Chương 25: Escape

Lia looked around the fortress more carefully, stepping over crumbling stones and ancient debris. Most of the interior had been reduced to dust and rubble over the centuries, but tucked away in what might have once been a small alcove, she discovered something that made her look closer. It was something that looked like a snow globe, about the size of her palm, filled with swirling mist that seemed to move around something deeper.

The sphere was made of what appeared to be crystal, but it felt warm to the touch and hummed with a faint energy that made her qi calm when touching it. A delicate silver chain was attached to it, it had obviously been worn ad a necklace before.

"What the hell is this?" Lia muttered, turning the object over in her hands. Before she could examine it further, a massive crackling sound split the air outside the fortress. Lia quickly slipped the chain over her neck, tucking the mysterious globe between her breasts as she crept toward one of the broken windows. A spatial rift was tearing open in the just outside the fortress much larger and more stable than the chaotic tears she'd seen before.

Through it stepped several figures in dark green robes, their faces hidden beneath deep hoods. They moved with the purposeful coordination fanning out to search this shard.

"Search every corner," one of them commanded, his voice carrying the authority of someone used to being obeyed.

"The Corpse Cleansing Sect has waited centuries for this opportunity. The orb must be here somewhere." Lia's blood ran cold. These were the same robed figures who had killed her—or rather, killed the original Lia. The Corpse Cleansing Sect was here. Had it somehow orchestrated the invasion of the Flowing Water Sect just to gain access to this pocket dimension? She didn't want to stay around to find out and calmed her qi as much as possible to stay hidden.

She pressed herself against the crumbling wall, as the cultivators spread out through the fortress. Her heart hammered as she realized her situation had just gone from bad to catastrophic. She was trapped in a halt collapsed pocket dimension with the very people who had murdered her, and apparently they were looking for something—possibly the very object now hanging around her neck. One of the green-robed figures broke off from the group, heading directly toward the throne room where Lia was hiding.

She looked around desperately for another exit, but the fortress had only one main entrance, and it was crawling with enemies. As the cultivator entered the chamber, Lia made a split-second decision. She gripped her staff tightly, channelling qi into it as quietly as possible. The parasite on her arm seemed to sense the energy and grew slightly more active, but she ignored it. Hiding behind the throne itself, she was hoping the cultivator would be distracted by the golden orb she had left there.

Without allowing her qi into the surrounding environment, she had no idea what cultivation level this person was.

"I have to risk it," she thought to herself. The cultivator approached the throne, his attention focused on the ancient bones and the empty golden core.

"A golden core," he muttered, leaning in to inspect it further. Lia had funnelled all her qi into what was called a water snake. It was one of the original Lia's best moves, but it was slow, so using it in battle wasn't that useful. But if used in a sneak attack, it could be devastating. That's when Lia struck. Moving as silently as she could, she sent her water serpent above the throne and had it strike down, wrapping around the robed person's body.

He struggled and went to scream for help, but that's what Lia was relying on. As he opened his mouth, the water serpent buried itself down his throat, drowning him as he struggled. The sound of thunder buried the struggle as the cultivator fell to his knees, choking on the qi-enriched water serpent. Her qi inside his stomach moved around his body like poison, destroying everything it passed. Lia quickly caught his body as it fell, preventing any sound that might alert the others.

Her hands shook as she looked down at what she'd done—her second kill, and this one had been cold, calculated murder rather than the desperate battle that had claimed the three Flaming Saber disciples. But she didn't have time for guilt. Working quickly, she stripped the dead cultivator of his green robes and hood, pulling them over her dress. The fabric was coarse and smelled of death and chemicals, but it would hide her identity. She held her ring over the body and brought it into her storage space.

Pulling the hood low over her face, Lia walked calmly toward the fortress entrance, doing her best to mimic the stride she'd observed from the other Corpse Cleansing Sect members. Her heart hammered as she passed two other green-robed figures examining the ancient weapons scattered around the courtyard.

"Find anything?" one of them called out. Lia shook her head and pointed at her crotch as if to say she had to relieve herself. She made it to the spatial rift, which was still crackling with unstable energy. Without hesitation, she stepped through—and found herself tumbling out onto a mountainside she didn't recognize, miles away from the destroyed Flowing Water Sect. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Behind her, she could hear the hum of the spatial rift.

"I have to get as far away as possible," Lia thought. The mysterious globe felt warm against her chest, its secret still unknown but clearly valuable enough to orchestrate the destruction of an entire sect. Lia started running westward across the unfamiliar mountainside, her legs pumping as fast as her Foundation Establishment cultivation would allow. The stolen green robes flapped around her as she bounded over rocky outcroppings and through sparse pine forests.

The eastern half of the continent was now overrun by that out-of-control Nascent Soul qi beast and its coordinated hordes. The green-robed Corpse Cleansing Sect would soon discover their missing member and begin hunting her. Her only hope was to reach the western edge of the continent, where according to her fragmentary memories, a massive bridge connected to the main continent—a landmass several times larger than this one, where she could disappear among millions of cultivators.

As she ran, the mysterious globe bounced against her chest beneath the robes, its warmth a constant reminder of whatever secret had cost so many lives. The parasite on her arm seemed to pulse in rhythm with her heartbeat, occasionally growing fatter and more active when she channeled qi to enhance her speed. Back in the dojo, Tim was struggling through Yui's latest torture session while trying to maintain his concentration split between worlds.

The jumping jacks had evolved into burpees, then mountain climbers, and now some sort of sadistic plank variation that had his Earth body trembling with exhaustion.

"Focus, fatty!" Yui barked, cracking her whip for emphasis.

"Your form is terrible! How do you expect to master the Soaring Phoenix Fist if you can't even hold a basic plank?" Riku, still swimming in Tim's oversized hoodie, was handling the exercises with considerably more grace. Varek was obviously having a much easier time than Lia. Himari was keeping pace as well, though Tim noticed she also seemed to zone out and be distracted at times too.

"Tim-sensei," Himari called out between exercises, "you seem really distracted today. Girl trouble?" She shot a meaningful glance at Riku, who blushed furiously.

"Something like that," Tim panted, sweat dripping onto the mat as he tried not to think about Lia's desperate flight through hostile territory.

"Oh, I knew it!" Himari grinned.

"So did you finally confess to Riku? Or did she make the first move?"

"It's not—we're not—" both Tim and Riku protested simultaneously again, which only made Himari's grin wider.

"Enough gossip!" Yui declared.

"Partner exercises! Himari with Tim, Riku with me. Let's see how well our 'Meteor Shower Sect' can actually work together." As they paired off, Riku caught Tim's eye and mouthed, "How's Lia?" Tim gave her the subtlest nod he could manage—alive, but in danger. Riku missed being able to message Lia in the other world.

"I hope Lia gets another communicator soon," she thought. Lia ran for several more miles before she dared to stop. The stolen green robes were slowing her down and would mark her as a target to potential enemes of this sect. She quickly stripped them off, dumping them and the corpse collector body. She resumed her desperate flight westward, channeling qi into her legs to maintain the superhuman pace that Foundation Establishment cultivation allowed. Lia ran through the night and most of the next day.

The landscape gradually changed from rocky peaks to rolling hills dotted with sparse vegetation. In the distance, she could hear the haunting howls and bone-chilling roars of qi beasts." Shit is a beast horde amassing" she thought. Riku had told tim about the events of the sect battle and how a wave of qi beqsts were destroyed. With the flowing water sect seal destroyed and the qi nascent soul best alive cities were bracing.

As the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of orange, Lia finally spotted what she'd been hoping for—the distant glow of spirit formations surrounding a major city.

According to her fragmented memories, this should be Ironhold, the primary stronghold of the Iron Fist Sect on this continent. The city was massive, easily ten times larger than the Flowing Water Sect's mountain complex. Towering walls reinforced with qi-conducting metal stretched for miles, topped with defensive formations that made the air shimmer with protective energy. Guard towers dotted the perimeter, each one manned by cultivators whose spiritual pressure she could feel even from this distance.

It seemed like a futuristic city different from the Flowing water sect. The huge turrets on it's walls promised protection. But between her and safety lay several more miles. The beast howls were getting closer. Gritting her teeth, Lia pushed her exhausted body harder, drawing deeper on her qi reserves despite the parasite on her arm eagerly drinking its share. The city gates were close now, and she could see the steady stream of merchants, travellers, and cultivators moving in and out even at this late hour.

Just a little further, and she might finally be safe. Several massive foundation level qi beasts burst from the treeline just behind Lia, their eyes glowing with predatory hunger as they caught her scent. The lead creature was a wolf-like beast the size of a small building, its dark fur crackling with lightning qi as it bounded toward her with terrifying speed. Lia's heart hammered as she heard their thunderous paws gaining on her.

Even with her early Foundation Establishment speed, the beasts were faster on their home territory. She could feel their hot breath and hear their snarls getting closer with each desperate stride.

"Help!" she screamed toward the city walls, not caring if it made her seem weak.

"Qi beasts!" The massive wolf leaped, its claws extended toward her back, when suddenly the air around Lia erupted in brilliant flashes of light. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Three consecutive blasts of concentrated qi energy lanced out from the massive turrets, each one precisely targeted. The wolf beast was caught mid-leap, its body disintegrating under the assault before it could reach her.

The two cat-like creatures tried to dodge, but the tower turrets tracked their movements with mechanical precision, reducing them to ash within seconds. Lia stumbled and fell to her knees as chunks of smoldering beast flesh rained down around her, some pieces landing uncomfortably close. The acrid smell of burnt qi and flesh filled her nostrils as she gasped for breath.

"Identification!" a stern voice called down from the nearest tower. A Golden Core cultivator in iron-gray robes was aiming what looked like a qi-tech gun like weapon directly at her.

"State your name, sect affiliation, and business in Ironhold!" Lia slowly raised her hands, showing she was unarmed.

"Lia, formerly of the Flowing Water Sect. I seek sanctuary—my sect has been destroyed."