Nine Paths of Asura-Original Wuxia

Chapter 157-Play No More

Posting this on a 2 day so we can get to the goodstuff faster ;p enjoy!

When the "storm was over", the remaining members of the squad ventured out. Lineir yawned remembering his one conversation with the member he was least familiar with. The enigmatic Xi had approached him towards the end of the night as the ground was shaking and the storm was at it's worst. Between the flickering of the candle flames and the howls they had their first 1 on 1 conversation.

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"Those blades of yours. They seem very special. What is their name?" Xi glanced at the blades on Lineir's back, one black and one blue. Lineir looked into the clear blue eyes of the older genius. He was Celestial Pinnacle like the rest of the squad and utilized a single edged Jian blade in battle. From what he could see the man would place squarely in the middle of the squad in battle strength. Of course, one could never know the true strength of a man until all the cards were flipped over.

"These blades are indeed quite special. However, I'm afraid I do not know their names." Lineir said casually. To be fair, he really did not know the name of the black blade. And as for Mizuchi? He had no desire to reveal he carried the weapon of the Solar Martial God. It was never wise to reveal one's wealth lest covetous eyes were watching.

"Really? Such fabulous blades. I would have thought they would be named. How disappointing..." The enigmatic Xi shook his curly black hair in dismay. Lineir could not tell if he was laughing or genuinely disappointed to hear his words.

"Your blade seems ordinary, but it's really quite special as well isn't it?" He asked while staring at the sheathed Jian. In it's soft brown binding it truly did appear to be the weapon of a mortal. A simplistic design yet perfectly aligned for its one true purpose...murder.

"Haha, you're not serious? MY blade compare to yours? If I had blades like those perhaps I too could jump levels. Truly envious, truly envious. By the way, where do you come from?" Xi asked. Lineir was beginning to get uncomfortable with all the attention. As a wandering cultivator he did not really have conversations like this,

"Oh you know...the mortal realms, but you wouldn't be interested in that." He avoided the question. Xi was a little put out looking at being deflected yet again.

"Ok ok, I won't pry so much. But if you are ever looking to sell those blades, you can just name your price." He said while rubbing his fingers together and biting his teeth. Lineir nodded.

"Sure, sure I'll keep you in mind..." Seemingly absentmindedly he wandered off. Of course inside he was internally analyzing everything that had been said. As the only member of the team which had stayed that he was not familiar with Lineir naturally felt a certain degree of suspicion towards Xi.

"This guy...how did he know that I could jump levels. Well I suppose he saw me distract the Rotwings earlier. Even still, he is awfully fixated on my swords. Is Mei really that conspicuous?" Lineir looked at the black blade. While it was certainly an interesting sword, it wasn't any more interesting than most other weapons cultivators used. It wasn't particularly extravagant, and the chains of Lightning and Darkness Qi swirling through it were nothing special.

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When they came out, the storm had passed. The streets had been utterly cleaned of Undead and even the Rotwings had disappeared. When the squad came out they were struck by the beauty of the empty city. Though it had been falling apart for numerous generations Nithos still had a certain dark charm. An allure which drew from the violet stones of its construction, it tickled the back of one's mind. Perhaps those types which enjoyed a unique atmosphere would choose to cultivate here if it was not so dangerous.

"Come on! Everyone let's go!" Ting called out. Lineir was a little bit surprised that Yu didn't give the order. He seemed somewhat subdued since the breaking up of the squad and his argument with Ting last night. Regardless, the buildings soon began to fly by once more as the squad traversed the city. The time passed smoothly. The Undead were not very active, many of them seemed to have disappeared to somewhere unknown, perhaps sucked away by the storm. As for the rumored beast? It was nowhere to be seen. There was the occasional sign of damage to some of the buildings, but for the most part the city had weathered the event quite well. 

"Haha, all the Undead are gone! It's like we've gone on vacation, we'll reach the Pillar easily now!" De boisterously laughed as he sprinted along, seemingly merry despite the curse still creeping up his severed arm. Dan shook his head,

"Don't get so cocky De. The Undead have persisted here since time immemorial. These storms are probably quite common, so the Undead will definitely be back. Who knows where  they are hiding right now?" Dan said. Suddenly Lineir got an overpowering urge to view the world through a different lens. He couldn't explain why, it was just a sixth sense of urgency.

Madness Eyes!

The world colored over in hellish crimson red. The characters which scrawled over his eyes seemed tantalizingly close, almost clear enough to read yet never enough to draw any meaning. With some effort he tore himself away from the landscape which threatened to shatter his mind and gazed upon the world with eyes which could find meaning in anything in this world and even tease out clues from the next. 

Toc Toc Toc Toc Toc

The footsteps of the squad rang out quietly in the deserted alleyway. Lineir gazed upon building after building but never spotted anything out of the ordinary. He penetrated the Death Qi haze which covered the distance but could do nothing to justify the sense of unease. It gnawed at him. He would not mistake this feeling. Perhaps someone less inexperienced might, but he had gone through too many life or death situations in the mortal realms. He knew this feeling!

"Something is here!" He thought. However, it was Mei who delivered the warning,

"Kiddo! Behind the buildings!" She said in his mind and he immediately directed his gaze as if he had been waiting for her warning. He did not hesitate for she would not intervene unless there was extraordinary danger. What he saw left him speechless.

"..."

Through the mist of Death Qi he could see an outline like the one he had spotted in the storm. However...this time it was much clearer and outlined in black. It seamlessly fit between the buildings and Lineir could see that it was mostly blocked from sight. As he caught sight of this outline the squad moved ever closer to the buildings...and the dreadful shape.

"No one move! Stop! STOP!" 

However...it was far far too late.