Chp 7 : Resistance.

*Hye-ryang POV*

I went back inside the cave behind the waterfall to look further ahead with the newfound determination.

I tried searching around for firewood to light fire with but due to the waterfall behind the cave I wouldn't light any fire because of the moist atmosphere around it.

I decided to continue as it is and went further ahead without any source of light but then suddenly,

*CRACK*

I heard that sound of something cracking and before I could think anything further the ground that I was standing on collapsed and I fell downwards head-first inside the cave.

I tried maintaining my balance and posture or to try to stop myself from the fall but due to the rubble from the ground collapsing together with me and the darkness in my surroundings I couldn't.

So I braced myself for the impact and covered myself like a turtle and continued falling.

*THUD* ~ *RUMBLE*

The sound echoed followed by a rumble while I fell headfirst into the ground and braced myself as I was then covered with the falling rubble from above which covered everything around me.

The rubble finally settled in and stopped falling so I could finally move and inspect myself for any injuries or get out,

I got up from the ground as I covered my body with Internal Energy and pushed the rubble above with my strength and stood up.

I checked myself again and fortunately I just had some scratches and a sprained ankle without any other fractures.

'But that leg is going to swell if I live it be'

I thought as I walked backwards towards the wall limping to take support and adjust my leg,

I took the support of the wall behind me and quickly twisted my ankle,

"Aa-Ouch"

I cried out in pain as I readjusted my ankle and felt nauseous for a few seconds before regaining my composure again.

I then sat down on the ground and started my Inner Energy circulation again to check for any internal injuries and recover my energy,

After a few minutes of energy circulation I stood up again after dusting the sand off of myself and resumed looking around once again.

I walked towards the place I fell from which was the only place with a little light inside this dark underground passage and then I back looked above towards the ceiling.

The ceiling which now had a huge hole in it and also the hole I fell from was exactly squared in shape, so I would expect this being a part of the formation and I looked around but I couldn't see anything in my surroundings except for the darkness.

I started to walk around carefully while supporting myself against the walls while being careful and slowly started walking around the passage.

I walked around the passage and the only thing audible inside the passage aside from the sound of my breathing was the sound of my footsteps - is what I thought when suddenly,

*PANG*

The sound of something hitting the wall right in front of me,

I was surprised by it suddenly appearing out of nowhere and jumped back a few steps away but then I regained my composure quickly as I had to inspect what it was if I wanted to get out of here.

I walked towards it calmly and cautiously while inspecting the walls carefully incase of any traps while I reached towards the thing that hit the wall,

I slowly reached out my hands towards it while being cautious of my surroundings only to discover it was - an arrow.

I calmed myself after finally inspecting it as I was worried about it being a wild beasts or something else but since it was only a hidden arrow which was often used in cave formations.

I calmed down after thinking about that.

I then started to regulate internal energy around my body to be able to dodge any other arrows from coming near me and continued walking once again,

I was extra careful this time while walking as I now knew there were formations around the passage and hidden weapons all around me.

I continued walking ahead while wondering how big this passage actually was and as I walking wondering that I was also dodging the hidden weapons shooting towards me at the rapid speed.

It occurred as if the arrows and other weapons were getting quicker as time passed and I felt like I was actually reaching nowhere in this dark passage.

I had lost both the sense of direction and time inside this passage as if I was stuck in the middle of an ocean without a compass, but atleast there was moonlight in the ocean at night to distinguish between day and night.

I was thinking such things to keep myself calm while walking ahead, as I was walking I noticed that the traps had decreased in numbers but the arrows were getting faster and more lethal.

They even had different types of poisons encased on the arrowheads and some even managed to scratch me multiple times.

I continued walking ahead while monitoring my surroundings and collecting the arrows and other weapons as I continued forward,

But then suddenly out of nowhere I felt goosebumps all over my body and felt an eerie feeling around myself,

I instantly readied my blade and started searching around myself with my 'Ki Sense' and utilising my perception to the maximum.

It was then as if to declare it's appearance or as if trying to mock me for not noticing it until now, it appeared trying to act majestic with its glowing vertically elliptical purple eyes being the only thing illuminating in the darkness.

*Slither-Slither*

It started slithering towards me as I was stepping backwards out of dread and the reason for my dread wasn't because I was scared it was a snake no it was because it was a human-faced snake and I had to be careful of it since it required being immune to atleast 100 different types of poisons to even being able to endure it's venom for long.

I was stepping back carefully while being mindful of my back for any traps I missed while walking in the passage but it looked as if the snake grew impatient of it quickly dashed towards me.

I got surprised by it and started throwing off the arrows and daggers I had collected before towards it.

It looked like it didn't even feel the need to feel threatened by them and continued dashing towards me at a rapid speed.

I readied my blade instead of the weapons this time and braced myself.

~HISS~SCREETCH~

It hissed and screeched as it dashed towards me at a rapid pace.

I then enveloped my blade with Ki and attacked towards it.

*CLANK*

It sounded as if the blade was struck against a heavy metal instead of an animals skin and the snake now instead looked pissed at the fact that it wasn't able to bite me at once.

It stepped back a few steps and dashed again but this time trying to encircle me, which was dangerous as it was still dark all around me and the only reason I could dodge and fight back till now was because I was focused on it's eyes and even I didn't know about it's size yet.

I thought and did the only logical thing I could think of in this situation - 'RUN'

I jumped above the snake and ran towards the opposite direction which I had still not inspected yet to save myself from the beast behind me, and as if to express his dissatisfaction or to display it's arrogance it started dashing behind me.

I was focused too much on my back because of that and got distracted from the ground while using my footwork technique and running and I tripped and fell face-first on the ground and tripped off my balance.

*HISS~HISS*

The Human Faced Snake as if trying to show off it's amusement at the moment hissed and dashed quicker behind me while I had tripped and fell down.

I was watching as it approached at a rapid pace while trying to stand back up but I couldn't,

I wouldn't stand back up no matter how I tried, it was as if my body was too scared to move and had surrendered itself to death instead of suffering.

I tried to fight back the feeling of dread I was feeling and stand back up but my body just wouldn't listen, it was as if it didn't want to live anymore and suffer and it just wanted me to give up.

'Why are you doing this?, Isn't it just what you wanted?' a projection of myself appeared infront of me.

'Isn't that what you always wanted for this suffering to end from this world?' the projection spoke.

'Isn't it right, you always wanted all this suffering and pain to end now it's ending, so why are you resisting?' the projection continued.

'Don't resist, the more you resist the more painful you will feel'

'Yes, that's right just give up and end everything then there will no longer be any suffering or pain just eternal peace'

'Yes, Give Up, Stop Resisting, It's futile anyways'

'Yes, Give Up, Give Up, Stop Resisting, Stop Resisting'

'Give Up','Give Up',…

'Stop Resisting','Stop Resisting',…

The voices continued echoing as I continued to try and get up and I felt as if I was starting to lose strength in my body, It felt like I was dying and crumbling away,

I started thinking about everything that had happened in my life, all the times I have spent with my family and my brother's family and with my brother and mother and then I thought about my father whom I never saw and thought I never could, will I be able to see him soon now,

If what the other cultists believe is true than all the believers of Chun Ma ascend to Sacred Realm and spend time with their ancestors there, then does that mean I could meet and get to know the answers of my questions soon, but if what brother and mother said is true then father isn't dead, even great grandfather said father can never die since he is Immortal, so will I be able to get the answers or not..

Looking at it now, it was because of this questions of mine that I wanted to be the Vice-Lord so much and wasted so much of my time thinking about them instead of training,

If only I had focused completely on my training instead of being distracted by these questions.

If only I wasn't always after the Vice-Lord seat or thirsted for the answers and instead focused on my training.

If only I hadn't given up...

Hah - What Bullshit, What am I thinking, I am not dead yet, there's no way I am dying not today not ever, not until I reach the end/peak of martial arts, everything else comes second, be it the answers, the Vice-Lord seat, or anything else...

I won't be tricked by this mind games, I want to live, I will never give up, I will never stop resisting, I will reach the end of martial arts, I can't die here by a puny snake.

I declared internally and determined my resolve and started trying to move again.

I thought I still couldn't be able to but surprisingly I could now.

I adjusted myself again and stood back up and as I focused at the snake again which was still dashing towards me but now had a shocked or surprised expression, I don't know which one to be exact since he only has the face of a human and I am not too sure about the emotional intelligence...

Anyway, I looked back at the snake and it didn't look as majestic or gigantic as it did before, if anything it looked as if he was becoming more and more cautious as time passed.

I continued running off towards the unexplored passage since I required some place with even a little bit of light to fight that beast off but as if thinking that as me being scared off of it again the beast continued dashing behind me following right behind my trails.

This continued on for a while as I finally approached the end of tunnel which was illuminating and reflecting with a little bit of nightlight.

I skipped my thoughts and continued running off towards the end of the passage with all my strength and attention focused as if my life depended on it which honestly did at this point since the snake was taking all the hits from the arrows and daggers of the formations but since it's speed hadn't decreased a single bit it didn't look like it caused any major injuries to it, if at all..

I dismissed my thoughts and focused on the exit, and as if reading my thoughts the snake grew impatient and launched itself towards me.

I thankfully noticed the snake on time and frantically dodged it and since it had already launched itself midair it continued on with the momentum together with it's huge body but now I couldn't cross the exit of the passage anymore.

Because, the snake had stopped itself right infront of the exit and started hissing as it encircled around the gate and started hissing while enjoying thinking it had now finally trapped me in the passage,

But just when it was finally enjoying the moment the last formation of the passage activated and it was as if the creator of this passage never wanted anyone to cross this passage because the last formation was that terrible,

Because, as soon as the snake stepped on them, multiple iron spikes appeared from all directions around the exit in an instant and the snake which was encircling the area got spiked by the iron spikes from all four sides, but surprisingly the snake bastard was still somehow survived.

It looked 'barely' alive in its present condition and looked like it was about to die instead.

I instantly readied my blade and dagger at this opportunity but this time I aimed at it's eyes since his body was already strong enough to survive the iron spikes and as if reading my intentions the snake got into the defensive and tried to break free but since it was still trapped by the iron spikes it still wouldn't move.

I took the opportunity and enveloped all my remaining Ki into the blade and stabbed it across his eyes.

*SCCRRREEEECCCCCH*

The snake started screaching as I stabbed and removed the blade multiple times repeatedly but I continued stabbing and dodging till the blade came off the side of his skin and he finally died.

To be honest I was thinking about torturing that bastard for toying with me for so long and also to release the anger I had bottled up since coming here or should I say falling here but I decided against it since I was already tired.

But anyway, the snake was now finally dealt with and I could now finally move forward but first I had to recover my Internal Energy before moving forward incase any other problems arise,

I almost died here in this passage only so I won't risk recklessly and blindly moving forward without any precautions just because I overcame a single hurdle I need to recover my strength and stamina first.

I thought before going into meditation to recover my Internal Energy and stamina again..

To Be Continued...