Book 2: Chapter 33: Foxes and Troubles |
Meng Li had made a gargantuan mistake.
All nine of her fox tails twitched violently as the last vestiges of the horrifying energies disappeared into the void as though they had not been there just moments ago.
Her father had always told her that she was too quick to act and would eventually be caught by her hastiness.
Alas, she never believed him and why would she when so many ancient sayings seemed to indicate that the earliest, most proactive members of society tended to be the luckiest and most likely to succeed. Bastard bird clans and getting the worm or something like that.
Not to mention that she prepared for every situation she could think of.
It didn't matter if she ended up meeting a 10th-tier dragon.
A reborn phoenix from the Ash Clans.
Or ended up fighting an entire world by herself as a Calamity.
Everything was planned out meticulously by her hand. Down to the very minutia of when she would enter, what she would say, the persona she would carry, and how she would act when meeting the various life forms associated with the world she was attempting to cultivate if she had the opportunity to do so. Everything needed to perfectly finalize the process and grow her cultivation beyond anything she could naturally achieve in a relative timeframe.
Yet, that was the issue at hand.
Meng Li cursed her luck for the thousandth time.
She checked back on the spatial fabric that prevented her from escaping, hoping to notice even the tiniest of cracks that she may risk to save her life. Even if such a gamble was very unlikely to succeed, it was better than the infinitesimal and downright impossible task of surviving whatever monstrosity called this place its abode for the time being.
There was no hope for her to make it out alive if she stayed here until she was caught. Madness to wait for her doom.
This whole thing was nothing but a trap. I walked into it without thinking!
How the hell was she supposed to plan for a galaxy-ending type of power residing here? Who in their right mind actually thought they would end up with such an amount of unluckiness bottled into one tiny speck of dust that was this cultivation world. This had to be a punishment of some sort for the few lucky moments she had gotten and the dozens of times she survived quite unsurvivable situations.
Dungeon diving and fighting everything that looked at her wrong had finally caught up to her. Being a Young Mistress and crippling anyone that seemed like a threat too.
I promise if I get out of this alive, I’ll be the best person ever! An angel!
The latest rumble in the universe had been a localized threat that no one except the people on this damned world would have noticed.
A Calamity that threatened the very existence of this solar system and probably an entire galaxy had passed by them without trillions of lives knowing that it had gotten this close.
She could imagine it from her throne seat.
Entire world vanishing into the aether, turning to dust, and with them, every single living thing that called them home, without ever knowing why or what had happened.
Monsters that had built clans that have survived for tens of thousands of years.
Ancient creatures that have lived longer than even those clans.
Planets and natural environments that outlasted even those creatures.
All destroyed in a mere moment without knowing what had happened or who had done the obliterating.
All nine of her tails spasmed for a second time, unintentionally showing her fear and anxiety. Thankfully, no one here had ever met a foxkin to know the obvious signs and reactions that they tended to carry. To share her embarrassment. She would have suffered much lost face had there been anyone that understood. Forcing her hand to search for the Calamity herself to end her misery.
Meng Li froze. She blinked as a terrible thought crossed her mind.
The monstrous Calamity was obviously male and it had invited her specifically. That was the only way she could think about it, considering the rift had literally been torn open directly in front of her while she was exploring the depths of an uncharted forest within the depths of her world.
Hmm… maybe I can spin this unlucky situation into something potentially beneficial? Maybe it doesn’t want to use me as prey to hunt to replace the trash peak of cultivation that called this world home? I hope so. Maybe he likes cake? A sweet tooth would make this whole situation much easier to deal with too.
She made the meanest, tastiest, most amazing cakes. She froze a milk based product and spun it violently. Sugar aplenty. Then dumped it generously over a warm soft buttery tasting perfection.
Just like her.
Yet, there was no way to be sure about its intent. Any mistake would cost her.
Meng Li took a deep breath, and rubbed her face hard. The whole thing had been bothering her ever since she figured out the level of the one who invited her. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that he hadn’t brought her over to kill her or at the very least, satisfy his battle-lust against her because this world was far too weak to offer anything of substance in that department.
“I-I can’t keep sitting here,” Meng Li whispered to herself.
Not noticing the dozens of humans giving her weird looks as they went about doing whatever it was servants did.
She shot up to her feet with a determined look.
A plan had clicked into place. If death was what awaited her, then it would be wiser to die in action rather than cowardly in her hiding spot. Honor her clan and family with a battle that would shake even her world from this far out. Meng Li would not survive, but everyone would know what happened to her. They would know she had died and to whom.
It was only a matter of time before her father, the Patriarch of the Icy Foxkin Clan, and the strongest members of her clan would find their way into this world to wage war.
Vengeance would be had.
I-I won’t be hasty though. Let me find this Peng… Wu? Peng Lu? Fu? Whatever his name is! I’ll find him and gather whatever information he acquired.
From there she would venture to locate the Calamity.
Either she died a gruesome death, or Meng Li would learn exactly why she had been invited to this place.
“L-Lady Li–” one of the human servants approached her. The lady, wife of Peng Shu, was the matriarch in his absence.
A wise woman Meng Li had taken to speaking with about cultivation and the Dao. The lowly lifeform before her had taught Meng Li a lesson she had never expected in a place like this.
The Dao was not limited to the powerful. Understanding it was not exclusive to those of the highest cultivations.
Even an ant could teach a dragon a thing or two if they were open to it.
“–How may I assist you, Lady Li? You seem troubled.”
“Worry not, Servant. I go in search of your husband. He has taken longer than I would have liked.” Meng Li said as she felt the ice chills from the surrounding creep into the array barriers. Many of the servants began shivering where they stood. Yet, it was only a comfortable, nostalgic breeze that she felt. Reminded her of the first time her father had taught her to control the element.
Meng Li stepped from her throne and vanished from the peak of the mountain. Landing a hundred miles away in the midst of a gigantic blizzard that snapped her clothes back and forth.
She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy it, because it likely would be the last time she had a moment of quiet and serenity.