15 Chapter no.16 New Discovery

[ Zhongli's POV ]

Lying in a meadow, I opened my eyes when I heard the voice of my wife. The grass beneath me was soft and cushiony, and the sun was shining down on my face, warming my skin. The birds sang a melodic tune that echoed through the air, and the flowers swayed gently in the cool breeze.

( ~ Wake up you lazy bum. ~ )

Standing up, I found a small ball rolling towards me. It was made of soft leather and was adorned with intricate patterns. I picked it up and held it in my hand.

( ~ Papa, throw it back. ~ )

Hearing the child-like voice, I looked up with a smile on my face before that smile went away as I saw my family staring back at me with their heads missing as blood dyed their clothes.

( ~ Papa, why did you leave us alone ? ~ )

( ~ ... ~ ) No words seemed to come out of my mouth as tears rolled across my face.

( ~ Honey, did you love us ? ~ )

A breath stopped as it had been caught by something as I reached out to my family.

( ~ Why did you watch us die ? ~ )

Hearing the words coming out of their mouths broke my heart as I ran towards them but the distance between me and them didn't seem to be shortening rather I seemed to have been left behind as a bloody mist rolled all across the meadow before my eyes opened as I found myself in a camp.

The camp was a makeshift shelter made of branches and leaves. It was situated in the middle of the meadow, and the bowman was sitting across from me, carving arrows out of wood. He was dressed in a dark tunic and leather pants. A quiver of arrows was slung over his shoulder, and a longbow was leaning against the wall.

" So, where are you from ?" I asked with the bowman ignoring me.

" What's your name ?" I asked while trying to make some small talk but like before the bowman ignored me.

Reciprocating the gesture, I focused on my weird discovery relating to my cultivation. Even though I was a peak Spirit Root Realm, after absorbing that blonde's blood, instead of breakthrough to the Affinity realm, I found that a new set of Spirit Roots had emerged from my elixir pools. Before absorbing the blonde's blood, my spirit roots were predominantly in Earth attributed realm but now I could feel that the new set of Spirit Roots that had emerged was of the Fire Attributed Realm.

Did that mean if I broke through to the Affinity realm I would be able to wield more than one element? The edges of my mouth moved upward in a smile as I realized that I should be able to wield multiple elements and subsequently multiple martial arts if my theory was correct. It didn't hurt to try, as my power hadn't stagnated with the double set of Spirit Roots rather it had gotten much stronger to the point I felt that I could easily destroy myself before I absorbed the blonde's blood.

I gazed around the camp and took in my surroundings. The camp was a small, makeshift shelter made of branches and leaves. It was situated in the middle of the meadow, and the bowman was sitting across from me, carving arrows out of wood. The sound of the wood being carved echoed through the air, and the bowman's breath was steady and steady as he worked.

Lin Lai suddenly came in and sat beside the crackling fire, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall of obsidian. She was dressed in a sleek, black suit that seemed to absorb the light of the fire, her eyes glinting like diamonds as she turned to me.

"I thought men were fun as compared to us, women, so why so gloomy?" she said, her voice laced with a hint of amusement. I couldn't help but glance up at her, my mind racing with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"What's the plan?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Lin Lai let out a soft chuckle, her lips curling into a wicked smile. "Oh, baby, why so serious? Our plan is easy. Monopoly over the prizes."

I felt a chill run down my spine at her words. "But weren't the rewards exclusive to winners?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around her logic.

"Oh, baby, you don't get it. If we kill those winners and gain a monopoly on the prizes, we will become a target for others, and the audience will love it. The weak vs the strong." Lin Lai's words seemed convincing enough as Zhongli and the bowman, who were sitting beside us, nodded in agreement.

"Senior, may I ask something?" Zhongli politely said, his voice tinged with a hint of respect.

"Ask away," Lin Lai said, her eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.

"Where are the others?" Zhongli asked, his eyes scanning the area around us.

"Oh, Hou Yi, you didn't tell our new friend," Lin Lai said, turning to the bowman, who shook his head. ( ~ Snap ~ ) At the instant of Lin Lai's snap, the trio was surrounded by cloaked figures holding onto various weapons.

Zhongli's eyes widened as he looked up before his face twisted into a frown. "They are puppets?" he said, his voice tinged with a hint of disgust.

"Correct, currently the only living members of our ragtag group are you, me, and him," Lin Lai answered back, her voice calm and collected.

I turned to the bowman, my mind racing with a mix of confusion and fear. "Oh, don't worry, he isn't a puppet, he just doesn't speak much," Lin Lai said, noticing my confusion.

"Can I ask one last thing?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Sure," Lin Lai said, her eyes glinting with a hint of amusement.

"Why did you choose me to be a part of your group?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Oh, baby, I saw the passion for living in your eyes. You were ready to do anything in your power to live and that hit me right here," Lin Lai said, pointing at her heart before exclaiming, "At that moment I knew that I wanted you."

[ Ding ] [10 coins have been gifted] I ignored the collar's words, I just smiled at Lin Lai. Her words may have fooled someone else but I knew that we were just pawns to her game and I would be a fool to trust this woman with anything.

( ~ Wooo ~ ) A pillar of blue light emerged from quite a distance away from the trio who frowned. "It's a trap," Zhongli immediately guessed with the other two nodding along.

"You think others may have made groups like ours," I said, my eyes scanning the area around us for any signs of danger.

"Probably, I don't think survivors at this point would be stupid enough to do such a stunt without a plan," Lin Lai said, her voice filled with a hint of uncertainty.

"So, what should we do?" Zhongli asked, his eyes scanning the area around us, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

Lin Lai's lips curled into a perverse smile, her eyes glinting with a hint of excitement. "We stick to the plan and take out anyone who stands in our way," she said, her voice filled with a hint of determination.

The three of us stood there, surrounded by the cloaked figures, our weapons at the ready. We were ready for anything that came our way, knowing that survival in this new world meant being willing to do whatever it takes.

The sound of the fire crackling and the howling wind filled the air as we prepared for our next move.

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In the eastern forest, a petite girl could be seen cultivating at the base of a towering tree. The wind blew gently through the leaves, rustling the branches and causing a figure to emerge from the shadows. Lin Lingtian, a tall and imposing man, stared at the woman in front of him with a cold and calculating gaze.

The woman, sensing his presence, quickly stood up, her eyes widening in fear as she realized who he was. But before she could even utter a word, Lin Lingtian's hand shot out, his fingers closing around her throat in a deadly grip. With a swift and merciless motion, he severed her head from her body, the sound of her death cry echoing through the forest.

"Come out, you cowards," Lin Lingtian exclaimed, his voice filled with a hint of contempt. And as if on cue, a group of men and women emerged from the trees and foliage, their weapons at the ready. They were dressed in ragged clothing, their faces twisted into masks of hatred and fear.

"Is this supposed to scare me?" Lin Lingtian asked, his lips curling into a sneer. Without warning, chains shot toward him, but like a leaf in the wind, Lin Lingtian gracefully dodged the attack. He then crashed his heel on the chains, hooking them all to the ground.

(~ Whack~)

A battleaxe cleaved through the air, aiming for Lin Lingtian's torso, but it was just an afterimage as Lin Lingtian's body disappeared revealing himself to be standing on their leader's head.

"Wait...." The leader's words were cut off by Lin Lingtian stomping on him turning the poor man into a paste.

Thinking this to be a hit to their morale, Lin Lingtian turned to find that everyone was looking at him with confidence.

( ~ Ying ~ )

Spiritual Qi blasted through the leader's corpse, enveloping Lin Lingtian in chains. But as he saw the leader's corpse riddled with explosive Talismans, he realized it was too late.

( ~ BOOM ~ )

The explosion rocked the forest, sending debris and bodies flying in all directions. Lin Lingtian's body was engulfed in flames.