390 The Sky Closed, the Hunt Began

390

The Sky Closed, the Hunt Began

I stared down at my gut with an expression that could best be described as betrayed by my own body. My once-flat stomach now bulged outward in a soft, rounded curve. Curious and annoyed, I slapped my belly. A perfectly visible jiggly wave traveled across my torso.

“…Fantastic,” I muttered. “I’m a cultivator with a doughnut build. Low-key awesome, though.”

Cultivators rarely got fat unless they were either ancient gluttons or absolutely catastrophic at balancing qi. I refused to believe I fell into either category, yet here I was… pudgy.

Before I could complain further, Wu Chen leaned in and touched my stomach with both hands, prodding and squeezing the flesh like she was evaluating a melon at a market. I slowly turned my head toward her. She stared back unbothered. Then she reached up and pinched my cheek.

“Really?” I asked dryly.

She nodded with zero shame.

Ding Cai hovered nearby, eyes wide with worry. “S-senior… are you sure you’re not sick?”

“I’m not sick,” I assured her. “Just offended. Come on, fat is a personality, okay? It’s not some weird affliction…”

Truthfully, though… I had a guess at why this was happening to me. Yuan Shen had mocked me too many times for me to ignore the obvious. Supreme Being this, Supreme Being that. If my bloodline really originated from whatever race or species Supreme Beings were, then that was the answer. But what did that even mean? I didn’t know what abilities came with it, how it functioned, or what made it so special. I only knew Supreme Beings were broken beyond belief. If they started cultivation from scratch, they probably had world-breaking cheats built directly into their existence.

Mine seemed to be… my Paladin game system? Maybe? Kinda? Honestly, I had no clue.

Maybe that absurd heavenly tribulation earlier was trying to stop me from understanding more about my bloodline. I could imagine a Supreme Being discovering their nascent abilities with nature itself, probably panicking.

“Wu Chen,” I said, tugging at my robes, “fix my clothes. They’re not fitting right anymore.”

She nodded, placed her palm on my side, and used quintessence to resize my robes. The fabric tightened and shifted to match my… unfortunate new proportions.

Just as she finished, something slammed into the ground nearby with a thunderous crash. Dust flew everywhere.

I frowned. “What now?”

When the smoke cleared, I rushed forward and found Ren Jingyi sprawled on the ground, bloodied and trembling. The damage was bad. She had bones cracked, qi circulation disrupted, and skin torn. Ding Cai immediately fell to her knees beside her.

“Ren Jingyi! Are you okay?!”

Ren Jingyi coughed and spat a frightening amount of blood. “D-don’t… worry…”

I helped her sit up and cast Blessed Regeneration, letting warm holy light seep into her wounds. She shuddered as her body slowly began to mend.

Wu Chen suddenly stiffened. “Da Wei. We’re surrounded.”

I expanded my Divine Sense. The moment it spread out, I felt many cultivators, dozens upon dozens, hiding among the trees and stone. At the Eighth Realm, Heart Path allowed one to sense intent, and their hostility was sharp enough to cut stone.

Ren Jingyi forced herself to stand, her beastly vigor accelerating the healing. “Senior Da Ji… is fighting the dean. I… I tried to reach you, but I was ambushed...”

Before she finished, someone stepped out from the forest.

A handsome man with long silver hair, wielding a spear, and smiling like he owned the world.

Jia Mu.

“I made the wise choice,” he said lightly, “to let the small fish go. She led me right to you.”

Wu Chen’s gaze hardened. “The sky is blocked. Formation barrier.”

She was right, something had sealed the heavens. A dome of spiritual force enclosed us like a cage.

Ding Cai trembled but forced herself to face him. “W-what is happening?! Why are you doing this?!”

Jia Mu ignored her question. His cultivation flared at the Ninth Realm, World Path. World force surged beneath his feet as he blurred forward with terrifying speed, aiming for Ren Jingyi’s throat.

But I saw it.

My heart read the killing intent before his body even moved.

“Flash Parry!”

I whipped out a sword from my storage ring and intercepted the strike. The impact shattered the blade instantly, pieces flying like sparks.

Jia Mu’s spear remained pointed toward us, but his expression changed when he looked at Wu Chen. His earlier arrogance cooled into something far more cautious.

“Just who are you?” he asked, voice tightening.

Wu Chen didn’t even blink. “None of your business.”

Jia Mu clicked his tongue. “Then let me rephrase. You should surrender. All of you.” He gestured sharply.

From between the trees, crimson and white robes stepped forth. Dozens of cultivators marched out, each bearing the characters for Inquisition on their shoulders—宗教裁判所. Their eyes shone with zealous intent, almost feverish in their devotion.

Jia Mu lifted his spear and declared loudly, “You are all under suspicion of colluding with internal traitors, and now that you resist arrest, your crime is punishable by execution.”

Ding Cai trembled at the declaration, but she forced herself forward with a shaky breath.

“T-The Heavenly Temple wouldn’t be so unjust,” she said, voice quivering but steady. “I-It wouldn’t condemn someone without proof!”

I helped Ren Jingyi stand, supporting her weight as her injuries slowly healed. Ren Jingyi bared her teeth at Jia Mu.

“The Inquisition,” she spat, “attacked me without a single word. Is this how a righteous branch of the Heavenly Temple behaves?”

Jia Mu laughed lightly, eyes cold. “It isn’t your fault. Truly, it isn’t. The real mistake was befriending her.” His spear glowed with killing intent. “That fox Da Ji actually dares to come into my territory and threaten my place in the Jia Clan.”

He turned to Ding Cai specifically, almost speaking to her like one would to a child.

“Don’t worry. I’ll leave your corpse intact. The Peng Clan should at least have something to mourn. And I’ll tell them truthfully: a Heavenly Temple spy got to you.”

Ding Cai’s breath caught in her throat.

That was when Wu Chen stepped forward.

“You misunderstand,” she said coldly. “This is my territory.”

The forest trembled.

I had never seen Wu Chen truly angry before. Her qi surged like a living tide, rising higher and higher until it pressed on my lungs and made my bones vibrate. Her presence expanded, devouring the horizon.

Eleventh Realm. Perfect Immortal.

Jia Mu’s eyes widened. The inquisitors panicked, taking several steps back.

“This—this can’t be—” one of them muttered.

“What kind of monster—?” another whispered.

Jia Mu gritted his teeth. “Impossible… how is this possible…?!”

Wu Chen calmly raised her hand.

The ground ruptured as thick, ancient, and jagged roots burst from the earth like spears, tearing upward with murderous force aimed at every inquisitor on site.

They would have been skewered instantly, but a wave of blue fire washed across the clearing.

FWOOSH—

The flames devoured the roots entirely.

Jia Mu’s expression turned stunned. “N-Netherworld Flames…?”

Gliding down through the air was a man who looked painfully average with ordinary black robes, ordinary face, and ordinary posture… except for the crushing aura that chilled the soul.

He wasn’t human.

He was a powerful ghost in human form.

Jia Mu and the inquisitors immediately bowed deeply.

“Greetings, Ghost Elder!”

“The Ghost Elder of the Six Paths!”

So this frail-looking man… was one of the Six Elders.

The ghost landed, hands tucked inside his sleeves, his expression unreadable.

Jia Mu bowed even deeper. “Ghost Elder Xu An. What brings you here?”

Xu An’s voice drifted like cold smoke. “A mysterious energy manifested in this area. And a heavenly tribulation appeared without prior signs. I came to investigate.”

His gaze swept across the forest, and then he looked at Jia Mu.

“And you? Why is the Inquisition here?”

Jia Mu straightened, pride returning to his voice.

“We have found the culprit behind the murder of Asura Elder Gong Bao.”

Xu An’s finger lifted like the tip of a judge’s pen, cold and slow, pointing toward us as mist coiled around his arm. “Is it them?” he asked, his voice hollow enough to vibrate through my bones. “What evidence do you have?”

Jia Mu didn’t hesitate. His sharp spear glinted as he stepped forward. “Among the cultivators of the Heavenly Academy, only the entity known as Da Ji possesses unfathomable power capable of killing the Asura Elder Gong Bao.” He paused, eyes sliding toward Wu Chen. “But now, we have another suspect.”

Xu An’s empty gaze settled on Wu Chen’s face. “Her?”

“Yes, Ghost Elder.” Jia Mu bowed, voice firm. “It must be her.”

I felt my stomach drop. Not the fat part, the spiritual one. Oh man… So the guy Ren Jingyi and I killed in the forest turned out to be one of the Six Elders. Absolutely fantastic. Now we were being hunted by the internal equivalent of a divine hit squad… led by a man wearing eyebags darker than the abyss.

I considered Castling with Asura for a second. If I could break that formation barrier overhead, it might work. But with the Ghost Elder present, my chances were about the size of a mosquito’s lifespan.

Xu An raised his chin. “I will handle Wu Chen.”

Wu Chen stepped forward, qi swirling like a storm of roots and leaves around her. “You’re going to regret that, ghost.”

I leaned toward Ding Cai. “Sorry you got dragged into this. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

She shook her head without fear. “I owe everything to you, senior—no, master. A disciple follows their master. That’s common sense.”

That hit harder than it should have. Ren Jingyi tugged on my sleeve. “Senior, what can I do?”

Ding Cai added, “I… I’ll help too. Just tell us.”

I breathed out. “Protect my body. I’d fight with it, but let’s face it… this body is terrible.” I turned to Wu Chen. “Mind letting me borrow yours? I’ve got a bad feeling about Xu An.”

Wu Chen grinned faintly. “Do as you please.”

Xu An raised a single hand. Blue fire erupted around him as his flesh burned away, leaving a towering skeletal form wrapped in ghost flames. Six bony arms extended outward, each gripping a jeweled scepter.

“Dual Path: Ghost and Asura Unity.”

The ground shook.

I didn’t waste a second. “Divine Possession.”

My own body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, and I blinked into Wu Chen’s form. Her senses washed over me with deep roots, ancient qi, and terrifying strength. It felt good to move at this realm again.

Jia Mu appeared beside Ren Jingyi, thrusting his spear to take off her head. “Inquisition! Attack!”

Ding Cai swooped in, grabbing my limp body before it hit the ground. Ren Jingyi’s eyes sharpened as her Heart Path activated, the result of her hard work. She dodged Jia Mu’s thrust, her movements smooth and sharp.

I stepped once with Zealot’s Stride and the forest blurred. My arm transformed into hardened wood, and I struck with Divine Smite. Jia Mu blocked, but the force still launched him through several trees.

I was ready to chase him with a follow-up when glowing rings of red, blue, green, orange, yellow, purple snapped around my limbs and torso, locking down my movements.

“Ren Jingyi! Ding Cai! Run! Get deeper into the forest!”

Jia Mu staggered to his feet, blood spilling from his lips as he roared, “After them! Don’t let any of them escape!”

The forest swarmed with red-and-white robes as the Inquisition lunged forward.

It wasn’t going to be that easy. With Wu Chen’s massive qi coursing through me, I raised one hand and shouted, “Summon: Holy Spirit — Ezekiel!”

Divine light burst from the ground, swirling upward into a towering mass of bones that pulled itself together into a huge winged skeleton. Its wings spread like jagged blades as it let out a silent roar, the force alone knocking back the approaching inquisitors.

Xu An paused, his skeletal head tilting with… admiration? “Such uniqueness…” he murmured, hollow voice echoing. “A remarkable summon.”

He lifted both hands with three scepters held high, the red, orange, and yellow gemstones blazing at once.

“Triple Maximized Spell: Thunderous Flames of the Pits.”

The earth beneath Ezekiel split open, forming a black pit. Thunder cracked downward as flames shot up from the abyss, swallowing my summon whole. Not even ash was left. I froze from utter surprise. That spell structure… That was definitely from LLO. No way around it.

How the hell did a Ghost Elder have a Mage Legacy?

He couldn’t be a normal Perfect Immortal who just used Dual Path to climb the realm for a few minutes. If he’d stepped into the Transcendent Path, then this guy was a problem of unkown scale.

I clenched my fists. Fine. If he wanted to play like that, time to go all out.

“Animal Path: King of the Wild!”

Wu Chen’s body surged. Roots exploded from her feet. Her frame stretched and thickened until she became a colossal, masculine giant made from ancient wood. Two glowing green orbs lit up in the eye sockets as the forest bent around our presence.

Apparently my mental image didn’t match Wu Chen’s at all. Well, too late now.

I swung an enormous wooden arm at Xu An with every intention to flatten him, but he teleported, blinking like a ghost, and appeared right above me. All six gemstones lit up on his arms as he kneed my forehead, while he grew in size matching my collosal bulk.

I snarled, using aura to catch him in the air. My massive wooden hand grabbed his ribcage and slammed him straight into the ground. Dirt erupted like a crater. He retaliated with all six scepters unleashing pure elemental destruction of fire, earth, thunder, wood, water, and a wave of sickly purple curse energy.

The combined blast hurled me back through several trees.

I pushed myself upright and conjured an enormous wooden sword fit for this towering body. With a roar, I swung it downward.

Xu An caught the blade with all six scepters at once, shockwaves rattling the forest.

“Let’s see you block this!”

Massive tree-arms erupted from the earth, hundreds of them, grabbing and pinning his limbs. I pivoted and swung my leg in a crushing War Smite. Xu An bent at a ninety-degree angle as he smashed into the ground. I followed with Divine Smite, hurling my sword down at him.

Three gemstones of red, blue, and purple lit up simultaneously. A violent smog burst outward, draining my vigor and slowing my limbs. I cast Cleanse, forcing the curse off me, and brought the sword down, only for Xu An to vanish.

He reappeared far to my right, every gemstone blazing.

I saw the spell formation a moment before he spat out black lightning from his skeletal maw.

I used Flash Step, my massive body vanishing as the lightning tore a trench through the earth where I’d been.

I reappeared behind him and barked, “Hey, bone-lantern! You call that aim?”

The sky cracked again as Xu An threw more streaks of black lightning at me. Each bolt hissed like a dying wraith, carving trenches in the ground wherever it touched. I leapt aside, rolled across a slab of shattered stone, then vanished in a short Flash Step. A pulse of Zealot’s Stride followed, carrying me over a collapsing ridge as another bolt detonated behind my back.

Xu An spat the names of his spells one after another—“Night-Flame Spiral!” “Rotting Gale Burst!” “Ghostfire Lance!”—each one threaded with a different elemental color.

I gritted my teeth. ‘One mistake and Wu Chen dies.’ Her body only had one life left. I couldn’t afford mistakes.

The more I fought, the more I felt her qi straining. In this warped tree-giant form the Animal Soul demanded too much from her. She wasn’t compatible; her qi pathways buckled every time I pushed too hard. I needed something else.

And then the forest changed.

A cold mist spilled out like a wave, swallowing the trunks and shadows. A towering illusionary mountain formed around us. In the middle of that shimmering haze appeared a battered nine-tailed fox, her fur scorched, and a tall red-haired man with six blazing wings and a halo of fire.

Da Ji’s voice rang in Qi Speech, sharp and tired: “That’s the dean, Qin Yating… one of the Six Elders. Phoenix bloodline. Fire master.”

I shot back, “And this one’s Ghost Elder Xu An. Also one of the Six.”

She hissed softly. “I couldn’t beat Qin Yating alone. Now there are two.”

“Divine Possession,” I answered. “Let’s gamble, sister.”

“That’s why I’m here in the first place.”

I handed Wu Chen back her body and cast the technique. My consciousness blinked, and then sank into Da Ji’s being.

Pain hit me instantly. Her injuries were deeper than I thought. She had lost layers of immortality, several shattered like cracked glass. I placed a hand over her chest and murmured, “Divine Word: Life.” Energy surged. Her breaths steadied. I followed with Blessed Regeneration and her wounds closed with quick precision.

Her fur flickered gold as I invoked Animal Path: King of the Wild. This time, the technique affected her differently as her monstrous fox form sharpened, edges glowing like molten metal. Power rolled through her, wild and ancient.

Qin Yating laughed, his wings burning the mist around him. “It’s been a while since I fought beside Xu An. This brings back memories.”

Xu An’s skeletal head clicked toward him. “Focus. Do not underestimate them.”

Da Ji whispered to me in Qi Speech, “If this drags on, it’ll ruin our future.”

“I’m already planning to leave this academy,” I muttered. “Assuming we win. I don’t think this level of commotion would go unnoticed…”

Her soft snort was half a cough. “Think about leaving after we survive.”

Wu Chen’s voice cut in, urgent: “Your disciples are in danger.”

My chest tightened. I didn’t feel much attachment to the “host body,” but my disciples… If they died protecting it, I would never forgive myself.

“Wu Chen,” I said, “go help them. We’ll manage here.”

Da Ji hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“We’ll make it work.”

Wu Chen nodded and dashed into the mist.

A blur of fiery wings followed her. Qin Yating appeared behind her like a comet and swung his hand in a clean, merciless cut. Her head flew and turned to mist the moment it touched the air.

It was an illusion we made.

Da Ji and I grinned at the same time.

Qin Yating gazed down at me from above the swirling flames. Even though Da Ji and I towered over him in our monstrous form, he acted as if we were the ones beneath him. His voice dripped with arrogance. “Only one of you can fight,” he said. “But there are two of us.”

Xu An flicked a hand and sent another spear of black lightning straight at our chest. It pierced through our body, only for the image to shimmer and break apart into mist.

Da Ji’s voice pressed into my mind. “Wei… do we have a winning strategy? They’re both Perfect Immortals. And we’re—”

“—making it up as we go,” I replied. “Listen, can you use that clone technique by Jia Sen?”

She stiffened. “You mean that ridiculous thing? Of course I learned it.”

“Good. Buy time with the Ghost Elder. I’m confident I can handle that flaming turkey.”

Qin Yating raised a hand. Heat rippled outward so violently that whole lines of trees ignited without being touched. A sun-sized fireball formed above his palm, burning the mist away.

Xu An slammed his six scepters into the ground. Loops of multicolored light erupted and wrapped around us like chains.

Da Ji snorted. “As if that’s enough.”

Her tails split like ribbons of living light, one into two, two into four, until ten nine-tailed foxes stood where she had been. I poured my will into one of them, forcing its body to shrink and twist. It collapsed into a humanoid male shape. It was lean, sharp, and fast.

With a burst of Zealot’s Stride, I launched myself toward Qin Yating.

The remaining foxes hurled themselves at Xu An, turning the air into a storm of fur, claws, teeth, and exploding qi. Xu An cursed as nine illusory clones and one real fox tore into him like a pack of maddened beasts.

Qin Yating sneered as he flung his massive fireball not only at me, but at the foxes and Xu An together, as if he didn’t care who burned. “You can’t dodge this.”

But in that instant, I saw every possible choice laid out before me like a web of options floating across my vision. I cut away each useless thread.

“The Six Paths seems to be as strong as Immortal Arts.”

And the King of the Wild… yeah, maybe it felt underwhelming compared to the others. But it was never weaker.

I’d learned so much in this academy. The theories, the spells, and the hidden meaning of cultivation realms. Everything had stacked up in my head whether I wanted it or not. And now, for the first time, I finally understood what Animal meant.

Not a beast. Not a mindless creature. But a predator that dominated its territory through instinct sharpened into law.

Even if this strength was temporary, it would decide this battle.

I unleashed Animal Path: King of the Wild.

My senses snapped into a higher clarity, and a primal dominance surged through me. I wasn’t a fox. I wasn’t human. I wasn’t anything that needed to fit into a category.

I was the thing above them.

Qin Yating faltered mid-flight. His eyes widened as his aura buckled under mine. His six fiery wings flickered and vanished. His halo shattered like glass. All that remained was a single pair of phoenix wings, bright but hollow.

He understood. I had stripped him of his Heaven aspect, because he was an animal at his core just like me. I flashed behind him, grabbed his shoulder, and leaned close. I felt drool starting to spill from my mouth as instinct overpowered restraint.

Fear etched itself across his face.

“W–wait—”

He swung his remaining wings like blades, slashing toward my neck.

I opened my jaws wide, and I bit down.

His phoenix wing tore free with a wet crack. Flames exploded across my skin as the burning feathers entered my mouth. I chewed slowly to let him watch and understand what kind of beast he was fighting.

We crashed into the mountainside and rolled through a patch of broken trees until I pinned Qin Yating under me. I locked one hand on his shoulder with Monkey Grip, my fingers digging into bone as I leaned in and bit into the base of his remaining wing. His scream ripped through the forest.

“Y–You savage!” he choked, slamming fiery claws at my face. “I am the dean of the Heavenly Academy! I refuse to die like… l-like this!”

I tore out a chunk of his wing and spat feathers as I muttered, “Then stop struggling. You’re making it messy.”

His flames burst around us in a violent wave, scorching the trees and melting stone. It didn’t matter. Every burn healed as fast as it appeared, and I pushed Cure through my body while my jaw clamped onto his throat. He thrashed wildly.

“G–Get off! You inelegant beast! You fil—ghh—!”

I ripped his throat out mid-curse. Hot blood splashed across my chin as I dug in deeper, chewing through flesh, crushing bone, and pulling out everything I could reach. Intestines spilled into my hands as he let out a last gurgling moan of disbelief.

It wasn’t elegant. It wasn’t heroic. It was predation.

And it felt right.

Heat licked across my skin as Phoenix fire coiled around me. Hunger clawed at my thoughts, telling me to keep going. My instincts surged, and I forced them down before they drowned me completely.

But I didn’t stop eating.

By the time I finished, Qin Yating was nothing but scattered ash and a memory.

Flames curled behind my back, forming wings, something forged from devoured power. I exhaled smoke as I sent a thought out.

“Da Ji! Cancel the clone technique.”

A tug pulled at me as Da Ji’s bodies fused into one. Power boiled from our core as nine tails burst outward, her golden fur shifting into burning red streaked with molten light. Fire qi swirled violently around us until the trees bent away.

Xu An stared at our transformation with widening eye sockets. “What… what did you two do?”

I stepped forward with a feral grin. “We improved.”

I leapt at him before he could blink and clamped my teeth onto his skeletal arm. His scream came out as a hollow echo. I ripped the limb off with the scepter still inside and swallowed it whole. Flames and ghostly energy flooded my veins like burning wine.

Da Ji’s Immortal Art, World Devouring Maw, intensified the process. I could feel everything dissolve inside us, turning into raw strength.

Xu An teleported back in panic, blue flames flaring around him. Fear radiated from his ghostly aura, sharp and bitter.

“Trying to run?” I growled. “Not happening.”

I slammed my palm onto the ground.

“Divine Mandate of Proximity.”

A golden dome wrapped around us, locking him inside like a beast in a cage.

For a moment, the hunger nearly swallowed my thoughts. I steadied myself, breathing slow. “Just a bit more… don’t lose it…”

Da Ji growled inside our shared mind. “Control it, Wei. You’re still the one steering.”

“I know,” I muttered, though I could barely pull my gaze off Xu An’s trembling form.

The world dimmed as I cast Da Ji’s Immortal Art: Illusory Mountain of Mist. The sky twisted into night, a massive full moon rising overhead, turning the battlefield into a predator’s hunting ground.

Xu An shook his head. “So this… this is your true power? I thought I knew your techniques. I thought I understood your limits!”

“You understood nothing.”

I dashed in with Immortal Art: Godslayer, tearing into his ghostly torso. His remaining scepters flared as he retaliated with elemental blasts, but I disrupted every cast with Stagger, clipped his stance with Halo of Restriction, and smashed through his guard with War Smite. Once he faltered, Zealot’s Stride carried me right onto his blind spot.

One scepter snapped in my jaws. Then another. And another.

He wailed, “Stop! STOP! Those are divine—”

I bit straight through his ribcage.

His form unraveled, spiritual matter ripping apart under Godslayer’s hungry pull. I didn’t give him time to reform. I lunged again and again, devouring what remained of him until his screams dissolved into static.

When the last trace vanished, I licked the blood and ash off my fingers.

"That tasted disgusting, but… I want more…”