Shackles of Humanity

The Evil Qi above Ironwood Castle grew denser and denser, drawing in more from the surrounding areas until it swarmed over the fortress.

The very name "Evil Demon" was chilling. Gu Shun couldn’t help but shudder, inching closer to Hongyun. "Sister Hong," he asked, "are these Evil Demons really that terrifying? How come I’ve never heard of them?"

Hongyun’s face was pale. "It’s a secret among us Elemental Masters," she explained. "All things possess Spirituality. Whether it’s plants and soil or Golden Stone and flowing water, if you can achieve resonance with them, you can be called an Elemental Master. Beyond these, there are also forms of Chaos Energy that are difficult for humans to comprehend, and Evil Qi is one of them. This energy is violent and chaotic. Once someone resonates with it, they cannot escape the fate of becoming a puppet of the Evil Qi. They lose all reason and go on a rampage, slaughtering all living creatures until they become a pure life form composed entirely of this malevolent energy!"

...

In the main camp of the Nanzhao Kingdom, sleeping soldiers were suddenly plagued by nightmares. A few high-ranking officers stared grimly in the direction of Ironwood Castle. The more powerful one was, the more keenly they felt the disturbance. Just moments ago, a sense of panic and unease had washed over them, compelling them to gather in haste.

"Elder General Zhang, you are far more experienced than us. Do you have any idea what’s happening?" the others asked, turning to an elderly officer.

"Evil Qi," Elder General Zhang’s face was flush with a fanatical zeal. "Someone has stirred the Evil Qi! To think that I would live to see the birth of an Evil Demon!"

"An Evil Demon?" None of them had ever heard of such a thing. They were about to ask for more details when they felt the formless pressure and panic suddenly begin to recede, vanishing completely in an instant.

Elder General Zhang felt it too. "What a powerful Spiritual Will," he said, astonished. "To actually sever the connection to the Evil Qi!"

...

Some things, once acquired, are difficult to cast aside. When Luo Kai circulated his Qi and Blood with all his might, it wasn’t just his body; his entire being—his Essence Qi and spirit—was pushed to its limit. The invisible Evil Qi around him immediately sensed the frequency of his spiritual consciousness and actively sought to resonate with him.

At first, Luo Kai paid it no mind. But as his Qi and Blood began to burn, the inherent frequency radiating from his Life Magnetic Field grew stronger and stronger. It was like poking a hornet’s nest; the countless dormant streams of Evil Qi within the War Fortress were all awakened, gradually forming a vortex with him at its very center.

The five people beside him were caught in the crossfire, their consciousness immediately shattered by the violent Evil Energy.

An endless tide of Evil Energy seeped into Luo Kai’s body, battering his every cell and his Spiritual Will, trying to remake him into its vessel.

His skin was the first to be transformed. It rapidly turned a deathly gray, yet grew denser at the same time. The rampant Evil Energy then began to seep into his muscles and bones. If this continued, he would become one of the living dead—or rather, one of the Undead!

Large beads of cold sweat dotted Luo Kai’s forehead. His once-brilliant eyes had turned black as ink. His body was a secondary concern; the bulk of the Evil Energy was battering his Spirit, trying to assimilate his consciousness. He finally understood what Hongyun had meant by a forced Fusion.

’The highest virtue is like water. The frequency of flowing water is gentle. Even if two were to merge, it would be a relationship of mutual nourishment. But this rampaging Evil Energy is utterly possessive. If I’m assimilated, it’s doubtful my consciousness will even exist anymore.’

Luo Kai sat cross-legged on the ground, forcing himself to slow his heart rate, trying to sever the connection between his body and his consciousness. ’A faster Qi and Blood Circulation causes a sharp rise in the frequency of my Magnetic Field. Conversely, slowing it down should reduce the fluctuations. This might be the only way out of this crisis.’

An eternity seemed to pass. Luo Kai entered a strange, ethereal state where even the raging Evil Energy could no longer disturb his spiritual consciousness. A sudden enlightenment dawned on him. ’If the chaotic world outside is the Outer Cosmos, then the "self" guided by my own consciousness is my Little Cosmos. The Outer Cosmos may be powerful, but as long as I hold true to my core, my own Little Cosmos will not be swayed by it. Taken to a higher level, if you believe in the truth of something with absolute conviction, then it becomes truth!’

"Xiaoluo! Dammit, wake up! How the hell did you end up here?!"

He was jolted awake by a booming voice that sounded like a cracked gong. A large, stubbled face filled his vision. It was Black Bear. The perfect tranquility of his mind was shattered, replaced by a rush of complex thoughts.

Black Bear shook him for a good while, but seeing Luo Kai’s gaze remain vacant, he gave up and simply slung him over his shoulder. He strode away, heading for the underground bar where Hongyun was waiting.

"Sister Hong, get over here! What’s wrong with Xiaoluo? Dammit, he looks like a corpse!"

Hongyun rushed over. She patted Luo Kai’s cheek, then carefully examined his deathly gray skin. Her voice was grave. "He was too close to the center of the Evil Qi. It looks like he’s been affected by it!"

Luo Kai had already regained consciousness but was still mulling over his recent enlightenment. Hearing her, he shook his head and sat up. "I’m fine."

"No, this is serious! If we don’t deal with it soon, your whole body will be corroded by the Evil Qi!"

Hongyun’s expression was grave. After a moment’s thought, she pulled a Crystal Ball from her clothes. Inside it was a crystalline sphere of water. She caressed the surface, and wisps of water began to slowly seep out of the ball, coalescing into one.

Luo Kai immediately sensed a joyful, exuberant frequency radiating from it. "What is this?" he asked, puzzled.

"This is my Essence of Water. I’m going to see if I can use it to drive the Evil Energy out of your skin. Don’t resist, no matter what."

Of course, Luo Kai understood his own condition best. His skin had changed because of the Evil Energy’s transformation, but his deeper muscles and bones were unharmed. ’And I understand now,’ he thought. ’As long as my Spiritual Will is strong enough, any energy that enters my body must submit to my consciousness. This little bit of Evil Energy can’t really harm me.’ He quickly said, "You don’t have to. I’m really okay."

Hongyun ignored him. With a faint wave of her hand, the sphere of water attached itself to Luo Kai’s body and began to gently seep in, gradually breaking down and diluting the violent Evil Energy on the surface of his skin.

Luo Kai was helpless to stop her and could only let her do as she pleased. After a moment, his dry, gray skin did indeed become moist and smooth again. He couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, "This stuff really works!"

"It’s not enough," Hongyun panted. "The Evil Energy is too rampant. We have to find a Wood Element Elemental Master to get rid of it completely!"

Hongyun let out a long breath and recalled the sphere of water. It was visibly smaller now and slightly murky. Her own face was pale, her forehead beaded with sweat. She bit her lower lip gently, her beautiful eyes filled with exhaustion. Clearly, the effort had taken a great toll on her.

A wave of emotion suddenly washed over Luo Kai, as if some soft, hidden part of his heart had been touched. He stared at Hongyun without blinking.

When Hongyun looked up, she met his gaze. A faint blush crept across her pale, pretty face, and she quickly looked away.

Black Bear, having found a bottle of liquor in the bar, took a huge swig and boomed, "Sister Hong, there’s no way this city can hold. Dammit, I don’t know who the hell stirred up this Evil Qi, but everyone in Ironwood Castle is wandering around like their souls have been snatched. We need to figure out a way to leave. The Nanzhao Kingdom’s army will break through the walls at dawn for sure."

Hongyun regained her composure and nodded. "Right. I’ve already sent Old Gu to find Gao Gang. We’ll leave as soon as everyone is here."

Luo Kai also snapped out of it and stood up rather sheepishly. He stretched his limbs, secretly surprised. ’The last time I burned my Qi and Blood, it nearly cost me my life. But this time, not only do I not feel weak, I actually feel more vigorous than ever.’

Black Bear came over and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Xiaoluo, why don’t you come with us to the Dongyuan Upper Country? What’s so great about this godforsaken Southern Lordship Kingdom anyway? I’ll show you what a real metropolis is like, a world of decadence and splendor!"

Having experienced the wonders of his past life, Luo Kai wasn’t particularly interested in that sort of thing. ’Besides, the fighting tournament is in a little over a month, and I can’t break the promise I made to Liu Hou.’ He sighed. "I can’t. I still have business in the Xingma Kingdom, so I can’t leave just yet."

"Hmph... alright then. But make sure you come find us as soon as you’re done," Black Bear said. He chuckled. "If our squad had an Elemental Master, our Mercenary Corps would definitely break into the top ten."

Luo Kai walked over to Hongyun, scratching his head. He asked, a little sheepishly, "S-Sister Hong... that essence thing you just used, where does it come from?"

Hongyun rolled her eyes at him but still explained patiently, "That’s Elemental Essence. It’s an Elemental Master’s primary method of combat. Every Elemental Master begins cultivating their own Elemental Essence from the moment they achieve Elemental Resonance."

A flicker of interest crossed Luo Kai’s face. "How do you cultivate it?" he pressed.

"We’re Water Elemental Masters, so naturally, we cultivate it by extracting the Essence of Water. As for the specific method of extraction... that’s something that can only be grasped, not taught. It’s different for everyone. You have to figure it out for yourself."