Demon of Dawn and Dusk

As I flew towards where Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin were fighting their opponent, I kept an eye out on the others, just in case. In particular, I watched the fight going on between Elliot and Cultivator Blood Petal. The former’s battle prowess wasn’t anything to scoff at, but the latter held her own against him.

Elliot wielded his twin yellow sabers, while Cultivator Blood Petal wielded an azure feather fan that was a high-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure. Every time she swung the feather fan, she unleashed a barrage of azure wind blades towards Elliot. However, he evaded most of them and blocked the rest with his yellow sabers.

In the air near them, the projection of a yellow serpent was locked in a deadly battle with the projection of an azure hawk. The two were in a stalemate, since neither seemed to have an advantage over the other. Elliot and Cultivator Blood Petal must have summoned these at the beginning of their battle.

I flew around them, to avoid getting caught up in their battle. As an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, I had no business getting involved. I didn’t have a death wish. However, it seemed that my passage hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Cultivator Blood Petal said.

She focused most of her attention on Elliot, so I didn’t realize that she was speaking to me until she swung her azure feather fan in my direction and launched dozens of wind blades in my direction. They moved at a rapid speed, closing the distance between us in mere seconds. I tried to outrun them, but they were too fast.

“Brother Flamewind!” Elliot yelled out.

He tried to rush to my side, but Cultivator Blood Petal suppressed him with a series of attacks. I was on my own for this. As the wind blades closed in on me, I took evasive measures. I weaved my way through the wind blades, avoiding them to the best of my ability, though it was a near thing. One of them grazed my cheek, yet it was so sharp that I didn’t feel a thing. Warm blood dripped down my face.

Just as I thought that I would be able to evade them all, one of the wind blades changed direction and flew right towards me. With little time to react, I pulled the turtle shell defensive magic treasure out of my storage bag and threw it towards the oncoming wind blade. It glowed with yellow light as it formed a shield to protect me.

However, it was just a Qi Condensation magic treasure. The wind blade tore through the turtle shell with ease, cutting it in half. The turtle shell stopped glowing as it lost all of its spiritual power. Its sacrifice wasn’t in vain, since it managed to slow down the wind blade just enough for me to evade it. Well, for the most part. As I twisted my body to dodge the wind blade, it cut a deep gash in my thigh. The wound itself didn’t hurt, but I felt it gushing blood.

I popped another mid-grade Healing Pill into my mouth and continued flying towards Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin. Cultivator Blood Petal clicked her tongue with disappointment. However, before she could try anything else, Elliot attacked her with renewed vigor.

As I flew over to help my comrades, I took stock of my injuries. The gash in my thigh had already healed thanks to the mid-grade Healing Pill. However, my left arm was still in poor condition. I could move it around now, but it still needed more time to fully heal. However, I didn’t have time to spare. Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin needed my help now.

The two of them bore several injuries each, and it was clear that they weren’t a match for their opponent. They managed to hold their own until now, but it was just a matter of time before he defeated them.

Their opponent, a disciple of the Ancient Blood Sect whose name I didn’t know, lashed out at them with a blood red sickle that was a mid-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure. When I neared him, he glanced at me and let out a derisive snort, before performing a series of hand seals.

“Brother Flamewind, watch out!” Cultivator Albin yelled.

Just as he finished warning me, the Ancient Blood Sect disciple finished performing the hand seals and spat out a globule of blood. This globule glowed with red light, before it expanded and took on the shape of a giant skeletal claw. It was similar to the red skull that Cultivator Crimson Skull summoned during his fight with Elliot, back at the Forest Tiger Sect, and I wondered if this man’s name was Crimson Claw.

This thought passed through my head as the giant skeletal claw rushed towards me, ready to tear me to shreds. Afterwards, the Ancient Blood Sect disciple turned back towards Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin, as if he couldn’t be bothered to spare me any more attention. Indignation filled me, even though this played to my advantage.

I performed a series of hand seals and summoned dozens of Fireballs, before launching them towards the giant skeletal claw. While each Fireball wasn’t that powerful on its own, I made up for it with sheer numbers. They exploded on impact, each one slowing the skeletal claw down. Encouraged by this, I kept summoning them in a constant barrage.

Cracks started to form in the giant skeletal claw, before it shattered into countless pieces and disintegrated. The Ancient Blood Sect disciple paled at this, and glanced at me with a surprised look on his face. I grinned at him. However, my victory came at a high cost. It took a good portion of my internal qi to summon that many Fireballs. I wouldn’t be able to pull a trick like that a second time.

With nothing in the way between me and the Ancient Blood Sect disciple, I sent the remaining Fireballs in his direction. A hint of fear appeared in his eyes. However, before he could try and flee, Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin pressed the attack against him. He summoned a blood red shield to defend himself.

The former wielded a set of flying needle magic treasures. There were dozens of them, each one glowing with crimson light. Due to their small size, they were difficult to see and defend against. The set of flying needles was a mid-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure.

Cultivator Albin, on the other hand, wielded a four-armed puppet that had an aura similar to that of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator. Each arm was made from a different material and glowed with a different colored light: azure, blue, crimson, and gray. I assumed these corresponded with four of the five elements. The body itself was yellow for Earth.

While the Ancient Blood Sect disciple managed to fare well against two opponents, it seemed that three was his limit. I closed in and started attacking him with my fists, while Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin attacked him with their respective weapons. He tried to defend himself as best he could, but to no avail. Cracks started to form in this blood red shield. Soon, it would shatter.

“Enough!” he shouted

A wave of pure power exploded out of him. It sent me flying away from him, and almost knocked me off of my flying carpet. Cultivator Rexanne’s flying needles and Cultivator Albin’s four-armed puppet were also knocked away.

Doing this must have come at a heavy cost, because the Ancient Blood Sect disciple’s face paled even further and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. However, despite this, he didn’t hesitate to pull a talisman out of his storage ring. I recognized it as the talisman that boosted his speed when he fled from Elliot.

I snarled, before I jumped from my flying carpet and used Wind Dash Shoulder Slam to smash into him. His blood red shield cracked even further, but otherwise remained intact. However, I achieved my objective. My attack distracted him long enough for my companions to recover and attack him in unison. This time, his blood red shield shattered and disintegrated into nothingness.

I controlled my flying carpet to catch myself, before flying over to finish off the Ancient Blood Sect disciple. However, I needn’t have bothered. Cultivator Albin’s four-armed puppet locked him in a grapple, while Cultivator Rexanne’s flying needles pierced his head in dozens of locations. The Ancient Blood Sect disciple screamed in pain, before he fell limp.

The talisman in his hand slipped from his fingers, though I managed to catch it before it fell to the ground. The four-armed puppet snagged the Ancient Blood Sect disciple’s storage ring, before letting go of him. As his body fell, I summoned a Fireball to incinerate it, leaving no trace of him behind.

“Are you two all right?” I asked, flying over to my companions.

They each pulled a mid-grade Healing Pill out of their storage bag and swallowed it.

“No,” Cultivator Rexanne said, grimacing, “But we can still fight.”

“Let us go help the others.” Cultivator Albin said with a nod.

The three of us turned to go help the rest of our companions, but it turned out that we didn’t need to. We watched as Cultivator Isabel decapitated her opponent, Crimson Skull, with her black saber. She took his storage ring before tossing his now headless body aside. Meanwhile, Willow had already subdued Cultivator Davina. She had wrapped her up in a thick yellow chain, which was a high-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure. Cultivator Davina was still alive, but unconscious. That left Cultivator Blood Petal as our sole remaining opponent.

She looked around with a calm and composed expression on her face. However, she couldn’t hide the panic in her eyes. Tonight’s events must have been shocking for her. She tried to play a game with us, only to find out that we weren’t as weak as we appeared to be. I almost felt bad for her. However, when I remembered what she and her companions did, all traces of sympathy disappeared.

Even so, Cultivator Blood Petal’s next move caught me off guard.

“I surrender!” She shouted.

She tossed the azure feather fan aside and held her hands up, to show that she had nothing else in them. Her azure hawk let out a pained cry, before it disappeared. With its opponent gone, Elliot’s yellow serpent flew over to his side and watched Cultivator Blood Petal. The rest of us flew over to surround her, just in case she tried to flee.

“You aren’t going to accept her surrender, are you Brother Sand Fang?” Cultivator Willow asked. “Who knows how many innocent people she and her companions killed? She deserves to die.”

“I agree with Sister Black Staff.” Cultivator Isabel said. “If nothing else, this woman is an enemy.” She glanced at Cultivator Blood Petal. “We can’t take her with us, and if we let her go, she’s bound to hold a grudge. We should kill her, just to be safe.”

Cultivator Blood Petal ignored them and gazed at Elliot, who wore an impassive expression on his face. However, I knew that killing her wouldn’t be a simple matter.

“That fan of hers is a high-grade Foundation Establishment magic tool.” I said. “Taken into consideration with her cultivation base, it’s clear that someone in the Ancient Blood Sect values her. If we kill her, we run the risk of making a powerful enemy.” I looked at Elliot. “I’m not saying that we should spare her, but we should be aware of the consequences before we kill her.”

It was common practice for sects to have a life lamp for each of their disciples, at least the ones they valued the most. A life lamp looked like a regular oil lamp. However, the flame inside would burn as long as the person it was bonded to remained alive. If that person died, their life lamp would go out. That way a sect would know if something happened to one of their disciples.

If we killed Cultivator Blood Petal, the Ancient Blood Sect would know right away and send someone to investigate. In fact, it might already be too late, considering how many of their disciples we killed. Even if we erased all the evidence and hid our tracks, the Ancient Blood Sect could still find out about our involvement. However, if we let Cultivator Blood Petal live, that possibility became a certainty. We wore disguises and used false names, but I didn’t know if that was enough.

“That junior brother of yours is a smart one, Cultivator Sand Fang.” Cultivator Blood Petal said, nodding in my direction. “I am a core disciple of the Ancient Blood Sect. Not only that, but my father is Elder Blood Root and the patriarch of my clan. If you kill me, all of my kin will become your enemies.” She smiled. “However, if you let me go, I’ll let bygones be bygones and forget all about this incident. I won’t hold a grudge against any of you. If you want, I can swear a heart demon oath to that effect.”

Everyone looked surprised when they heard this. A heart demon oath was a serious matter. If a cultivator swore one and then broke it, a heart demon would form inside their soul and haunt them. The more powerful the cultivator, the more dangerous the heart demon. While it was possible to overcome this with great effort, it was still a risky proposition. Thus, cultivators didn’t break heart demon oaths if they could help it. In general, it was easier to just not swear one in the first place.

“Well?” Cultivator Blood Petal asked, smirking. “What do you say?”

That smirk irritated me. It was as if she thought that she had already won.

“Don’t do it, Brother Sand Fang.” Willow said.

“I don’t know, Sister Black Staff,” Cultivator Albin said, a hesitant look on his face, “If Cultivator Blood Petal is willing to swear a heart demon oath, it might be worth it to let her go. We already accomplished our objective in coming here.”

True. Our mission was to look into the cause behind the disappearances and put a stop to it. We already succeeded. Even if we let Cultivator Blood Petal go, I doubted that she would stick around since we killed all of her companions.

“If you need an additional incentive, take my fan.” Cultivator Blood Petal said. “Consider it your prize for defeating me and my companions.” She nodded at the unconscious Cultivator Davina. “You may even keep my junior sister. She lied to you and tried to poison you. This is your opportunity to take revenge on her.”

I narrowed my eyes at her.

“You’re willing to sacrifice your fellow disciple in order to save your own life?” I asked.

Cultivator Blood Petal let out a derisive snort.

“Of course.” She said without an ounce of shame. “Junior Sister Davina’s duty is to protect me and ensure my safety. Dying to save my life is an honor for her.”

Somehow, I doubted that Cultivator Davina would see it that way. Cultivator Blood Petal’ attitude disgusted me. It was as if the lives of others didn’t matter to her, not even those of her fellow disciples. Did I have it in me to let her go? While that was the more prudent decision, that didn’t mean it was the right one.

I glanced at Elliot. While he wore an impassive expression, I saw the conflict in his eyes. He didn’t know what the right choice was either.

“I recommend making your choice sooner rather than later.” Cultivator Blood Petal said. “My sect has no doubt already noticed the deaths of my fellow disciples. It’s just a matter of time before they send someone here to investigate. However, as long as I live, they won’t pursue this matter more than necessary.” Her expression hardened. “The reverse is true as well. If you kill me, they will stop at nothing to avenge me.”

I glanced at everyone. Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin already looked convinced. Even Cultivator Isabel seemed swayed by Cultivator Blood Petal’ words. The only one who didn’t was Willow. She clenched her fists and wore a frustrated expression on her face, as if she expected us to let Cultivator Blood Petal go. While I hated to see her like this, I couldn’t let that sway me. At the end of the day, I needed to make my own choice on the matter. To that end, I asked myself one simple question.

Would I be able to look myself in the mirror if we let Cultivator Blood Petal go?

No.

In that case, I already knew what I needed to do.

I performed a series of hand seals and a golden light emerged from my hands to form a golden seal formed from divine qi: Heavenly Seal. Before anyone could react, I sent the seal towards Cultivator Blood Petal. She tried to evade it, but the sudden attack caught her off guard. By the time she reacted, it was already too late. The Heavenly Seal bound her.

“Divine Demon!” Cultivator Blood Petal said, staring at me in horror.

She struggled to break out, but the Heavenly Seal held for now. Given enough time, she would free herself. However, I didn’t plan on letting that happen. I pulled a flying sword out of my storage bag. It was the one that Sidra gave me, right after I reached Foundation Establishment, the one meant for combat rather than travel. It was a high-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure.

I didn’t use it before, since I didn’t need it against Cultivator Beast Eater or the other Ancient Blood Sect disciple. However, I had no such hesitation when it came to a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. I sent the flying sword towards Cultivator Blood Petal. Despite her struggles, she didn’t manage to break free of the Heavenly Seal before the flying sword pierced her chest.

Cultivator Blood Petal stared at me with wide eyes, before she coughed up several mouthfuls of blood and fell limp. Her own flying sword fell to the ground. The only thing keeping her aloft was the flying sword in her chest, which presented a rather macabre sight.

The area fell silent as all of my companions stared at me in shock.