Chapter 28: Breaking into the Warrior Realm


    Now, Yang Wu had made the skin-d skeleton angry.


    He sensed the powerful pressure bear down on him again, bowing him over. He looked like he might snap in half.


    How dare you try to bargain with me? hissed the creature, his sharp re boring into the young man.


    Yang Wu stood his ground. In here, my survival depends on you. If I dont demand a few conditions, youll kill me the moment I save you. If thats the case, you might as well kill me now. See if anyone will help you destroy the ritual array then.


    He had caught the enemy by his Achilles heel. No one but a King could endure this endless bloody aura, yet if a King approached the altar, this skeleton would not stand a chance with his current strength. The situation was a paradox.


    I cant believe that I, a King, am reduced to bargaining with an insignificant Foot Soldier. How repulsive! the skin-d skeleton grumbled, indignant. After a pause, he let out a baleful howl, Damn you, Evil Boy King. How dare you imprisoned me here for two hundred years! Ill kill you once Im free!


    Of course, Yang Wu had no idea what the skeleton was talking about, but the pressure he faced was bing too much to bear. Simultaneously, he circted the Supreme Nine Profound Art and slid into the Dragon Turtle Water Suppression Stance, attracting a massive amount of water from the earthly spirit spring through the soles of his feet. Suddenly, his twelve major meridians and minor meridian, as well as the thirty open acupoints, resonated.


    <em>Whoosh! Whoosh!</em>


    It sounded like whistling arrows flew through his meridians while cyclones spun at his acupoints. Soon, the soundsbined, creating something he had never heard. The vibration grew even more intense as if his body were undergoing an incredible transformation.


    As the meridians and acupoints rang, Yang Wus body sucked in arge amount of the bloody aura. A stream of the unique energy from below the altar also began to merge with the Supreme Nine Profound Art, hastening its cirction. This heightened the peach-pit dantians ability to absorb the energy, and as a result, he absorbed a small portion of the concentrated bloody aura from the altar as well.


    The scene astonished the skin-d skeleton.


    This young man has a technique to consume the bloody aura? Dont tell me hes an inheritor from the Blood Fiend Sect? The skin-d skeletons knowledge was expansive, and he easily understood Yang Wus situation at a nce. It only emboldened his hopes of escape.


    The world had a number of techniques, but finding one that could consume and refine this aura would be difficult, barring a few extremely rare evil arts. The Blood Fiend Sect was a nation-nurturing faction but not one of the Xia Dynasty. It was also located rtively far away. It was one of the six sects, equally as famous as Mount Emei, located on the Xia Dynastys border.


    Yang Wu was hardly aware of the Blood Fiend Sect, though. The Supreme Nine Profound Art and his peach-pit dantian were the only reasons he withstood the bloody aura around him. If not for these gifts, it would have killed him by now.


    At this moment, he felt as if he stood at the top of the world.


    He had not expected to step into the Warrior Realm, which he had never previously reached, in his current predicament. The energy raging within him felt truly majestic. His newly opened minor meridian functioned as a link between his twelve major meridians and his acupoints, elerating the circting Profound Energy within and multiplying his manifested power.


    It felt as if this Profound Energy could burst out of him whenever he willed it, allowing him to shield his body in energy. It was another characteristic of a Warrior.


    The skeleton withdrew the pressure, unhappy that he had only assisted this young mans breakthrough into the Warrior Realm. The man before him would likely have needed some more time to fine-tune his cultivation before taking this critical step if left unaided.


    After a while, Yang Wu looked up, locked eyes with the skeleton, and smiled. Thank you for your help, Senior! he said respectfully, offering a cupped-fist salute.


    He knew the skeleton was no friend and would kill him if possible, but he was too pleased with histest achievement to care.


    Hmph, even after that breakthrough, youre still only a Warrior. Ending you would be as easy as ughtering a chicken for dinner! the skin-d skeletonmented with a snort, annoyed.


    Youre not wrong, but no one would help set you free if I died, Yang Wu confidently reminded the being. Without waiting for a reply, he continued, My three conditions arent too demanding, actually. First, you must promise not to kill me after I set you free. Second, you have to offer me your protection for a time, and third, set Uncle Wan free. You dont think these conditions will be too hard to meet, do you?


    Are you trying to rip me off? I can agree to the first and third conditions, but the second is impossible! the skeleton hissed in answer.


    Why not? Yang Wu was not inclined to give up.


    Youre not worthy! the skin-d skeleton mocked.


    Hurt, the young man silently wailed, <em>Im a prim and proper viscount! In what way am I unworthy?</em>


    Of course, he did not say that aloud. He would not dare risk his life further byining to his enemy.


    Then, we shall die together! After all, Im just a prisoner here. My death is no big loss! Yang Wu tried to put up a brave front.


    The skeletons re sharpened, and he refused to waste more time on this young man. Opening his mouth, he proposed, I will agree to your first and third terms. However, rather than meeting your second condition, Ill teach you a King ss technique.


    Weve got a deal! Yang Wu agreed without a second thought.


    He had hoped to secure a free bodyguard to protect himself, allowing him to cultivate in peace. Unfortunately, he could not force the skeletons hand.


    But acquiring a King ss technique was not a bad bargain.


    Truthfully, King ss techniques were few and far between in the empire. Only powerful factions that supported nations like Mount Emei possessed such rare treasures. Sadly, no average man was allowed entrance to a celestial ce like Mount Emei.


    Besides, no matter how he looked at it, this skeleton was a formidable force, one that could easily take down a top cultivator like Wan Tianlong. Yang Wu had no reason to doubt his enemys status as a King or its ability to gift a King ss technique.


    Why arent you destroying the ritual array since weve now reached an agreement? the skin-d skeletonined.


    Yang Wu exined, You need to release Uncle Wan first, or hell die here, voiding our agreement.


    The skeleton said nothing, only snorted as he sent some energy into the dying man, shoving him away from the bloody altar.


    As the poor man tumbled away, Yang Wu shouted instructions, Big Sister Lanxin, get Uncle Wan out of here! I still have something I need to take care of. Do not let anyone close to this ce. Their lives will be in danger. Keep this in mind, please!


    From beyond the bloody altar, Wan Lanxin and Zhang Xiong heard the shout and spotted Wan Tianlong falling from the altar. The two of them rushed forward to catch him.


    Dad!


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    Warden!


    The two captains shouted simultaneously.


    Seeing the warden alive, relief shed across their faces. The woman immediately retrieved a healing pill and fed it to her father.


    Uncle Zhang, get my father to the infirmary now! Wan Lanxin barked at Zhang Xiong.


    Come with us, Young Miss. Your little brother told us to leave together.


    No, Im going to wait for him! The woman was resolved to stay.


    ThenIm so sorry! Zhang Xiong abruptly reached out, striking the unsuspecting woman in the nape and knocking her out cold. He carried both her and her father out of the pit. Before leaving, he yelled back to Yang Wu, Hang in there, young man! If anything happens to you, Ill burn paper money in your honor.


    [TL Note: The Chinese burn paper money, also known as hell notes, to the dead and deities as an offering. The paper money is just paper, and modern ones have some designs printed on them. The Chinese believe that the paper money would turn into real hell money for the person they are offering it to. There is a folklore that exins why this culture developed. There was a couple who earned a living by selling paper. However, business was not very good, so the wife came up with an idea. She told her husband to y dead. Then, she set a grand funeral and burned the paper that they made, tomemorate her dead husbands upation, attracting a lot of attention. Then, her husband came back to life, iming that the king of hell let him return because his family sent him enough money to pay for all his sins. When questioned where the money came from, he said that it was the paper his wife burned, that they turned into money in hell.]


    This man was indeed one of action. Without further dy, he dragged the father-daughter pair out of the dangerous pit.


    Inside the bloody altar, Yang Wu got to work, breaking down the ritual array.


    The art of forming ritual arrays was considered a rare skill, which not many couldprehend. This cumbersome and mysterious art form not only required a lot of effort and patience to learn, but more importantly, it demanded outstanding talent. Without that, great achievements in this field would be nearly unreachable for a cultivator within a single lifetime.


    Having never encountered a ritual array, Yang Wu did not understand the intricacies of this underground ritual array. He could only rely on the skeletons instructions. At each specified location, he used the Tiger Fang Saber to break the nodes, slowly unraveling the ritual array.


    However, the skin-d skeleton did not warn him about the nodes defensive energy. Once a node was disturbed, this defensive energyunched a counterattack. As Yang Wu dug about sixty-six centimeters into the first node, the saber struck the defensive energy, throwing him back.


    <em>Pfft!</em>


    The weapon fell his hand, and fresh blood spurted from between his lips. The impact was like an experts punch, sending him flying over two meters away. His bones felt as if they were about to snap.


    Useless bump! the skeleton chided.


    Lying pathetically on the ground, Yang Wu moaned, Youre wee to break the ritual array yourself, Senior.


    I will, then! the other man responded before the bloody aura coalesced and curled around Yang Wus body.


    The aura began to control his movements, forcing him to take up the saber again and sh at the node.


    No! Yang Wu screamed, at the skeletons mercy. With no power to resist, he was thrown, again and again, helpless against the defensive energy.


    <em>Smash!</em>


    Seemingly possessed by the King, the strength he used to wield the saber multiplied drastically. After a heavy strike, the node exploded, and the saber left a deep sh where it had hit. The impactcerated Yang Wus arms, blood flowing freely. He felt as if he had been maimed.


    Argh!


    The pain cut through the poor man as he wailed in agony. But that did not deter the skeleton. Controlling Yang Wus body, the creature walked him to the next ritual array node and struck hard.


    The young man had be a mere puppet, suffering at anothers hands!


    ------ Hope you guys are enjoying the series so far. At the moment, we are struggling a little to get things on track, but once we do so, we will be increasing the release pace.