I'd have been better off selling spirit herbs

"Set you free? Have you gone crazy?!"

Lee Chun Hua was appalled at the condition that her other half laid down. Instead of letting her other half rampage freely, then she would just surrender herself to the beasts. She scoffed and folded her arms.

"Like I'll ever let a monster like you take control."

The other Chun Hua looked slightly displeased as she put her hands on her slender waist.

"Oh come on. Just because I tried to kill father - and almost succeeded in bringing down an empire - as a forty season old child, doesn't make me a monster. Instead it makes 'us' a monster, because we were one being back then. My thoughts are your thoughts and your wants are my wants too. Just like with the pretty boy. Seth was his name right?...."

"Shut up!"

"Oh, right. You lost interest in him since he turned out to be a dud cultivator. But when I'm in control, I'd like to know what dual cultivation feels like..."

"Shut..."

"Oh, and then I'll probably kill senior sister Min Min. She has quite a lot of yin energy, and it makes me kind of jealous..."

"I'll never ever let you take control of my body!!"

Chun Hua was breathing hard. Whenever she and her other side had a serious argument, whomever was in control of the body would suffer for it. An excruciatingly painful migraine was pounding in her head as she spitefully glared at the other persona.

"You'll... never ever... have control!"

***

Seth brushed off Xin Minxia's hand that had somehow found its way to his laps as he continued in his story.

"Then we trekked the desert and ended up here... would you stop that?!'

Xin Minxia chuckled lightly, as her hand found its way back to where it was before.

"Its impressive that you two managed to survive in a desert, but I still don't see why I should make my self your ally. Besides, if I were to find the rest disciples of the Ashen Flame clan, what happens then?"

Seth smiled and crossed his arms. He had gotten the older young woman in his trap already.

"Well, the Imperial guy said that only ten people will survive at the end of it all. Do you really think position matters right now? You might be the granddaughter of the clan head, but they would not break up their alliances because of you, you know. The most they would do, is not killing you to take out the competition."

The greatest human emotion was fear, and the greatest type of fear was the fear of death. The black haired youth had sown seeds of fear and doubt into the heart of Xin Minxia, and they had begun to bloom.

"I see... But there is a variable, you see, my cousin Lee Chun Hua could never stab me in the back. If I were forming an alliance, then I'll form it with her. Oh, and I'll take your lackey with me while I'm at it."

"Hey I'm not a lackey!"

Baek Daechul stood up with annoyance. However, Xin Minxia flicked her finger, and we crashed down to the ground. She was one of the best at Qi manipulation, and telekinesis was only one out of a few hundred techniques obtained at the Qi manipulation realm. The fact that Baek Daechul was easily pulled down meant that she was leagues stronger, despite being in the same realm. Seth had to be really careful with this woman, as she could kill him in an instant.

"Well,..."

The black haired young man had been crafting a dagger all this while in case she did not fall for his petty tactics.

"I'm the only person who can kill the demon abominations."

This was his hidden trump card and he did not really like to expose it willy nilly, but having this woman by his side would be a tremendous advantage.

"I see..."

Xin Minxia sighed as she stroked her chin. As a matter of fact, she had long since agreed to his alliance within her heart. No one knew, but she was actually a regressor who had lived through at least thirty lives. Each and every time, she had either died during the Imperial Sky Emperor's trial, or died when the gods came down and destroyed the Empires. There had never been anyone who could damage the demon creatures no matter how many regressions she had lived through, but in this round, there was this Seth guy. She had never seen him in any of her regressions before, that alone made him a variable. And with a never seen before variable, maybe - just maybe - she might be able to make this regression her last. With a sly smirk on her face, she outstretched her hand.

"Well then, I agree to your alliance. I'm Xin Minxia by the way."

"Sethren Serpentis. And that red head over there is Baek Daechul."

Seth replied back with a small smile. But Baek Daechul was not smiling. Instead, he was deep in thought.

'I wonder what happened to my clansmen...'

Xin Minxia had a point when she asked what would happen when they were to come across the survivors from the Ashen Flame clan, and the red haired youth could not help wondering what had happened to the survivors of the clan disciples that he had arrived with.

***

"Damnit. The abominations are coming!"

"Hide!!"

'Oh, if only Daechul-ssi were here, he'd show these beasts whose the boss!'

The loud thudding of feet resonated within the small cave as the abominable hideous monstrosities that populated the Trial Grounds had begun their nightly hunts. Humans who were supposed to be at the top of the food chain, hunting beasts and living large, were now cowering in the caverns while praying that the monsters would not find them.

"Aaah! They've got me!!"

"Help! Help me!!!"

The disturbing sound of flesh tearing apart was followed up by the nauseating smell of human innards being spilled out, as the creatures feasted on the unfortunate man.

"N-No! Please! Someone! Anyone! I need help!"

Her comrades were all caught and killed one by one, and Park Ju-Hui could not help but regret her decisions.

'Why did I not just stick to selling spirit grade herbs?!'

The smell of blood was growing thicker, and it was only a matter of time before she herself would be discovered.