Destiny in Cinders

Did he start to develop that pathetic sense of superiority after eating some people?! An Jing took a deep breath and felt the rage within him spreading out in waves. "If all you did was rebel against Grand Chen without eating humans, I would definitely join you. I would join you and overthrow the current order and dynasty to create a new world order! However, I will not choose between despots or maneaters!"

An Jing's original plan wasn't really to escape. Even with the option to use Yvelbane to explore the other world, he hadn't really wanted to leave Direlife Manor or the demonic cult. After all, his capabilities, lifearc and ability were all his bargaining chips.

Like the manor lord had said, he and An Jing had an unspoken understanding. He would close one eye to An Jing's antics while An Jing would eventually make the choice to join the demonic cult in exchange for the survival of the children. After all, the disaster children of this batch were his comrades. Since An Jing was such a talented genius, he was given the right to assert himself. Such was the rule of eat or be eaten! The right to decide who lives or dies was his reward for being so outstanding.

Perhaps many in the past who had amazing lifearcs like An Jing had made identical choices. After unleashing all their rage, terror, sorrow and bewilderment toward the state of the world's true nature, they would eventually choose to accept the authority that the cult bestowed on them and end up becoming a high-ranking member.

In fact, all the demonic cult had to do was reframe what they were doing. They could have told An Jing and the rest that those who were eliminated would be killed for the benefit of those that remained, continuing to aid and strengthen their power in the meantime. Instead of cruel slaughter, it would be a righteous sacrifice that would further their just cause. Given all that, An Jing really couldn't argue against the cult's means. He was righteous by nature, and even that could be twisted to fit the cult's goals with the right framing.

However, An Jing didn't argue against Bai Qinghan nor the manor lord. "There is no point in talking this out. In a moment like this, action is the only thing that counts."

The manor lord exclaimed in delight, "An Jing mastered his ability too?!"

An Jing closed his eyes as Bai Qinghan watched. He thought back to the human meat that people ate back at the refugee camp, the sludge in the medicinal vats in Direlife Manor, the corpses scattered across the snowy northern frontier, the bones that surfaced in the medicinal sludge and the empty husks within the dungeon.

Is this all this world has to offer? He grit his teeth as rage surged within him. The rage wasn't just directed at the demonic cult. Instead, he loathed all past events that had resulted in the current state of the world. I will not accept that!

When he opened his eyes once more, his eyes were incredibly dark with faint traces of gold and crimson that resembled dying embers, giving off only the slightest bit of light amidst dark soot. He grasped the air, causing the meridian pathways within his arm to emit blood-colored light. Then, a sword with a bloody blade and a golden lethal core appeared in his hand! He had formed lethal qi into a weapon he could wield.

"Right now," he said, sword gripped tightly in his hand without any trace of hesitation, "all I want to do is talk with my sword."

He took action; there was nothing in his eyes but the purest rage and killing intent. Ignoring Bai Qinghan, he leaped toward the manor lord and flicked his wrists inward, applying Armorpierce Impetus to his forward thrust. The air itself tore audibly as the tip of the blood-colored blade soared across it. The sword didn't behave like a blade at all. Instead, it was like a spear that would pierce through walls of heavily armored people!

"Child, don't think that you're a match for me just because you mastered your ability." The manor lord's eyes flashed with green flames. Though he was delighted at An Jing's progress, he was also angry. There were many things he had to worry about on that day. There was An Jing's rebellion, the ambush of the Crimsonguard and the traitors within the cult that had led Sage Mystic Mirror to their doorstep.

With all that rage pent up in him, he smirked and formed his hand into a claw, pulling a blade from one of the instructors and infusing it with a trace of green, toxic power. Bright patterns surfaced on the blade before the manor lord swung it swiftly like a butterfly's wings. The naked eye almost couldn't make out its silhouette.

With a loud clang, the sword and blade clashed in violent fashion. An Jing was sent flying some distance away. The shock from the clash was so intense that his clothes and skin tore at multiple spots.

On the other hand, the manor lord's expression shifted at the sight of the trembling blade in his hand. He rapidly took a step back, crushing the bones on the ground underneath him and leaving a large imprint in the ground. How could the Fortification Realm manor lord end up inferior in that clash of strength?!

"The... River Aura Stage?!" The old man looked at the chip in his long blade in amazement. "When did you break through?!"

He wasn't expecting an answer to that question and immediately took another step forward.

An Jing landed steadily on the ground and did the same. Though his aura was only at the River Aura Stage, he was still young and vigorous with firm foundations, whereas the manor lord's vigor had started to deteriorate with age. He also didn't have any strength-boosting wonders, so his only asset was his more advanced cultivation.

Their contest of strength disturbed the ground around them, crushing rock and sending shrapnel splashing into the river. The disaster children who had chosen to follow Bai Qinghan had run far away, not daring to watch the fight. Bai Qinghan's brow furrowed as she used the Profound Yin Water Arrows around her to block the shockwaves.

An Jing was fighting the manor lord in close combat, not giving her any chance to step in. But in the end, that wasn't necessary either.

As their blades clashed, the manor lord's eyes flashed when he used his wonder: Ocular Blaze. Lethal green flames manifested near An Jing and shot toward him menacingly.

An Jing felt pain merely from the sight of the flames, but he opened his eyes wider to pay attention to their trajectory. Then, he shifted his footwork, getting into an odd bridge pose to avoid the strike. Even so, that evasion had put him at a disadvantage.

By the time he had recovered from the movement, the manor lord already swung his blade forcefully toward him. The clash caused both of them to lose their grip on their weapons. Given that An Jing's sword was merely a manifestation of his ability, it fared worse off against a proper blade infused with lethal qi.

The moment he realized that he was losing his grip on the sword, he used his aura to swing his arm, flinging the sword with full force. That throw alone had consumed close to a third of his aura reserves, sending the sword whooshing through the air and leaving a bloody trace in its wake.

Bai Qinghan dodged to the side just enough to avoid the sword, but it had landed right where she had stood and exploded, sending shrapnel all over the place. She closed her eyes and raised her arms, splitting the frost around her into two ephemeral sleeves that shielded her body from the broken rock. Though the attack didn't really threaten her, it was enough to take her out of the fight for a few moments, which was all An Jing needed!

The disarmed manor lord levitated in the air as he emanated dark-green lethal qi, targeting An Jing with his wonder: Dantian Ocean! A powerful wave of toxic dark-green lethal qi shot toward An Jing and instantly enveloped half of his body.

That's enough. The manor lord thought that he only needed to melt away An Jing's skin to teach him a lesson. He was a talent that headquarters needed in the future, after all, so going too far would only ruin his future plans.

Right as he was considering pulling back some of his power, however, thunder crackled ten times in loud succession! The manor lord suddenly raised his arms, gathering lethal qi in his palms as he executed a defensive palm technique, blocking the many metallic objects that flew his way. Alas, that had happened far too quickly.

He looked down at his chest. "What in the world are these?!"

There were two thumb-sized holes on his chest, so deep that his bone and trembling heart was visible through it. No martialist of the Fortification Realm could possibly block bullets completely!

An Jing slowly emerged from the toxic cloud of lethal qi, which had yet to corrode his aura-protected skin. He emerged mostly unscathed with only a few flesh wounds. In his hands were two large-caliber handguns, wafting with green smoke. He had brought guns to a swordfight!