Yin & Yang Pleasures of Cultivation

While the Zakira Academy students all marched their way through the Labyrinth, encountering various experiences. Other Sects and institutions were already making significant progress here.

One particular group, Darcel and Aniela, would recognize, had a specially powerful line up for the glossy black first floor.

Every youth in this group donned the signature symbol of the legendary Roc. Their robes were a brilliant color of orange and black mix.

This group hails from none other than the Quicksilver Roc Sect!

Making this group up was four good looking boys and three exceedingly cute girls. Furthermore, all of them were at the Perfected Order of the Qi Formation Sea realm.

Despite the dreary, haunting atmosphere of the rat-infested first floor, none of the disciples in this group had any sort of fearful or cautious expressions. In fact, they all still kept their excitement and eagerness.

"Seriously, what a breather this place is! All those rats have going for them is just being too ugly to look at it."

"Last time I was here, none of this wasn't even remotely simple. When they said the Labyrinth was weakened, they truly damn meant this place is far weaker."

"Hey, hey. At least the loot here is still as valuable as ever! Though I bet those Zakira rats and Yoderine snakes are having an equally smooth time here."

Up at the front and center of the group, one particular boy with long flowing blonde hair listened in on the other conversations.

He was the group's apparent leader having the highest prowess of the group and a strategic mind.

Though, while he was continually expanding his Spirit Senses for any unknown dangers, the blonde boy couldn't help but agree with his teammates.

But….there was just something wrong about this.

Everything really shouldn't just be this easy. Yet no matter what Perfected Order beast came at them or traps sprang at them, they all managed to effectively deal with it.

There was only one slightly odd thing the blonde boy noticed.

The only thing it being was fresh, bright red blood stains mixing in with the dried bloodstains. Or the fresh bloodstains would just be in its own separate space.

Still, could this really be so odd? In a dangerous chilling place like a Labyrinth where everything out to kill you, not seeing blood would be weirder.

But, abruptly, the blonde boy stopped dead in his tracks, cutting off any musings.

He felt it….at least he felt something.

In the pit of his stomach, an instinctive gut feeling swirled around there.

"Lian? What's wrong?"

Right beside him, one of the cute girls asked him, not understanding at all why Lian suddenly stopped. She, along with the other disciples, grew a bit alert now.

Lian, as if he didn't hear her question, jerked his head towards a specific pathway. There was nothing different about this pathway, and yet, a burning curiosity was pushing Lian to go down there.

Taking only a single glance over to the girl, he only said, "We're taking a new route now." Pointing down the path he snapped his head to, he continued on, saying, "Down here. I can sense something….special there."

The other Quicksilver Roc found Lian's behavior remarkably strange. For as long they knew him, nothing much can actually make Lian react so abruptly and shift his mind.

Still, they didn't pick up any tone of caution or worry in his voice. No, more so there was a rare hint of eagerness? Either way, the girl next to him said,

"Alright, then. Surely it has to be good stuff down there then!"

Lian barely acknowledged her words and began walking down this set specific path. His other teammates took a quick look over at each other before swiftly following behind.

As they continued down this path, Lian's teammates still couldn't guess why he wanted to go down here.

Absolutely nothing was different about this path! Yet no matter how samey the scenery was, Lian never stopped walking.

"Maybe….maybe Lian senses are playing tricks on him? But he's acting so odd for it to just be a trick!"

"I couldn't tell you either, Xue. Spreading my senses down here, yet all I got is the same dreary aura of this Labyrinth."

Lian paid no mind to his teammates' massive doubt and kept on moving.

If there was even the slightest bit of threatening danger, Lian would've never chosen to go down this path. And at their distance, it was still only this magnetic feeling.

For a few more minutes, they trudge on this path. Suspicions and doubts were growing higher, and one of the boys wanted to end this farce already.

However, everything changed when they turned one last corner.

"Wh-what the? What is this?" A black hair boy in the group stuttered out.

He and the other gazed in bewilderment at this strange gruesome scene. Filling out the path now were numerous giant dead rats, all with large bite marks taken out of them.

The manner in which these rats were killed stood out to them.

Someone or something truly went to a picnic on these disgusting rats! But none of the Quicksilver Roc disciples had yet to encounter a different being than the rats.

It was quite unnerving gazing upon bloodied and bitten rats. Lian, though, he suddenly felt a dramatic shift in feeling. Peering down this gruesome scene, right in the middle was what looked liked a….human?

Yet, at the same time, it held freakish characteristics. You could spot multiple blaring red veins running across its forehead.

It didn't have hands, but these ferocious-looking claws and its feet were grotesque, barely resembling a human foot. Furthermore, its whole body was of this tall, lanky type, and its skin had a bright red hue.

The single most freakish thing was its tongue.

It extended outlandishly out, far longer than what any humans or Spirit monsters can do. And with that long gross tongue, it appeared to be licking on what looked like a human corpse!

The other disciples' eyes had also snapped on to this strange human-like being, similarly being in disgusted shock about it.

Though none there felt danger senses go off since this creature was only at the Extreme Order level of the Qi Formation Sea realm.

"Ugh….so that's what got your attention so worked up? Sure it is rather….odd-looking. But there's nothing other than that thing here." The girl beside him spoke up in a dismissive tone.

"Right, plus it seems content with feasting on rats and whatever underneath it. Let's just get back on track already." The black hair boy also said, seeing no real reason to kill this thing.

Unknown to the whole group; however, this human-like creature lips twitched upwards in the form of a smirk as soon as they stepped foot here.

Besides a now disturbing aura, Lian honestly couldn't disagree with them. But whatever that strange magnetic feeling was, he was sure it came from down here.

Nevertheless, Lian gave up wanting to explore further and not bother their time with some gross looking weird creature. Taking one step around, he started to say, "I guess….yea you-"

"Hey! That thing is trying to rush us!"

One of the girls interrupted Lian, snapping everyone's attention back over to the creature. As soon as Lian took one step back, that creature's head locked towards them and began rushing at them.

The distance between them and the creature was at least half a mile. Yet, for an Extreme Order being, it was surprisingly quick.

"Tch! This is what happens when you try to show mercy to lower creatures! Let's kill it!" The black hair boy cursed out loud.

Clearly, he and the other thought this was another Spirit Monster with the same amount of awareness as rats.

'Chi!'

Casually, the Quicksilver Roc disciples even went overboard as they blasted out several beams of Profound Qi to the creature.

Obviously, the speed of their beams shouldn't be something someone merely at the Extreme Order level could dodge.

This only made it more surprising when nimbly, the human-like creature had just narrowly dodged the beams and jumped on the left wall.

Further shocking the disciples was when the creature speed massively increased, being on all fours, running on the walls!

"Hoh? That's a neat little ability. But shall we see how it fares against the wind?" One of the boys said as blue wind Qi gathered into his palms.

Stepping a bit out of the way, the boy swiped his down, unleashing a frantic torrent of wind Qi at the creature! Definitely this time, no matter how agile it is, it can't avoid razor-sharp winds.

Alas, their common sense theories were only proven to be wronged.

Swiftly, the human-like creatures bounced up to the ceiling, where its speed seemed to enhance even further!

Shockingly enough, this shift in movement and increased speed allowed the creature to dodge the frantic torrent of wind Qi!

"Tch!"

The Quicksilver Roc disciples all collectively clicked their tongue at this creature annoying agileness. Making up their minds, the others also began sending out waves of blue wind Qi.

But no matter how much they threw out, this creature just avoided them all! And during the disciples' growing frustration, none of them caught the human-like creature spitting out a red fluid.

Flying out of its mouth, the fluid reached speeds far surpassing its own body! Even if the Quicksilver Roc disciples were at their fullest alert, they all would have a slightly tricky time seeing this kind of speed.

But now, with their full focus getting diverted on annoyance, no one noticed this red fluid flying directly on the black hair boy face and body.

In just a second before, the Quicksilver Roc disciples were easily keeping the creatures at bay. But abruptly and out of nowhere,

"AH-ARGHHH-GUAA!!!"

The ear-piercing shrieks of pain coming from the black hair boy froze everyone. Hastily, everyone's head snapped to the boy only to see a terrifying transformation.

The black hair boy's skin was sizzling in this blaring red color, almost looking like he was melting. For the boy, unbearable pain wracked his body as overwhelming energy crushed every inch of his being.

Moreover, it truly did feel like he was getting burnt alive with the hottest of flame known to man! Instantly he crashed to his knees as his vocal cords were getting fried.

Lian's group was utterly petrified. None of them sensed any tremendous aura of power or hell; even the slightest bit of Qi leaked out from that creature.

So how….how did he end up like this?!

This petrified lapse in judgment allowed the human-like creature all the time it needed. In only two seconds, the beast spread open its mouth, spewing out a downpour of red mist to the disciples.

"Sh-shit, we ha-"

One of the boys tried to talk and move until a sudden locking pain halted his body. Not only him, but others too soon couldn't move their body! Combining with this was their vision getting clouded by a chilling red mist.

The time it took for the creature's mist to reach them was nearly instantaneous! And inside the fog, no one, not even Lian, could muster up any Qi to resist.

Something directly enters their bloodstreams, making them all far weaker and vulnerable than before. However, Lian still frantically tried to struggle out.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed past the pain to say,

"B-Burn your-What the?!?"

'Chi!'

Lian's eyes widened when he could spot a gross bright red tongue sticking out one of the boy's chest! In this mist, the boy couldn't put up any sort of defense, allowing for a quick and brutal kill.

The other disciples instantly felt hopeless despair seeing how easily one of their members was killed off. His Perfected Order body that should be naturally sturdy was nothing but tofu for the creature….

And in a crushing realization, they all knew….they were next!

'Chi, Chi, Chi, Chi!'

In merely a couple of seconds, the human-like creature pierced its tongue through the remaining Quicksilver Roc disciple chest. Their corpses fell into a pool of their own blood as the mist cleared up.

Undoubtedly, with this Sect's impressive speed, all of the disciples would have managed to easily outrun the beast. Alas, despite not thinking so, the disciples all fell prey to the human-like creature devious tricks.

The black hair boy had already killed over, his body occasionally spasming because of that frightening red fluid.

The creature's mouth morphed into one that was supposed to resemble a massive grin as it finally has a big feast after putting in so much work….