The Creatures that We Are

Triangular Towers, Ni Nation.

It took no more than a few hours for the Heavenly Way to fix the deep pit in the desert like nothing had happened. That night, many residents outside the tourist sight were woken up by a thunderous explosion, but no one could tell for sure what had happened in the desert due to the fleeting sandstorm covering the entire area immediately following the explosion.

Of course, there were some residents who had witnessed the scene due to not having retired to bed. They claimed that a golden pillar of light had shot into the sky from the desert, but they didn’t manage to snap a photo in time.

There were various speculations about the strange phenomenon. Some claimed that it was an alien spaceship descending upon the world. Some said that it was God bringing down punishment and triggering a countdown for the impending apocalypse. Others theorized that it was the military experimenting with some sort of high-tech weapon in the hidden underground base and accidentally causing an explosion.

Every theory was more absurd than the previous one, but no one ever dug deep into the matter.

The second day, the tourist site opened to visitors since early morning just as usual. Many came to see the triangular towers, take pictures, and check in on social media. It was just another day.

…

Heart of the desert, one o’clock in the morning.

Under the life monster altar, the temple ruin had already been restored by the Heavenly Way. There was a hum. Then a blue orb of light appeared in the heart of the dark, empty temple courtyard like a will-o’-the-wisp.

Soon, the blue orb opened to the top and bottom and turned into a vertical crack. Then the crack expanded to the sides and became a portal with flickering blue light.

A few seconds later, four unclear and wavering figures appeared on the other side of the portal like reflection on a serene lake.

One after another, they emerged from the “lake”. They were Qilin, One Stone, Liao Liao, and Wandering Tune.

Holding his cane with his left hand, Qilin looked down at the ancient stone floor lit by the blue energy of the portal. At his feet was a shallow ditch filled with flammable substance.

He knew what it was. Taking a lighter out of the pocket of his trenchcoat, he flicked it and threw the lighter into the ditch.

Swoosh. The substance immediately ignited and spread into a line of flames on both sides, quickly splitting into more crisscrossing burning branches. In a matter of seconds, countless lines drew the pattern of a life monster. The quiet flames illuminated the empty, silent courtyard.

“Holy…”

One Stone gaped. She had seen the pictures before, but looking at the place in person now, she couldn’t help but be shaken by the awe-inspiring unknowable presence of the ancient, grand temple ruin.

One Stone soon realized that the obelisk and the black sarcophagus, the key features catured in the pictures, were gone. It seemed that not even the Heavenly Way could restore everything.

Amid the wavering firelight, Qilin had a dark look on his face. With his glasses reflecting the light, his eyes were obscured.

A few seconds later, he made an order in a low voice. “Liao Liao, recon.”

“Yes, sir.”

Liao Liao responded respectfully. She raised her hands and used level 5 Insects King. In no time, a large swarm of insects emerged from the portal behind them.

They hovered above Liao Liao’s head shortly like a dark cloud, then receiving Liao Liao’s will, they scattered into several swarms of black smoke.

Liao Liao remained where she was with her eyes shut, listening to the psychic waves the insects sent her way with full attention.

In less than two minutes, Liao Liao opened her eyes and let out a long breath. “I’ve looked everywhere in this area, Guildmaster. There’s no living person outside of us. And I don’t think there’s an ambush…”

Qilin stayed silent. He knew Liao Liao wasn’t done yet.

After two seconds of hesitation, Liao Liao added, “I found a body on your four, sir.”

“Whose body?”

“I don’t know. The insects aren’t smart enough to tell.”

The air curdled with heavy and strange tension. One Stone exchange glances with Liao Liao without saying anything.

Wandering Tune smartly stayed quiet.

Qilin’s left hand tightened around his cane. The previous day, in early morning, the Ocean River Union had stopped the Nine Scions’ bomb attack and returned to the underground base to recuperate. Then Qilin and Surnamed Li had been waiting for Yan Liang and Azure Dragon to get back to them. They even contacted the two men twice, but couldn’t reach them.

Qilin had guessed then that they must have encountered Gao Yang, and that things hadn’t gone as smoothly as planned. The two groups must have had a intense clash.

However, Qilin was confident in his people. Yan Liang and Azure Dragon had brought a group of elites, and they had set up an ambush beforehand. Outside of those who had attacked the underground base, Gao Yang could only bring Qing Ling, Ke Yo, and Can with him among the Nine Scions. They didn’t have enough power to be the Union’s match.

Yet Yan Liang and Azure Dragon remained unreachable even when the day broke. Only then did Qilin realize the severity of the situation.

What happened in Ni Nation could be worse than he imagined.

Nevertheless, Qilin held onto his wishful thinking.

It wasn’t until Azure Dragon and Yan Liang remained unreachable at noon that Qilin could no longer sit around. He immediately set out for Ni Nation with Liao Liao, Wandering Tune, and One Stone.

Liao Liao’s Follow Heart was best for group activity, and with six Talents, she was a formidable fighter.

Wandering Tune would make it easy for them to enter the temple ruin under the desert, while One Stone was the best healer outside of Vermilion Bird, able to treat the injured if there was any.

It was early morning when the four of them rushed to the triangular towers in Ni Nation nonstop.

Qilin collected himself and said in a low voice, “Liao Liao, lead the way.”

“Yes, sir.”

Liao Liao led them to the body.

Although her insects had scouted the place, Liao Liao still moved slowly, on high alert for any dangers that might strike. All the while, she had been crying out in her mind, I said I didn’t want to go to the frontline. Why must you take me every time! With power comes responsibility?! Did I fucking ask for all these Talents?!

Something’s not right. It’s 120% not right. I couldn’t have guessed right, could I? Did something happen to both Elder Azure Dragon and Yan Liang?

Liao Liao’s eyes focused suddenly. There was a body lying ahead, a headless one.

The clothes were tattered and torn, and the body covered in wounds. The fight must have been intense.

There was something strange about his body. It seemed tall and big, yet a closer inspection revealed that the body was sunken in, as if it had…lost its substance.

Two seconds later, Liao Liao jumped, her eyes widened.

She recognized it. The body belonged to Azure Dragon.

“Agh!” One Stone cried out and immediately rushed up to the body, kneeling on one knee. She looked it over closely, right hand still clutching on the handle of her medicine kit but not opening it. It wouldn’t do any good, clearly.

She looked up with a pale face and said shakily, “Guildmaster! It’s…it’s Elder Azure Dragon…”

Qilin remained where he was with a dark look on his face, silent.

“Guildmaster…that way…” Wandering Tune’s expression was grave, too. He turned to the side and pointed at a stone pillar. There was something protruding from the pillar.

Qilin walked up to it, limping slightly with his cane.

One, two, three steps…

His legs had never felt so heavy, and his body so exhausted.

Finally, he reached the stone pillar, and indeed, there was something else attached to it—Azure Dragon’s head, with blood coming out of his orifices.

The Heavenly Way was getting visibly weaker. It made such a great mistake when restoring the underground ruin and ended up treating an awakener’s head as part of the ruin, embedding it into the stone pillar.

Azure Dragon’s head happened to be at Qilin’s eye level. The man had lost his eyes, leaving only two black sockets with curdled blood.

The two empty holes “stared” at Qilin.

With the light of the flames illuminating Qilin from his back, there was no longer a glare in the glasses perching on his nose. His dark green eyes seemed like the frozen surface of a lake, under which wasn’t rippling water, but blazing fire.

Shit!

Hit with an ominous feeling, One Stone immediately shouted at Liao Liao and Wandering Tune, “Shut your eyes!”

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