Picking Up Attributes In Martial World

Ye Jun’s emotional mind had taken a complete backseat to ensure he fought in his best condition. But even then, he was unsure of what he was supposed to do in this battle.

He had barely survived against a single Paragon, so now that all three had awakened, he was as helpless as the villagers.

The Paragons gave him the same feeling as his father, which made him grimace.

’I am still way too weak to do anything to them. Even a single Soul Tempering Realm Cultivator could end my life in seconds.’

As if to confirm his thoughts, Han Yuexin spoke up, "They are likely in the late stages of the Soul Tempering Realm. Normally, I can easily deal with them, but there’s something wrong with that mist and their Lord is still out there."

She gave him a glance and said, "You can run away if you want to."

"There’s no point," Ye Jun said, gesturing towards the well. "I have a feeling that we’re already trapped here, and I trust my instincts."

"Then stay back," Han Yuexin said, bringing her flute to her lips.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, the central Paragon never attacked. Instead, the other two acted. They both raised their hands and pierced their chests with them. They took out their still-beating hearts from the holes and shouted, "He Who Returns."

The dark mist around their hands consumed the hearts in an instant, leaving nothing behind. Their bodies followed soon after, dispersing completely into the dark mist.

Han Yuexin quickly played a strange tune that made Ye Jun’s blood boil in agitation. He raised his head and found the central Paragon levitating in the air, dark mist floating around him.

His voice came from every direction, heavy and mixed with many more voices.

"He will return. There’s nothing you can do to stop His descent, for He is inevitable. We will all become one. We will become Him."

"He’s gone crazy," Han Yuexin took a deep breath and said. "Make sure the villagers don’t go anywhere near the well. I’ll handle him. He’s breaking through to the Origin Realm."

"Shouldn’t that trigger the tribulations?" Ye Jun asked, already moving toward the well.

"That’s the strange part," Han Yuexin replied, her robes fluttering behind her in the wind. "There are no tribulations. I have to end it here and now."

With that, she changed the tune of her melodies completely, but Ye Jun only heard the start of it. Even that was enough to almost rupture his eardrums.

He ignored the pain and reached the well before anyone could. Now, he was the target of all the villagers as they all turned towards him.

His attention was on different things. A terrible odour permeated near the well, which almost made him retch. He looked down into the well and wished he had not.

The well was half full, not of water, but of thick, dark blood. Broken bodies lay piled inside, some small, some grown, tangled together in a way that made it hard to tell where one ended and another began.

Some looked old, reduced to bone, while others still seemed too fresh. The air around it smelled sharp and rotten, and the silence felt heavier than anything inside it.

Ye Jun was very thankful that his rational mind was in charge; otherwise, he might have had a breakdown. Especially after looking into those eyes that still captured the joy they felt before being reduced to such a state.

"The Lord wants us."

"We must save the Paragons. We need to give them our strength through the ritual."

"He Who Returns!"

"He Who Returns."

The villagers began to talk among themselves, as the fight between the Paragon and Han Yuexin grew intense. Several houses were reduced to dust as they moved from one place to another, leaving nothing but destruction behind.

Even Ye Jun could only see blurred images of them, as nature itself behaved according to the whims of those two cultivators. One thing he noted was the change in the Paragon’s appearance.

He had grown two additional heads on his shoulders, and his body was slowly morphing into a grotesque shape that looked less and less human.

Ye Jun frowned, ’He is using the bodies in the well, probably. That’s why these villagers want to sacrifice themselves.’

They all charged at him with a mad lust for salvation in their eyes. Nothing could stop them, as they ignored everything and reached for the well.

"Sorry, but I’m not letting you power him up," Ye Jun muttered, putting his daggers in their sheaths.

Then, he burst into motion as he utilised his months of battle experience on this battlefield today. He couldn’t kill these people, as per Han Yuexin’s orders, but he also needed to make sure they didn’t reach the well.

’Damnation!’

It was easier said than done when hundreds of people surrounded him and his body ached because of the short battle with the Paragon.

Still, he put his all into keeping the people away from the well. One moment he was punching a woman, and the next he was attacking some kid’s knees so he couldn’t stand up.

All to make sure they stayed away from it.

’Hurry up!’

He hoped Han Yuexin could end this as quickly as possible. But he was also analysing the situation and trying to come up with a way out of this.

’What do I do?’ he thought even as he deflected the villagers. ’The Paragon is amidst his breakthrough, but still keeping up with her. It’s probably because of the well.’

He slapped Old Xu’s face and went to the other side to stop a kid from jumping.

’The dark mist seems to have an ability to consume life force directly, or maybe other things too, considering it wants them dead first.’

An idea struck his mind, as he shouted, "Elder Han! The winds. The dark mist carries the life force with it, so use the winds to stop the mist from entering the Paragon."

He had to wait for a few seconds before Han Yuexin shouted back at him.

"I can’t. He is growing too powerful."

Ye Jun looked back at the well, ’How do I stop the dark mist?’