side of its mouth.
Black blood spurted from the wound, painting its nasty yellowed teeth and causing a shrill scream to escape the depths of the creature's body that was loud enough to make the Grand Elder fear it was a sound affinity attack.
With the worm recoiling slightly to the right, the sword-riding duo could barely evade the worm's body, dropping down to the city below. The Grand Elder could see mortals fleeing like ants trying to avoid being crushed in the shadow of the creature's titanic body.
Screams were accompanied by chaotic bells that began to ring throughout the city—signifying that it was under attack. The Grand Elder couldn't do anything for those who perished under the monster, but he could try and kill it so their souls may rest peacefully in heaven.
His Star Core pulsed with power once more as he dived down toward the worm's grotesque slime-covered body. Wrathful flames appeared around his fingers and—
"Stop!"
Startled, the Grand Elder shot off his attack a little too early, but it still impacted. However, earth Qi coating the worm's body easily absorbed the attack.
The fact my attack didn't even scratch it suggests it is at least a mid-stage Star Core monster.
"Why did you tell me to stop?" The Grand Elder asked through gritted teeth. That attack had consumed days of meditation and had been wasted by her shout.
"Don't you remember about the poisonous cloud?" Stella quipped back, clearly angered. "If you attack it like that, it will release it!"
"Oh..." The Grand Elder looked back at the grotesque thing. Its head was hardly out of the ground, yet its giant body had eliminated such a massive area. Sure enough, he saw a dense mist floating into the air from the area he had struck.
"What should we do?" He quickly asked, but Stella gave no helpful reply.
Where's the immortal? Why doesn't he attack it? Oh yea... the poisonous cloud. What a tricky foe this worm will be.
The ground then rumbled, and the monstrous worm reared its ugly head before slamming it back into the ground, vanishing below. The earth churned and moved to fill in the enormous gap left, and if not for the line of destroyed buildings, it would be hard to convince anyone that such a monster had really been here.
"Look! The trees are lighting up again. The worm's on the move..." Stella pointed off to the east, toward the academy, the forest, and then the demonic tree-covered mountain range. And also Red Vine Peak, where the immortal resided.
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