Wreath of Lilies, Cauldron of Poison

Chapter 36

Severing Rupa-Khanda

As she shouted the words, her body was quickly enveloped by dark miasma. Red scales appeared on her skin and her eyes turned serpentine yellow. The immaculate nails on her fingers turned to sharp claws that leave deep groves in the stone floors as she struggled from the pain of bones transforming. The red streak on her hair seemed to expand and quickly dyed her blonde hair crimson.

“W-what the?”

“Body Transformation? A werebeast!!” Sidonai cried out in delight.

The moment she transformed, Connie gathered Yin Energy into her claws and swiped towards the stone hand. The attack left five deep groves in the floor and lightly nicked the golem’s hand.

The sound that came out of the five claws were like the screeching of thousands of tortured souls.

“Denying the Nine Heavens: Life Ripping Claw!”

Noticing that it had no effect, she leaped forward and gathered her hand together like a pair of eagle’s talons and lunged at the trunk of the tree. Yin Energy gathered into her claws and she made a grabbing motion the moment she made contact. Her ten fingers ripped through the tree bark. The same bark that none of the hero’s party managed to crack.

“Denying the Nine Heavens: Carving Bone, Denying Alms!”

However, the moment she managed to break through the bark, it quickly mended itself.

The branches on the Treant-Golem’s body reached out to her. Connie jumped out of the way, landing on a pillar and dug her claws into its surface to avoid falling.

Denying the Nine Heavens was derived from the Thousand Poison Claw Scroll, created by her after killing her master. It was developed by drawing from her pain and anguish. Each move was strong enough to turn steel to dust and crush even the most powerful beast with ease. However, now it did nothing of note.

The Treant-Golem’s body was dense and tough like iron. Normal weapon would not manage to hurt it much. Even Yin Gu Body – Half Incarnation buffed with everything Sidonai had could not pierce through it. Connie’s fingers were swollen and red from the effort. But she did not relent.

Connie cursed her current state of weakness.

She tried attacking once more, only to be swatted away. The difference in strength was clear.

Such was the disparity between their bodily prowess.

As a poison user, pain is a constant companion. Broken bones and torn limbs were nothing. Rotted flesh and burned skin were nothing.

So, she kept on going. Again and again she attacked the monster. Gradually polishing her techniques, understanding her own limits and surpassing it. Beaten down, kicked around. Losing, she was no stranger to it.

In this battle between monsters, only those who surpassed their limits could enter. Sidonai was still concentrating in buffing her. Sweat forming on her forehead.

Akira was ashamed of himself. He was defeated only a handful of times and already his spirit broke. But the girl before him, who he hated for ruining his plan, stood up again and again even though she knew that it was impossible. Beaten and battered, yet the shine in her eyes kept on growing brighter. That shame slowly turned into grudging respect.

But everyone knew that it would not last long.

“Mistress! You can’t do it! It’s healing itself faster than you can hurt it!” Martell shouted from behind a pillar.

“I know! I’m testing to see what I can do!” She looked at her hands. They felt numb and her claws had begun to chip. “And it’s not enough. Even my Yin Gu Body is not enough to break through that thing’s defense,” she watched as Eleanora and Illumca fired their magic at it. They were clearly exhausted. Kaihaku and Nick was doing their best, but they would fall soon.

“I have an idea. But I need time,” she looked at Martell. Martell understood her meaning and turned to Akira, who was laying Hannah securely behind the steps.

“I propose a truce,” The young beastfolk boy said. “I know we all can’t stand each other, but that is not an enemy we can do much against. I -”

“We’ll help,” he said before Martell even finished. “We’ll keep it busy. You…do whatever it is you need to do.”

“Thank – “ Martell began.

“Don’t…say it, just…don’t. It’s just going to make it feel worse,” Akira said, hefting his sword and shield.

“Give me 5 minutes. No, 4.”

“I thought you wanted us to help, not die,” he complained, but he went out anyway. He drank the last of his Mana Potion and threw the bottle away. The ‘Cheat’ was the only way he could survive fighting something far beyond his level. Survive. He knew well that he could not defeat it.

He laughed at himself. So, it is true, relying on my ‘Cheat’ too much just makes me reliant on it. Something to think about if I live through this.

Connie gestured at Martell who was still carrying the bag full of Essence Crystals. “Empty the bag here.”

He did as ordered and upended his bag. Essence Crystals fell into a pile and Connie drew a deep breath before she started refining the Essence Crystals, drawing upon the baleful energy within to temper her own. Raising enough Yin Energy to compensate for her lost power.

She put both her hands together, drawing it slightly ajar where a ball of green began to form. The ball was a simple poison. One not even worth using as a foundation for Thousand Poison Claw. A weed killing poison. The ingredients were easy to find and many. In fact, most of the grass she ate were the main ingredients.

The ball of moss green poison enlarged as she refined it. Using her body as a cauldron she let the liquid in the ball evaporate, forming a green mist that smelled of freshly cut barley. She refined it one more time and the ball became so concentrated that it turned viscous.

She then formed a Daoist sword symbol with her right hand using her middle and forefinger and called upon Grunford. Grunford floated from the sconce where it was leaning and thrust into the ball of poison.

Inside the sword, Cavenjaal gazed at the sky that had been dyed the color of sunset red by Connie’s will. He covered his head with his claws pathetically. He felt the goopy mixture staining the sword as if his own body was defiled and he could do nothing but endure and sob quietly.

The process of calling the sword grabbed the attention of the Treant-Golem, who sensed its source of food. It reached out to it, but Illumca had jumped onto its face and rammed a few fireballs into its defenseless face.

After coating the sword in poison, Connie gestured towards the main body of the Treant-Golem.

“Illumca, get away!” She yelled out.

The sword flew past Akira’s head, cutting a bit of his hair. It then flew straight towards the Treant-Golem, zig-zagging while opening cuts on the creature as Illumca got out of its way. The sword’s movements were incredible. Hacking and slashing with the speed and forms impossible to imitate if a person was holding it.

Connie walked forward, her right hand still in a sword gesture swished this way and that, controlling the sword with ease. In her old world, this technique was known simply as ‘Flying Sword’.

“What the hell?” Akira exclaimed.

“Grunford…is flying?!” Nick stared in stupefaction.

This technique was the second technique taught to those who have reached the peak of Sword Knowing, the first stage of those who claimed themselves swordsmen in Jiang Hu. It was mostly used to fly. But for Connie who have reached ‘One with the Sword’ mastery, it had been elevated into something beyond flying.

The effect was immediate. With each cut, the poison seeped into the bark rendered them brittle. The healthy brown color turned ash pale with rapid speed.

The bark began to peel off, coming off in large chunks. However, it only managed to slough off a third of the body. There was still much left, and the inside of the trunk was even more dense, not allowing the poison to seep through.

“OOOOH!!!” The Treant-Golem let out a deafening roar as it felt the pain of losing the protection of its iron-like bark.

“2 meters left to get to the center of the body! We can do this. Do the same thing you did, Connie!!”

Eleanora chugged the mana potion while Illumca fired her spells. She wove through the attacks, hiding inside the shadows to reappear on its blind side. Nick provoked it while Illumca kept it busy, cold sweat coming off from him as he dodged the attack by clumsily jumping aside. The damage to the bizarre creature was less than minimal as it had learned to cover its body with the golem’s arms.

“By the Grace of Udurr, I summon the fire of judgement to burn my enemies!! Pillar of Flame!!” The leaves and branches began to catch fire but the main body was only slightly singed.

The Treant could not hold the pain anymore and put both its arm around a pillar. The whole place began to rumble.

“What is it doing?!” Eleanora said in bewilderment.

“It’s trying to pull the pillar out! Don’t let it take the pillar or we’ll be buried alive!”

“Milady! This’d be a good time to do the same thing as you did earlier!”

“I don’t have enough ingredients!” Connie yelled. The poison earlier cost her much in terms of quantity of materials. She really did not have much left. If only I could produce materials inside my Poison Core…but that is only after I pass the Shedding Mortality Stage!

But…yes, I have that move. That move can cut through any defense, but the expenditure is going to be huge. I’ll be spent of all my power after using it.

After a moment of deliberation, she decided to go for broke and ordered the sword to return to her hands. She then took a stance with her body lowered and the sword crossed beside her waist. Her left hand crossed above the sword, forming the Alapadma Mudra.

"Nick, Illumca!! Don't let it come near!!" she shouted.

The two nodded looked at her and nodded briefly before continuing their attacks.

Then Connie reach down into her Poison Core, drawing its power and channeling it into Grunford while mouthing some Dharmic verse.

All who are born will die

All beauty will fade

Not one thing in the world

can escape Impermanence

A dark purple light extended from the sword to more than 5 meters long. The light should be Buddha’s golden light, yet it was stained by Connie’s Dao and took on the sinister color.

Large beads of sweat came down from her face. She had never managed to master it, but it was one of the strongest sword techniques she knew.

The Treant-Golem sensed the large energy coming out from the little thing in front of it and swatted away Kaihaku and Nick’s attempt to stop it.

"Witness the Art of Impermanence: Severing Rupa-Khanda."

Art of Impermanence: Severing Rupa-Khanda. One of 7 techniques created by Grand Abbot Cloud Watcher while pondering his imminent death at the Lake of Dawning Sorrow. It was not handed down to disciples but given to those who were fated to meet him. It was said that the full knowledge was given to a child who gave him half a cup of rice while he was begging for alms at an impoverished village.

Connie was fortunate enough to be taught 3 moves after winning against him at guessing the number of moles on his back.

From where she was, she brought the sword around from her waist in a slashing motion across to shoulder height.

The light from the sword went through solid stone wall, stone pillar, sconce, and finally the Treant-Golem. There was no damage done to those first three things. The Treant-Golem however, saw nothing but emptiness before its life was ended.

Such was the ‘Severing of Rupa-Khanda’.

Even to this day she could not understand why the harsh, but kind old monk would give the Art of Impermanence to a heretic, someone who practiced both Daoism and Buddhism while embarking on a path of blood.

The profundity of severing the five senses existed in that one slash. Neither hot or cold. Neither painful nor pleasant. One slash resulted only in death with no stages in between. This move used so much Yin Energy that it would be impossible to use it more than once in a fight.

Sidonai did not show it, but her breath stilled upon seeing the purple blade. This was not something as simple as a skill. For a while after she performed the technique, they could hear no sound, no wind, nothing. As if the world had gone perfectly silent.

The sword had cut them all.

The monster’s body slid off to the side and fell. The cut was so superb the surface of the severed body was as smooth as glass.

The world is temporary, and death is but the start of another journey.

As a sign of respect for the monk who taught her this art and the creature that almost bested her, Connie finished the verse.

May all enter perfect stillness.