Black Onyx - Phoenix Resurrection

The following few days I took it... Well, it was anything but easy. Apart from dabbling in painful Body Cultivation, I also trained. And by that I mean I hunted Giant Rats for more Ether Crystals. The bit of money that came with it also helped. In fact, I was slowly trying to figure out a new way to see.

Our eyes could detect a very small part of the light spectrum, and unlike what most people thought, I knew for a fact we could see ultraviolet.

Well, some young people could. For the majority, the lens in the eye blocked the light from reaching the retina, making it invisible to us. But, with a bit of magic modification, it should be possible to change the eye just a tiny bit and allow us to see more of the spectrum.

The same would be for infrared. If I could just slightly expand the vision range of my eyes, I could perhaps see heat, which would be a massive help in hunting.

But before fiddling with my vision, I decided I should probably check the library in case someone already did it. The idea of expanding the vision range probably wasn’t new.

Something to consider, for when I get back.

Actually, since going on the hunting expedition with the boys, I realized how many plants grew around the Sect that could be sold for various things. Not just for potions, but also fragrances, spices, and flavorings for food and wines. Fruity wines were apparently quite popular among the Disciples of the Inner Sect.

But that was simply not something I was willing to make. Too much tedious work, and it wasn’t to my liking. What I preferred to do was just gather everything I could find and then sell it in bulk at the Trading Hall and leave the work of distributing the goods to various shops and pill makers to the employees there.

Having filled my sack for the day, I returned to the slaughterhouse and handed over the five Giant Rats I captured and collected the miserable reward of one Spirit Shard. I then sat there, enjoying the sun, and Cultivated for a bit. This Soul absorption thingy was great, but I really needed to learn how to control it.

I disliked having an ability I had no control over since it could lead to some dangerous situations. For example, I could be in a fight and automatically absorb a Soul of some poor sod or monster that just passed away, and then the emotional roller coaster would throw me off, possibly leading to an injury, or even death. I couldn’t afford that! Even if it was just a one-in-a-million chance!

I entered the Trading Hall and handed my sack of gathered plants to the worker there. She rolled her eyes and began sorting the various herbs and flowers into different piles after which she inspected them one by one. It was tedious work for goods of little value, and I could understand her frustrations.

But I didn’t care. I needed money, and they bought all sorts of things so...

There was a commotion at the entrance. A group of… Damn! … Core Disciples entered the place with a massive beast of burden loaded with sacks and packages behind them.

The massive Yak-like creature was easily four meters tall and wide enough to almost block the massive front door. The guys all appeared to be in their late twenties and early thirties, but I knew they were much older than that. Most likely fifty-something.

Extra workers immediately made their way towards them with notebooks, and even a person of a higher standing made his entrance as the group came inside.

“Brother Tan Gong, welcome back! Another successful hunt I suppose?”

“Like you would not believe it!” Tan Gong answered and was led to the counter by the manager that greeted him. Meanwhile, the rest of the workers began unloading the goods and diligently cataloging everything. The rest of the Cultivators from the group simply stepped to the side and just let them do their work while they watched.

“Tell me, tell me, what did you find this time?” The manager was all smiles as he and Tan Gong took opposite sides of the counter.

Tan Gong grinned proudly and took a package from under his arm and placed it on the counter. He slowly untied the string that held the cloth covering to reveal a small white wooden box. I could not see exactly how it looked from a distance, but I knew it had to be an expensive one if he took such good care of it. It was also giving off a distinct smell of powerful magic.

Oh, yeah… Qi had a scent. It couldn’t be exactly described with words, but if I was forced to, I would say it smelled fresh. And the stronger the Qi, the more refreshing the scent.

“What would you say if I told you we stumbled upon a four-headed Hydra?”

The manager was stuck for words. His mouth opened wide and so did his eyes as he started at Tan Gong, completely speechless.

“Are you saying that this…” He eventually said while pointing at the box, unable to finish his thought.

“That’s right. The core of a Golden Core beast, perfectly intact, with a complete Soul as well!”

“No way! From a Hydra?! How did you manage that?!”

“Haha, you bet! It was a difficult fight, but… Let's keep the story for the party, shall we? Why don’t you tell me how much this baby is worth?” Tan Gong said and opened the box, revealing an apple-sized bluish-green sphere that shone like a diamond.

“Ah, of course! Just give me a moment.”

The manager put forth his right hand and aimed his palm at the beast's core. Countless rings of light formed around his arm and then collapsed into one around his hand, twisting and changing into various geometrical shapes as they did so. The entire construct was slowly spinning until it stopped a few seconds later when the empty spots in the tiny Formation were filled with different squiggly lines.

Runes. I had never before seen them like that, created in the air from pure Qi. I had no clue what they did, but I just knew they had to be powerful. Just the control and brainpower needed to sustain them was way above my ability.

The circular formation flashed for an instant, and even at a distance, I could feel the pulse of powerful magic that shook me to the core and gave me goosebumps. I swallowed hard. It was bad.

“Huh… That’s odd.” The manager frowned and released the spell.

“What is it?” Tan Gong said seriously, his smile already gone from his face.

“Wait, let me try again…”

That was very, very bad. The manager repeated his action, but I already knew it was futile and took a step back. My herbs were already measured and weighed, and I received my money.

“What’s going on?” Ten Gong demanded with a forceful voice.

“It’s… I can’t get a reading.” The manager admitted his discovery frankly. “There is no Soul in this core.”

“WHAT?!” Tan Gong exploded, his face twisting in anger. “What do you mean there is no Soul?! The containment was absolutely perfect! I checked and rechecked less than an hour ago! There was absolutely no trace of degradation even after days! And you are telling me now that in less than an hour the Soul disappeared?! A Golden Core Hydra Soul?!”

His voice was so loud that even if people tried to ignore him, it would be impossible. The manager was visibly shaken from being the target of his outburst, but he kept it together well.

“Look, you can check it again yourself. You saw the entire process, I did not even touch the core, so don’t yell at me!” His voice was level but firm. He had some dignity to uphold, this was the Trading Hall, after all.

“Fine, fine…” Ten Gong grumbled and placed his hand on the core. Rings of light and glowing runes similarly formed around his hand and congregated at the core. It was clear that his technique was less developed, but it was enough to show him the truth.

“I… Impossible!” He shouted in disbelief wide-eyed. However, as seconds passed, his eyes began glowing with Qi and unrestrained rage. I made my way toward the exit.

“Who was it?! Who stole my Hydra Soul?!” I could feel the penetrating power of Magic Eyes as his burning gaze scanned the hall, many Senior Disciples displaying visible frowns as he did so. I left the building with beads of sweat gathering on my brow as I was trying to contain my chaotic Aura.

I could see some other Senior Disciples quickly making their way towards the Trading Hall, the emblems on their clothes clearly displaying they were from the Sect’s Law Enforcement.

They barely spared me a glance as they ran past, and similarly, I didn’t have time or energy to waste on them.

I made my way down the mountain and into the forest, making sure not to go too fast and raise suspicions. Instead of taking the main path, I quickly veered off the road and traveled deep into the forest as the pain in my head began quickly increasing. Elemental Avatar became active as soon as I was far enough away, and I ran as fast as I could for as long as I could until I suddenly collapsed.

[AAAaaaah!]

There came a sudden bout of pain. My head was killing me!

How do you eat something that is larger than you? One bite at a time. But what if you can’t take a bite? What if the only choice is to swallow it all at once? Then it’s impossible!

And my damn Soul was trying to swallow the stolen Hydra Soul in exactly that way! Damn it! It hurt so badly! My heart rate rose dangerously high, and my breathing was quick and shallow. Sweat poured from my body as my mind was in excruciating pain. No, it wasn’t my head that hurt, it was my Soul! It was being torn apart!

Stop, damn it! I don’t want this! I had no control over the process, and it was way worse than I would have ever imagined! Two whole Realms above me, it was too much! My Soul felt bloated, and worse of all, I could see it starting to tear! A torn Soul meant death!

I grit my teeth so hard they nearly cracked, and focused inward as best I could. I pushed back with my will, counteracting the gluttonous hunger of my Soul that tried to devour the Hydra in one bite. I was almost successful, when the dead beast suddenly opened its eyes in my mind, and looked directly at my Soul. I felt dread from that gaze and nearly dropped my concentration.

[A human. Trying to devour me? Hahaha!] A laugh escaped me, and I covered my mouth in shock. My mind was suddenly filled with images, emotions, and memories of the beast, as its Soul bit into mine with four of its heads.

[Aaaah! Get away from me!] I roared.

[And leave such a delicious meal escape? No way!] I answered. I then punched myself in the face. But it wasn’t something I did, it was the Hydra! I was losing control over my own body, as well as my own mind!

The memories of the beast mixed with mine as it tried to devour my Soul. I was almost beginning to forget who I was originally, the distant memories of my past slowly disappearing into the depths of my mind.

It felt hopeless… I felt hopeless…

[NO!] I roared and stabbed myself, pushing a conjured ice shard deep into my thigh. The searing pain woke me up from the haze I was in, and I sat on the ground, focusing my mind on the internal battle. My Soul was cracking, that was true, but it seemed the Hydra was having difficulties completely tearing it to pieces. Kudos to my extremely dense Soul for not giving up so easily.

I wasn’t yet at the Nascent Soul Realm, so I couldn’t perform a Soul attack, but since it was basically merging with me, it focused my all on just one head, and bit! I mentally bit down on the massive horned skull of the beast, feeling the resistance that came from it, but I didn’t stop.

It was trying to eat me, and I would do the same! Screw dying like this, alone in a forest, succumbing to the remnant Soul of an already dead monster!

I felt a mental crack, and momentarily lost control of my body again.

[How dare you, puny creature! To injure one such as me!] I roared, the voice unlike my own. It was much deeper, more guttural, like that of an ancient dragon.

I didn’t care to answer. The pressure lessened on my mind just slightly, but that was enough for me to mount another attack.

The hydra struck again, this time coiling around my Soul with its own, trying to squeeze the life out of me. But I didn’t give in, for I was too angry. Too enraged to feel, and too angry to die!

[How… dare you! Invading my body! My sacred home! My temple!]

I bit the second head. All my Soul power focused on that one spot. I felt another crunch and another roar from the hydra. My Soul felt replenished as the second of its heads was absorbed and purged of unwanted emotions and memories.

My mind felt so much lighter, so much clearer. My sense of self returned in full, and with it the rational part of my mind. And this rational part of my mind only had one thought. KILL!

Kill it! Kill it! Kill the beast! Absorb its Soul, and feed the hunger!

I felt myself gaining control with each passing moment. My amorphous blob of a Soul felt more solid, more under my command. The Hydra raged in my mind, but I was gaining the upper hand. I crushed another head and consumed it. My Soul felt full. It felt bloated even. But it wanted more! Much more!

“Noooooooooo-!”

The beast went silent as the last of its heads was crushed, and its body devoured, its delicious Soul Essence filling me to the brim. My Soul felt heavy, and my mind was ready. I released the control, and it collapsed.

My Soul turned in on itself, like a star collapsing into a black hole, getting compressed into a single point, until it reached the critical mass.

A sudden explosion of power came from the depths of my Soul, the once massive figure of my amorphous figure turning more human-like in shape, but at a miniature scale.

I looked at the tiny figure, less than a hundredth of what it was prior. It was me, or, close to it. The features were indistinct, misty, and overall unrefined. I felt an immediate closeness with my new Soul, and a better connection with it as well.

I immediately knew what I had to do. I had to grow it, and with time, we would become one. Body and Soul, one entity. The same on the inside as I was on the outside.

But I had no more energy left to continue examining the mini-me any longer. I was exhausted, and my clothes were completely drenched in sweat. And despite that, I didn’t even have the energy to take them off, before the darkness took me, and I fell asleep.