Dust to Dust

The cave fell utterly silent.

The bodies of Lü Ci and Elder Mo lay motionless, drained of all life. The two Core Formation Elders of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect had long since breathed their last.

With that, everyone the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect had sent on this expedition, from top to bottom, had been wiped out.

Counting Elder Mo of the Fang Household, two Nascent Soul Cultivators had fallen in a single encounter. Who knew what an uproar the news would cause?

After all, once someone reached the Nascent Soul Realm, killing them for good through conventional means was exceedingly difficult.

A nascent soul had neither form nor substance. Once freed from its fragile mortal body, it could flee a thousand miles in an instant, making it almost impossible to catch.

As long as it found a suitable body to possess, returning to its former cultivation realm after spending some years cultivating anew was no great difficulty. The trouble it could cause afterward was endless.

But by the same token, once a nascent soul was destroyed, its soul truly scattered into oblivion, erased from the world entirely. That was precisely why Lü Ci had been so terrified and desperate moments earlier.

"Pah! Old bastard! Serves you right!"

Black Mountain spat at Lü Ci's corpse, his voice full of contempt, though excitement glittered in his bear eyes.

He walked over to Si Chen and patted his shoulder with an enormous paw.

"Brother, you're fucking incredible! You really opened this bear's eyes today! How the hell did you get that big fellow to listen to you?"

He simply could not contain his curiosity. The sight of Si Chen making the Corpse Flood Dragon turn on its masters with a single sentence had been so stunning that it still felt a little unreal.

It was not just him. Every surviving member of the Demon Race, Red Wind included, pricked up their ears and stared intently at Si Chen.

Black Mountain's pat made Si Chen sway. Red Bean gave an indignant chirp from his shoulder and pecked Black Mountain hard several times.

After some thought, Si Chen offered an explanation that made sense to him:

"It spent some time in my head before. Maybe it recognized me."

He was, of course, referring to the Flood Dragon Remnant Soul that had tried to invade his mind, only to be crushed by his Star Consciousness.

"Huh?"

Black Mountain's mouth fell open. He had not understood a word.

What did he mean, it had spent time in his head? Could something like that even fit inside a head?

Red Wind and the other demons exchanged bewildered looks as well, but they wisely refrained from asking further questions. This young fellow Si Chen had far too many secrets. Asking would not make them any clearer.

Beside him, Red Wind flicked his tail. "Brother, what do you plan to do with... that thing?"

Only then did Si Chen turn his gaze toward the Flood Dragon Corpse, which still stood there quietly, as though awaiting his next command.

It could certainly still be useful. With it clearing the way, he could probably swagger unchallenged through the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences and even farther afield.

But commanding dead things and manipulating remains... he did not like such methods.

Whether it was his Star Will, the vitality of the Yi Wood Eternal Spring Art he practiced in this life, or the upright strength of the Nine Tribulations Thunder Body, all were utterly incompatible with such sinister power.

He had used it against Fang Heng and Lü Ci only to make them reap what they had sown.

Without much hesitation, Si Chen said calmly, "Dust to dust, earth to earth. You may go now."

As his words fell, the Corpse Flood Dragon's enormous body shuddered slightly. What it had received was not an order, but... permission.

It was nothing more than a husk of flesh, forcibly awakened and denied its rest.

Now, it had been allowed to rest in peace.

Its stiff head dipped ever so slowly toward Si Chen, as though offering one final salute.

Then the black mist began to dissipate. Starting at its tail, its enormous body turned to drifting ash inch by inch, scattering through the cave.

The ashes settled gently on the unnoticed wild grasses growing in cracks between the stones in the corners.

The flood dragon that had commanded such power throughout its life, that had nearly become a dragon, finally returned to the humblest grass and plants.

No matter how powerful it had been in life, no matter how many setbacks it had suffered or tribulations it had endured...

All its ambition and might now became a handful of dust, part of the very world through which it had waged its battles.

Dust to dust, earth to earth.

Black Mountain watched the drifting ashes and smacked his lips. Though somewhat reluctant to lose such a powerful fighter, he still muttered:

"Good riddance, I suppose. It looked pretty damn ominous."

Red Wind rolled his eyes at him and said irritably, "Enough useless chatter. Fang Heng got away. We need to chase him down!"

He had not forgotten that the greatest threat had already slipped away.

At that, Black Mountain slapped his forehead with a paw. "Right! Nearly let that little bastard escape! Brother, let's go after him!"

Si Chen surveyed the bodies strewn across the devastated ground.

Although Elder Mo had died in battle, he had fulfilled his final duty as a guardian, buying Fang Heng precious time with his life. Si Chen raised his head and looked toward the opening Elder Mo had blasted through the cave wall. A dark passage lay beyond it.

"The Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences is so large, and it's easy to get lost. I doubt getting out will be that simple for him."

The demons: "...?"

Black Mountain and Red Wind, who had been bristling with murderous intent and ready to give chase immediately, both froze.

The two demons exchanged a glance, complicated expressions crossing their bestial faces. For a moment, neither knew how to respond.

Black Mountain rubbed his broad face hard with a paw. After struggling for quite a while, he finally said in a muffled voice, as tactfully as he could:

"Well... brother, is it possible that... not everyone is like you and spends two years wandering around the mountains?"

Afraid of hurting Si Chen's pride, he hurriedly added:

"What I mean is, that kid might be wounded, but when it comes to finding his way... perhaps, probably, maybe... he's just a tiny little bit better than you?"

He held two thick fingers an almost imperceptible distance apart.

The other demons wanted to laugh but dared not, so they fought desperately to hold it in, their shoulders shaking.

Their young brother's abilities were unfathomable, but his sense of direction truly was... unmatched under heaven.

Red Wind sighed and took over. "Si Chen, leave hunting him down to us. I'll give the orders right away and get every demon in the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences who can move searching. Even if we have to turn the whole mountain upside down, we'll find Fang Heng!"

Si Chen nodded at that. This was indeed the more reliable approach.

He did need to find somewhere safe as soon as possible and use the yang thunder within the Dragon Pearl to cultivate the second tribulation of the Nine Tribulations Thunder Body.

"All right," he replied, then swept his gaze over the ownerless Storage Rings on the ground. "Divide these among yourselves."

At those words, even Black Mountain's breathing grew heavier. Those rings held the entire fortunes of two Nascent Soul Cultivators and two Core Formation cultivators!

"Haha! You're a real brother!"

Without another word, demonic energy surged around Black Mountain, and his enormous bear body began to shrink and transform.

In the blink of an eye, an exceptionally burly man with thick hair and rugged features stood in his place.

His stance was somewhat awkward, however, and he kept twisting his neck and shoulders while grumbling, "This is fucking uncomfortable. Four legs feel much steadier!"

Seeing Si Chen's expression, Red Wind explained, "Once we reach the third tier, we can all take human form. This oaf and I just don't like it much. It ties our hands and feet. Our original forms feel more comfortable."

He himself still remained in his true Crimson-Eyed Tiger form.

Si Chen nodded, having learned something new.

After taking human form, Black Mountain moved much more deftly. He crouched and began stripping off the Storage Rings one by one, muttering as he worked, "Old bastard, still gripping it so tight even in death..."

Before long, all the Storage Rings on the ground had been collected.

Although Black Mountain looked rough and boisterous, he proved surprisingly methodical when dividing the spoils.

He emptied everything into a small heap, then distributed it fairly among every demon present according to their contributions and cultivation. He even set aside separate shares for those who had been wounded or killed earlier, intending to pass them to their kin.

"You helped block that old bastard's attack. This Magic Treasure is yours!"

"And you nearly had your ear sliced off just now. Take an extra bottle of pills!"

"Don't rush! Everyone here gets a share. I won't pocket so much as a scrap!"

He hollered loudly, but his distribution was orderly and fair. All the demons accepted it wholeheartedly, and the looks they gave Si Chen grew even warmer and more grateful.

They knew these things were actually Si Chen's spoils. By sharing them equally, he was truly treating them as his own people.

Watching this scene, Si Chen once again felt that ease he found in dealing with the Demon Race.

Once everything had been divided, Red Wind wasted no more time. With a low growl, he dispatched several demons known for their speed. They rushed out of the cave like swift winds, spreading the order to search for Fang Heng throughout the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences.

Black Mountain returned to his giant bear form and gave his fur a comfortable shake. "Now this feels right!"

He looked at Si Chen. "Brother, what's the plan now? Back to your den?"

Feeling the aura of yang thunder emanating from the Dragon Pearl in his Storage Ring, stirring his cultivation art into restless anticipation, Si Chen nodded.

"Yes. I need to enter seclusion."

It was time to welcome his next transformation.