Book 2: Chapter 38: New Power and Traps |
Zi Zhen smiled as he rested upon his discus throne.
Peng Du and Zhong An both had joined him here in his mountainous cavern as they moved away from the neutral block to his own demonic block. Each one resting on one of his other spare discuses. Both of them unaware of the plots and plans that he had already set up years prior. All in the hopes of finding a solution to the calamities that seem to keep finding their way every so often. A plot that would turn him into the most powerful being on this planet.
Zi Zhen would turn them both into cultivation cauldrons.
A grand technique that he had discovered nearly five years after the calamity had befallen their world sixty years ago. One that not only refined their cores, Dao, and meridians to empower him but even refined their very life force, spiritual roots, and everything that made them living, powerful cultivators. It was the greatest form of turning others into cultivation cauldrons that he had ever discovered, one that likely did not originate from their plane of existence.
“–their battle would cause immense destruction to our collective power. We need to make sure their encounter would not end up destroying the slumbering monsters we plan to awaken before we’ve had a chance to use them. Or worse, crushing the spirit of all existing things before our first war against them. We need all of them if we hope to defeat the survivor of their fight.”
Fools the both of them. Neither one would walk out of here alive.
Everything had been planned to perfection.
From the very placement that they would sit in, to even how they would react and the words they would attempt to speak to him with.
He would take no chances to be convinced or defeated by any means at all.
Zi Zhen shifted in his spot. It was almost go time. “We can bother the old hag of the wet rain forests down south to lend her aid. She hasn’t responded to any of our missives, best we visit her soon.”
“Indeed.”
He watched as the two of them continued to plan for the future, not knowing they would not step out of this cavern alive. Their fates were to be nothing more than cultivation resources for a greater purpose.
Each one would help him break through greater realms and give him enough power to fight on even terms with one of the Calamities himself.
The irony... Peng Du’s plan will come to fruition, except I’ll be the one to kill the injured Calamity.
The thought to wait until the rest of the most powerful beings could gather in this room did cross his mind. Yet, it would likely take too long for him to coordinate something of that size and nature. They had wasted enough time discussing, talking, and procrastinating their eventual war against the Calamity.
How much longer would they wait until the original one decided it no longer wanted to sightsee anymore?
It was any day now that it would turn its attention to them. He could feel it in his bones.
Zi Zhen zoned the both of them out, as his Qi slowly crept out of his core and into the floating discus below him.
It was his control feature that powered all the ritual lines and powerful arrays with dozens of stasis fields, power inhibitors, Qi negators, and a dozen other things he had considered, including Zhong An's extreme preparedness for situations just like this. Zi Zhen had a counter for every counter that the two of them could think of and a way to deal with any measure that they could bring forth, including power that was far greater than they had previously.
The trap rumbled to life.
Zhong An was the first to notice it. He tried to jump from his discus with Qi surging out of him like a rogue mountainous wave.
Only to slam into a barrier that kept him within.
“Traitor!” Zhong An shouted as more Qi erupted out of his body, shattering the barrier that held him there.
Just as planned. Their initial power wasted on a distraction.
Peng Du did as Zhong An had done and crushed his own false imprisonment. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Sorry, Old Colleagues," Zi Zhen gave them a wide toothy smile. “But I’ve judged our chances to be best with a single, lone leader of humanity. One powerful enough to fight against a Calamity by themselves.”
“You senile fool! You plan to turn us into cauldrons? That’s a death sentence for the entire world!”
“Sly Demon!” Peng Du’s power erupted like a volcano. Qi stronger than anything he expected of the strongest of their generation.
Both attacked at the same time. Fire and earth slamming into a barrier that surrounded Zi Zhen. One that was far more sturdy than what he used against them. They would need an attack ten fold stronger than this to even crack–
Web-like fissures appeared around his barrier.
Zi Zhen stood up and prepared himself for a fight only to fall back to his seat as he noticed it was too late. He laughed at their misery and uncertainty.
“I-I can’t call upon my protective talismans. Not even my teleportation–” Zhong An’s voice was cut off by ethereal chains wrapping around his throat and squeezing. Suffocating. Pulling him down as a dozen more grabbed hold of him.
The same happened with Peng Du.
Both attacks had used up too much of their Qi reserves trying to kill him before the final pieces of his trap activated.
You’ve failed as you both always have against me. Naive fools… Hmm? What’s this?
Unlike Zhong An who shouted and fought as though his life depended on it, which it did, the maniac that was Peng Du smiled at Zi Zhen.
Mouthing words that uttered no sound. Zi Zhen could not place them together.
Peng Du gave the chains no contest or struggle.
A deformed, blood filled smile graced his face, one that sent a shiver down Zi Zhen’s back.
W-Why is he smiling? What does he know that I don’t?
It was too late to ask.
Zi Zhen grit his teeth as their life forces were sucked out of them, refined and then injected into Zi Zhen’s very Dao and cultivation. Deeper than any core could reach. Changing him on a fundamental level internally, from the form of his ancient, demonic meridians down all the way to a gargantuan boost to his very Spiritual Roots. He turned himself into a being capable of transcending into greater realms once he learned to establish the power and grow exponentially after killing the Calamities.
Both their forms began to shrivel and weaken.
He felt his whole body tremble as hours, or maybe it was days, passed like a blur.
There was no indication or clue on how long it had been since he activated the trap and when he finally woke up.
Zi Zhen laughed as his ritual lines and arrays dimmed into nothingness.
He looked around the room and found nothing but ash on the discuses that Peng Du and Zhong An had been sitting on not too long ago.
Power leaked from his body as he began to control it. Flexing his new senses.
There was more Qi within him than his whole reserve and that had taken decades to build up.
Yet, his core felt empty.
How much Qi can I hold now? What realm have I entered?
A rumble of Heavenly Tribulation echoed in his entire mountain cavern. A peal of thunder deafened the world.
Zi Zhen had prepared for this eventuality, but he had not expected it to be this strong. He had gained something far more powerful than his greatest dreams.
I can kill either Calamity myself now! Neither one is strong enough to face me–
“Hey! Shut up old cloud!”
The Heavenly Tribulation went silent, not that Zi Zhen noticed in his shock.
Zi Zhen snapped his head toward the voice.
He stared at a young lady that waved at the air. “Hmph, better not come back… at least when I’m around.” She then walked into the ritual lines and began poking at the ash remains of Peng Du. As though it could bring him back to life. “Old fart,” her eyes drifted up to Zi Zhen. Glowing a bright blue, her form shimmering to hide her true identity. “...he was my servant you know. No matter. I can just make you do his tasks for me.”
Zi Zhen stood up, his limbs popping with renewed life and body echoing with immortal power. “The younger generations mustn't speak to their elders so flippantly, young lady. Then again, it comes down to us seniors to teach you rascals some manners.”
“Old men and teaching others manners. Might want to learn some yourself before you go around giving lessons, old bag of bones.”