Chapter 186: Down the Hole

Yang watched in horrified fascination as bright, oxygenated crimson blood poured forth, far more liquid than the small vial could logically hold, and began to flow steadily through the ancient stone grooves carved into the floor.

It was difficult to fully process that his Senior Brother had been carrying human blood in his storage ring as if they were energy drinks. The longer he spent around his Senior Brothers, the more his soft, idealized image of the White Cloud Sect continued to distort. 

He shook off the thought, refocusing his attention on the altar.

The moment the blood reached the first intersection, the carvings ignited with a deep red glow. The light expanded rapidly along the network in every direction, filling the carved divots completely and channeling toward several glowing convergence points. Senior Brother Fan Xiao hovered in the air above, monitoring the pattern as it flared to life.

Yang watched as thin trails of blood extended from the central formation outward, reaching the four statues. As soon as the blood came in contact with the base of the statue, the carvings on them lit up next, the glow climbing the statue itself until it vanished from the surface and reappeared, brighter than before, within the eyes of each figure.

The brightness there kept intensifying until all four pairs of statue eyes were blazing red and flared outward, casting four rays of light toward the center of the altar where they met in a single point of intensely bright convergence that threw a red hue across the entire city below. Sinister was not a strong enough word for it. Yang felt as though he had accidentally walked into the sequence of a horror movie and was now watching events unfold without any ability to leave the theatre.

Then the altar itself began to change.

The etched sandstone smoothed itself out as a swirling mist rose from the surface before plunging downward. The stone receded into the earth with a heavy rumble, leaving a yawning black void where the formation had just been.

Yang waited, but nothing further happened.

He glanced at Senior Brother Yuan Shen beside him. "Should we go closer and check?"

"We have Senior Brother Fan Xiao for that." Senior Brother Yuan Shen pointed upward with his chin to where Senior Brother Fan Xiao was still floating some distance from where the formation had been, keeping clear of the position directly above the opening.

They all stood still and waited and watched to see if something would happen.

After several minutes, Senior Brother Fan Xiao flew closer, approaching from the side rather than above. He cast a series of probing techniques into the void, but received no reaction. Shifting his gaze, he shot a look at Senior Brother Qing An, who stepped toward the edge of the pit with slow, careful steps.

Yang noticed Senior Brothers Fan Xiao and Song Weilong forming two-finger mudras, their hands aimed toward Senior Brother Qing An in a protective gesture, while Senior Brother Zhen Hao quietly closed the distance to stand at Yang's other side.

Yang resisted the urge to roll his eyes and then caught himself.

He was not particularly given to rolling his eyes. But since joining Soaring Cloud Peak he had noticed that most of his Senior Brothers did it habitually, Senior Brothers Yuan Shen and Zhen Hao foremost among them, and even their Master was given to the gesture on occasion from what he had seen in the little time they had known each other. Spending so much time around them was clearly rubbing off on him.

Ahead, Senior Brother Qing An had reached the edge of the pit and was peering down into it. He sent a floating light orb in and looked up at Senior Brother Fan Xiao, shaking his head. Apparently the orb had not allowed them to see anything. Senior Brother Fan Xiao descended and landed beside him, and the two of them circled the perimeter, exchanging low words and casting defensive seals.

Senior Brother Fan Xiao waved Senior Brother Song Weilong over, who walked to them without any of the measured care Senior Brother Qing An had to use, took out his crystal pendant and held it over the opening, and after a moment put it back away with a small shake of his head.

Senior Brother Qing An stepped back from the edge and suddenly another person stood in his place.

Yang's jaw dropped.

He heard Senior Brother Yuan Shen make a quiet sound of amusement. "Don't look so shocked, Junior Brother. It is merely a puppet."

Yang stared at the figure. "A human puppet?"

"Yes, though it is not something practiced within the White Cloud Sect," Senior Brother Yuan Shen continued in the same easy tone. "Senior Brother Qing An acquired it some time ago when dealing with some evil cultivators who specialized in the craft. It has proven useful over the centuries."

"Right," Yang muttered. "Nothing wrong with using the resources of evil cultivators."

He watched the puppet lower itself into the hole under Senior Brother Qing An's control and tried to organize his thoughts about what he had just seen and found they were messier than he expected.

"It is just—" he started, then trailed off.

"Is it your first time seeing something like this?" Senior Brother Yuan Shen asked, apparently reading his expression without difficulty.

Yang nodded.

"Your unease is understandable." Senior Brother Yuan Shen placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What you are looking at is merely mortal remains, nothing more. The soul departed long ago and has likely reincarnated many times over since then. What remains is only the physical shell it once inhabited."

Yang knew this intellectually. Having experienced reincarnation, he understood that a mortal body was temporary. Yet reading about it was vastly different from watching a body that once belonged to a living person used as a tool.

"I understand that," he said. "And I don't judge anyone for utilizing what is available. But it is difficult not to feel the unfairness of it. That person was someone's son once. Probably a brother, a husband, or a father. And now he has no grave. If it were one of us, we would never accept that, would we?"

Senior Brother Yuan Shen looked startled by the question. Then he turned Yang to face him more directly.

"Of course we would not accept that for each other. Not for any of our brothers," Senior Brother Yuan Shen said, his tone turning quiet and solemn. "It is to your credit that you think this way. But Junior Brother, whether mortal or cultivator, at our core, we are all hypocrites."

He offered a small, self-deprecating smile. "As orthodox cultivators, we strive to walk a righteous path and avoid karmic retribution. Yet we remain as bound by our desires, fears, and attachments as any mortal. That person was a stranger to us, so he received a fleeting moment of pity before we moved on and made use of what was left. But one of our own? It would be entirely different because of the bond between us."

He met Yang’s gaze steadily. "There will be many points in your life, and they will come more often than you expect, where the choice is not between good and evil but between what is right and what is favorable and good for yourself and your people. What would you choose?"

Yang was quiet. Because he already knew the answer. If it came to it, he would choose his Senior Brothers, his Master, his sect, Li San, and himself before he would think of anyone else.

Uncomfortable with his own conclusion, Yang shifted his posture, but Senior Brother Yuan Shen read the look on his face and shook his head gently. "Do not be embarrassed by it. Recognizing the contradiction is already more than most manage. In the end, all we can do is follow our hearts and face the weight of our choices. We pursue the heavens while defying them; we seek ultimate freedom while simultaneously deepening our karmic ties with each interaction. Contradiction is simply part of what we are."

He patted Yang's shoulder. "Every technique, rule, and law will have instances of contradictions. As your cultivation deepens, you will find that what seemed impossible becomes merely difficult, and what seemed simple becomes nuanced. These choices are an inevitable part of growing as a cultivator. If your heart is at peace, then it's fine, but if it isn't, it's best to avoid"

Then he raised his hand and ruined the sincerity of the moment by messing up Yang's hair.

Yang jerked his head back. "Senior Brother, I am not a child." Only to realize as the words left his mouth that he was definitely sounding like one.

Senior Brother Yuan Shen let out an unrepentant laugh and looked past him. Senior Brother Fan Xiao was standing across the altar, motioning for them to join him.

Senior Brothers Zhen Hao and Yuan Shen fell in on either side of Yang as they joined the others.

"We are going in," Senior Brother Fan Xiao announced simply.

Senior Brother Zhen Hao looked down into the darkness. "Is it safe?"

"Not entirely certain," Qing An replied. "The puppet remains intact, and the feedback suggests it is safe enough for now." He offered a light shrug. "Not like we have anywhere else to go."

"Meaning it could still be a trap," Senior Brother Yuan Shen said.

"Most likely," Senior Brother Qing An agreed pleasantly.

"And we are going anyway," Senior Brother Zhen Hao said.

"Do you have a better alternative?" Senior Brother Qing An questioned. 

Lacking one, Senior Brother Zhen Hao merely stared back down into the dark. Yang leaned forward as well but saw only unending darkness.

"No flying swords," Senior Brother Fan Xiao said, addressing Yang, Senior Brother Zhen Hao, and Senior Brother Yuan Shen. "Only those at Nascent Soul and above can fly without aid so we will carry each of you down."

Senior Brother Fan Xiao took hold of Senior Brother Zhen Hao and moved to the edge of the hole. Senior Brother Song Weilong moved to Senior Brother Yuan Shen, and Senior Brother Qing An came to stand beside Yang.

Senior Brother Fan Xiao went in first, Senior Brother Zhen Hao with him, followed a few minutes later by Senior Brothers Song Weilong and Yuan Shen. Leaving only Yang and Senior Brother Qing An to wait a few extra moments at the edge of the drop.

Senior Brother Qing An offered him a reassuring smile.

"You know," he said softly, "I do light incense for him. For whatever good karma it may bring him and whatever advantage it might give his soul in future reincarnations. By the time I acquired it, his mortal family had long since been gone, so returning the body to them was not possible. But incense can be offered by anyone."

Yang stared at him, realizing that Senior Brother Qing An, with his cultivator's senses, had almost certainly heard every word of his conversation with Senior Brother Yuan Shen.

"Senior Brother, I am sorry, I did not mean to imply—"

"Shh." Senior Brother Qing An shook his head. "I did not bring it up to make you feel guilty or scared. I am telling you because I wanted to assure you that his soul would have gone on to reincarnate. The cultivators who made a puppet out of him had no talent in soul arts, which means they did not damage his soul. And incense offered from a cultivator carries enough weight to give a mortal soul a better next life." 

Senior Brother Qing An looked at him warmly. "The fact that the thought troubled you at all speaks well of your heart, Junior Brother."

He glanced down into the darkness with an expression of exaggerated dread. "Now, shall we go before Senior Brother Fan Xiao develops a method of glaring at us from within impenetrable darkness?"

Yang let out a small laugh. "Yes."

Senior Brother Qing An's grip tightened around him, and they stepped off the edge.

The flight down lasted only a moment before Yang's stomach lurched upward. Senior Brother Qing An's ability to sustain flight seemed to meet some resistance, and instead of a controlled descent, they began to plunge into the dark.

Join my Patreon to read 10 advance chapters.