Leaving A Legacy

The large python was mostly coiled now and used its tail to lash out. Predictable as it was, the whip-like tail had enough momentum to flatten Ren if he decided to block it head-on. He dodged and slashed at its sides. The sword was capable of piercing its scales, so Ren played it safe and threw out a talisman. It burst in a flash of light and sound that disoriented the python. Using the distraction as it shook its head, he threw out a quick illusion array.

Once the formation began to work, the disoriented snake became easier to deal with. He landed easy blows on its tail and body, but as the damage it accrued grew, it went wild and rampaged. Its considerable length began twisting and lashing out wildly until it struck a few of the formation flags. Ren leaped to save a crucial flag but ended up receiving a devastating blow from the side that he never saw coming. It had attacked him using its head, grazing him but failing to bite.

Ren was hurled into the rock wall, gasping for breath. His defenses had kept his chest from caving in, but the talisman was done for. Another blow like that and Ren was dead. Fortunately the blow had also thrown Ren far enough that the python had lost track of him. Without an illusion formation to hide him, Ren had only a few moments to come up with something!

Still struggling to catch his breath, Ren used a basic formation he was extremely familiar with and placed the lantern directly over his head. With his back to the wall, he didn’t have much room to dodge as the python had already discovered him and was rampaging closer.

Heaving breaths sent pangs of pain through his aching ribs, but Ren waited in place. Judging the timing to be right, he took a few shaky steps forward, leaving the lantern hovering directly behind him, casting his form in shadow. Its tail already brutalized earlier, the python once again reared its head to lunge out. Its jaw unhinged wide open, leaving no room for escape, it struck.

Ren could taste its foul breath for an instant before he moved one last step forward and fell into the pit he had dug before him. To the snake, he just vanished. In its confusion, it twisted to find him but smashed into the wall behind. In that moment, it was vulnerable, and Ren didn’t let the moment slip past. The formation filled the pit under him, lifting him up until the snake’s head was within reach and he stabbed with all his might into its eye and through to the brain.

Ren struggled to maintain a grasp of his sword with all the slippery fluids and the violent death throes of the huge python. When it finally stilled, Ren slumped down to recover. He didn’t have any healing pills beyond weak qi gathering realm ones, which he gulped down. His body ached all over, and his heart was still pounding, but Ren couldn’t help but smile. In a life-and-death battle, he had emerged victorious. Now the beast would serve to become his strength.

With aching limbs, he harvested the blood first and then the skin. The fangs were large but wouldn’t make for good weapons as they didn’t have much qi. Lastly, he began the bloody work of hacking it into pieces small enough to fit in his pouch. Even then, Ren had to abandon a third of the corpse. Staring at the beast core, Ren had to say it was worth the injuries, for it belonged to a mid-stage foundation realm. Meaning it was of the 4th, 5th, or 6th layer, and its core was extremely valuable!

Needing to rest a while anyway, Ren set up a small fire and began roasting some of the meat that would have gone to waste. Naturally he did this after setting up a few security formations, not wanting to be disturbed during a meal. Very soon, in the depths of the mountain, drifted the tantalizing scent of roast meat. Ren always kept a few herbs in his pouch that he wielded with admirable skill to elevate the meal.

Ren didn’t know how long he had been down here, but the constant vigilance and the unending combat had stirred up a ravenous hunger. The qi-rich meat went a long way in satisfying the pit in his stomach. Once he was done, he meditated to recover his qi. If the cavern with the treasure lay ahead, then he needed to be at his best. He also tightly bandaged his injured ribs and wrapped some of the snakeskin around his chest. It didn’t offer much defense, but it was better than nothing. He needed to be extremely careful not to be hit there again.

After some time, when Ren felt ready, he gathered up his belongings and his array flags and set out once again. Without walls nearby, the number of blind vipers striking from holes declined rapidly. The passage was now opening into a large cavern, and the ground was no longer sloping downward. Whatever the treasure was, he must be close!

Ren kept a careful watch all around him as he advanced. The ceiling wasn’t too high and was held up by natural rock formations. The air here was stale but didn’t smell foul. It was also getting warmer with thick mist forming naturally above the ground. The qi was also very rich here. He wouldn’t be surprised if there were many earth attribute treasures that could form here.

As Ren approached the center of the cavern, he was surprised that he hadn’t been attacked even a single time. It made him anxious and afraid that something worse than the python would emerge from the clouds of mist, forcing him to flee. But for all his nervousness and watchfulness, there were no signs of life down here. It was strange because a natural treasure would often attract guardians or other beasts that sought to make it their home.

Ren’s meager divine sense was enough to inform him that the mix of qi was changing once more with hints of fire and water attribute qi appearing. This was it! According to his calculations, this should be the area where the hidden treasure lay that affected the fate of his mountain!

Finally, in about 50 paces ahead, the mist cleared up for some reason, revealing a small raised area. At the center were 3 small eggs, and curled protectively around them was the thin body of a snake no longer than his arm from elbow to fingertip. A light haze surrounded them, preventing further observation. As he drew closer, he noticed how the mist halted as though it had hit a wall, even though there was nothing there. Ren took a single careful step, fully prepared to jump back and run. His foot entered the region with nothing happening. He held his breath and slowly put it on the ground.

The very instant it touched the ground, every single muscle in Ren’s body locked up. His heart was racing painfully and sweat poured down his brow as every instinct told him he was in deadly danger. Something terrifyingly powerful was going to slay him! But Ren couldn’t move because even movement was death. Spots appeared in his vision as he forgot to breathe until his lungs screamed in protest. A jagged breath was forcefully sucked in, but the problem began once again as he couldn’t make another move.

Ren didn’t know how long he stood there, but nothing ever happened. No matter how much he waited, he still lived. One ragged breath after another, he slowly brought his breathing under control. His ears still rang with the pulsing of his heartbeats, and he still felt death was all around him, but his thoughts slowly calmed enough to focus on a single command.

Raise the foot.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally gained enough control over his leg to raise his foot. The moment he did, the feeling of imminent death vanished like smoke, and he fell onto his back, his entire body shivering.

‘What just happened?? What was that feeling?!’ Ren had never felt anything like it! It felt like someone had taken his life in their hands and could crush it to nothingness without a thought. He had never felt that helpless.

When some feeling returned, he retreated further and sat up. Whatever had caused it, it had only happened after he entered the demarcated space around the eggs. Was it the parent that was protecting them? But why then did he still live? The more he thought about it, the more he realized the feeling was an extremely powerful killing intent. Just like on the sect gates, where someone had carved their intent into words, something here protected the eggs by targeting intruders. Was it coming from the corpse that curled around the eggs? Was it the body of the one who laid the eggs? If it was dead, how strong must it have been to be able to release killing intent even after death?

He slammed his fist against the ground in frustration. After fighting past all those snakes, when he was just within sight of his goal, to be blocked by killing intent of all things! He lacked the talismans to make a repeat journey, nor did he have the time to go all the way to the inner sect to obtain more. There was nothing he could do!

‘Wait. Is there really nothing I can do? Since when have I given up this easily? Surely if there is no physical danger, then I can learn to withstand some rootless killing intent.' Ren couldn’t bear to lose his mountain, his entire foundation of strength without first giving his all.

He drank some water and ate a little of leftover snake meat. The food already made him feel a little better, letting his mind start working properly again.

‘I still have nearly two months’ worth of time, judging by the rate the storm grew over the past week. Even if I assume the breakdown of my formation increases during that time without me there to repair it, I still should have a solid month before reaching a point of no return. If I fail, the dragon vein passing not far below my feet will most likely be damaged, and the qi around my mountain will become a wasteland. But if I can make myself approach those eggs and remove them, then not only will I save my mountain but I’ll have a chance to hatch an incredibly powerful beast!’

Having reasoned it out, Ren prepared for a siege. He first walked around the platform where the eggs lay and examined the rest of the cavern. He discovered the source of the fire and water qi at the far end of the cavern, a small hot spring. It lacked any of the properties of a spirit spring and was just a simple natural formation. He built a small camp there and set up the security formations.

Around the eggs themselves, he placed more formations. Sadly, he lacked knowledge of any formations that could reinforce the mind, but he did know a few that helped recovery to an extent. Without knowing what could help, Ren threw all he knew at the problem in the hopes that something would work.

He also used the formations as a way to connect to the formation up on the mountain above. If he could extend the formation to reach down here, then he could build a second layer of stability. Also, any changes he made by removing the eggs down here would be reflected throughout the mountain faster. Without resources to work with, he didn’t know what he could achieve, but he knew he had to try.

Now that his physical body was safe from potential intruders, there was nothing left to do but face down that killing intent. He couldn’t subdue a frisson of fear as he raised his foot so he let it wash over him. This was scary, but he kept the thought firmly in mind that no matter what, he would endure.

His foot landed on the ground, and his body locked up once again.