In the east of Hayami Continent, under a dark sky, Lightning Arrow boomed and red lightning flashed. Blood-colored rain fell on a ruined city.
Among the wreckage, a cold Saibot watched a vulture. He quickly took it down and moved on, not bothered by the eerie scene.
He passed broken shops and corpses, his destination - a medical store. The moment he knocked on the door, he passed out.
A few hours later...
"Ack, where am I?" Saibot looked around.
As if on cue, an old man entered the room. "Good, you're awake."
It was at this moment that his memories resurfaced causing him to experience a severe migraine. Saibot winced in pain as he grabbed his head.
Flashes of the incident from 3 days ago resurfaced... "I remember now." He uttered wearing a grim expression. The volcano erupted, followed by an earthquake and a series of tornados...
"I hid in a cave and watched as the sky split apart followed by a pair of gigantic purple eyes appeared on the sky. The next thing that happened was brutal..."
"That's the God's eye. It's said that god will open his eyes every couple of years and send Ahsura Demons to attack and devour us humans." The doctor began to explain how the world functions...
"As you already know, this planet is called Earth."
Saibot sounding annoyed glared at the man, "Yes I know that already."
"The calamities brought by the gods weren’t just these. The fragmented faces have been oppressing humanity for so long now."
Every few years, a few decades, or even a few centuries, the fragmented face would open its eyes once for several breaths.
Every time it opened its eyes, the area it was staring at would instantly be tainted heavily by its aura.
After that, all lives in that area would perish, and it would become an eternal forbidden zone.
For the past few centuries, the number of forbidden zones in this world has been increasing, and the places where the living could stay have become increasingly fewer.
Just 3 days ago, the god once again opened its eyes, and the location the fragmented face was staring at was none other than the area where Saibot was staying.
In this area, all species and over ten human cities—regardless of their locations, including the slums inside or outside the cities—were instantly tainted heavily and became forbidden zones that prevented lives from existing.
Under the terrifying taint, all lives directly dissolved into blood. Some of them mutated and became mutated beasts with no intellect.
Meanwhile, the others turned into greenish-black corpses whose souls had thoroughly dispersed.
Only very few humans and beasts managed to survive due to luck.
"You're one lucky lad, my name is Yandu, you can stay here as much as you want until you are fully healed.
A few days later...
" Take care of yourself now. "
Saibot bowed his head, "Thank you for your hospitality Mr. Yandu, I wish you good health."
With that, Saibot decided to travel the lands and cultivate his skills.
Now, he was meditating in the mountains...
The spirit energy in the surroundings flowed over and slowly entered his body, coursing through it. He also felt waves of bone-chilling coldness coursing through his body.
Everywhere the cold feeling flowed, it felt like that body part was submerged in ice water.
Saibot was afraid of the chill. However, he endured it and didn’t give up, continuing to persevere.
After a long time, when he finally ended this cultivation session after meeting the requirements on the bamboo slip, his body would be drenched in cold sweat.
And despite having eaten not long ago, the sensation of hunger appeared once more in his stomach.
His journey leads him to a cave where he finds a peculiar purple crystal...
"This crystal is emitting the same energy as the Purple lighting that struck me.
The crystal, rectangular and no larger than his finger, contained tiny particles that emitted the purple light.
"Is it for healing wounds?" Saibot pondered, examining the nearly healed gash on his chest after exposing it by unbuttoning his shirt.
The wound showed remarkable progress, now nearly fully healed, with even the scar at its edge fading away.
Thinking about how he wasn't as tired anymore after using the crystal, Saibot figured out that its main job was to help him feel better.
"I wonder if it has other effects," he murmured, contemplating the possibilities.
As he circulated his energy according to the Tempest Mountain Art, the spirit energy flowing into his body suddenly filtered out a large amount of anomalous substances.
After that, the cleansed spirit energy that remained coursed through his entire body through his energy channels, and this caused Saibot’s body to emit popping noises at this moment.
It was as though some previously congested areas in his body were now instantly opened.
His blood and flesh were tempered and nourished at this moment.
Although the Tempest Mountain Art was known as a cultivation art, it didn’t cultivate laws, rather, it was a type of body-refining method.
There were a total of ten levels that matched the ten levels of the Qi Condensation Realm.
"Every level a cultivator attained would grant them an additional tiger’s worth of strength." Five tigers made up one xiao and two
The introduction continued to say that Xiao could move mountains, while Kui could shift seas. This was why the cultivation art was known as the Tempest Mountain Art.
At this moment, the purple crystal that was buried in his chest was like a vortex that continuously absorbed spirit energy, and it flowed toward the crystal with absurd ease.
As a result, Saibot’s cultivation speed greatly increased. Once impurities flowed out, Saibot’s body became more ‘crystalline’ than before. Even his dirt-covered face looked more exquisite now.
The popping sounds and the spirit energy flowing in gradually ceased after some time. After that, Saibot opened his eyes.
"I feel so light."
A hint of purple light flashed past his eyes.
After he recovered, Saibot’s mind turned sluggish for a moment.
Right now, the dark cave looked somewhat clearer in his eyes. He then hurriedly lowered his head to survey his body, and a look of disbelief gradually appeared on his face.
After an unknown amount of time, the popping sounds in Saibot’s body intensified and a lot of impurities within his body flowed out of the pores of his entire body.A spark of excitement lit up Saibot’s face. He stood and punched out, making a whooshing sound.Due to the small size of the cave, he couldn’t test his speed well. But punching made him feel stronger all over. "That Loranzo guy was right." Loranzo was a boxer whom Saibot noticed during his jThen, he rolled up his left sleeve.When he saw a tiny black dot there, Saibot took a deep breath, trying to calm down.“So, this is the first level of Qi Condensation!”He remembered what Yandu said. The dot meant he was starting to use Qi. There would be more dots as he got better.Touching the dot, Saibot felt excited about getting stronger. He looked outside, eager to try his speed at dawn.But soon, he felt suspicious. He went closer to the entrance and listened.It was still dark outside, but there were no strange noises.That n
They persevered until dusk, after which they departed from the city and established their encampment in an outdoor locale. The tents were promptly erected with some individuals opting to share while most preferred their own. They ignited incense and dispersed powder around the perimeters of their respective shelters.As it soon turned dark, they retired for the night. Solely Captain Litcht extended a benevolent gesture towards Saibot by providing him with a sleeping bag."The scent of the incense wards off wild beasts whilst the powder repels any peculiar entities that may lurk about. You rendered assistance today, hence Bam shall not trouble you as long as I am present. This location is secure.""The incense keeps beasts away, and the powder keeps weird things away. You helped today, so Bam won't bother you as long as I'm here. It's safe here."After he finished, he went into his tent. Saibot remained silent, casting a gaze towards the encampment of Captain Litcht before settling i
“They aren’t cultivators, but the viciousness when they fought, their grasp of timing, as well as their indifferent attitude toward death in critical moments allowed their killing prowess to be enhanced.”Even dealing with two at once might work, but facing three together would likely be too much. This realization made him more careful.As they got closer to the outside world, Saibot noticed the scavengers getting more relaxed. They started chatting and joking, except for Captain Litcht, who stayed quiet. Saibot wondered who he was, but he stayed cautious as they approached the edge of the forbidden zone. He kept his distance from the group and listened carefully to their talk.When it got dark, Saibot felt warm and looked around. He saw they were leaving the cold, desolate area behind and entering the outside world. It was still nighttime, but it felt different. Stars filled the sky, and there were normal sounds of animals, like a rabbit watching them from a distance.The change ma
"Firstly, achieve Foundation Building by the age of 15 years, becoming a rarely-seen heaven chosen. Secondly, pay 300,000 jun* worth of spirit coins and purchase a migration quota from Purple Earth, Vein, or the Litu Sect.”“Thirdly, make an outstanding contribution in alchemy for the human race. Fourthly, be taken in as a personal disciple by one of the great clans from Purple Earth, or by one of the Vein’s peak lords*, or the Litu Sect’s sect master.”“Oh, there’s a fifth way, which is to become a treasure nurturer. Think about it. Which method is suitable for you?”All the scavengers fell silent, especially when they heard the fifth method. Their expressions became very unnatural and their gazes revealed horror.Saibot focused his gaze. He had heard of the term ‘treasure-nurturers’ before.Back when he was in the slums, he had a few close companions with him who were taken away by some people dressed in luxurious clothes.It was said that they wanted to nurture them into treasure-n
“I’m 14 this year…” Saibot mumbled and then continued cultivating.Just like that, time slowly ticked on and very soon, five days passed. Saibot followed these scavengers to cross over mountains and travel across plains.Three people had left midway through the journey. This also verified Saibot’s assessment previously that these people had grouped together temporarily.By the seventh day, after the two blade-wielding scavengers left as well, only Saibot and Captain Litcht remained.On this night, at the foot of a mountain, Captain Litcht looked at Saibot. The latter took small bites of a bun next to the campfire while keeping some of the buns for later. After that, Captain Litcht slowly spoke.“Kid, we’ll be able to reach our destination tomorrow at noon. That’s the place I live at and it is also a campsite where scavengers gather.”Saibot looked up at the old man. The old man gazed into the far distance and continued speaking.“Scavenger campsites tend to be set up next to forbidde
One of the two youths stepped forward, shaking visibly. He faced a big red bear in the arena.The fight was quick and one-sided. The youth didn't stand a chance against the strong bear. He got torn apart, scaring everyone watching.The next youth, seeing what happened, said he gave up before his turn. People didn't like that.They made him leave, with Fire Possoms guiding him out.Then, it was the turn of a scavenger youth. He had to fight a big black wolf. His scavenging skills helped him win, but he got hurt.When he left, he held his chest and breathed hard.Next was a little girl. She had to fight a scary giant-horn python. Just as she was about to give up, Saibot stepped in."Let's trade," he said suddenly, giving her his stick.Saibot faced the python confidently, surprising everyone watching.He stayed calm as the snake came out of its cage. He dodged its attacks and found its weak spots. Slowly, he wore it down.Finally, Saibot stabbed the python and took out its gallbladder.
Saibot calmly approached the cage, and the giant-horn python within stared coldly at him as it slithered out. Its thick body caused a grinding sound against the metal poles.Sensing Saibot's difference, the python hesitated, coiling outside the cage, eyeing him warily. The audience grew excited, their commotion dying down.He advanced slowly. When he entered the python's range, its pupils flashed with murderous intent, tail slamming the ground, propelling it forward. Its jaws opened wide, aiming to devour Saibot.Unfazed, Saibot dodged to the side, eyes fixed on the python's belly. As it lunged again, he waited, observing for the right moment. When the tail lashed out, he struck, his punch sending it recoiling.Angered, the python charged, attempting to coil around him. Saibot seized the opportunity, landing punch after punch, causing cracks to form on the snake's belly.Not wasting time, Saibot drew his dagger and plunged it into the python's flesh, blood spraying. Amidst its cries,
“I’ve finally broken through.”Saibot stood up and punched out, producing a crisp sound echoing through the air. In fact, the blast of wind even caused the door to the house to shake a little.If the current him fought against that giant-horn snake, Saibot believed that he could blast through the belly scales of the snake with a single punch.Not only that, but his senses were also sharper than before. His vision was clearer, and his hearing also became more sensitive. Hence, the sounds of knocking from outside the courtyard could now drift into Saibot’s ears.Saibot started and walked to the side of the house’s door. Under the moonlight, he peered through the gap and saw the figure of the little girl standing outside the courtyard’s gate.It seemed that she had injuries on her body, and she was trembling slightly.Saibot frowned. He originally didn’t want to bother about this, but the girl persisted and continued to knock lightly.Hence, a long time later, Saibot finally pushed the d