The Fourth Wall - Chapter 28 preview

Yang Mu rubbed at her neck, groaning as she straightened and stretched her back. Even with the exhaustion that ran through her, a sense of accomplishment permeated her every movement. She surveyed the latest carving and formation flags she had embedded, feeling the contained energy thrum through it. Just outside the cavern she had mined out of the mountain itself, another series of formations using natural materials hid the entire proceedings. All across the mountain range, such locations had been created by her to aid in her proceedings.

“Now, I wonder where they are?” she muttered to herself. A hand rose, manipulating the strands of connection and energy around her. Within moments, an image bloomed before her, drawn from the formations she had created. A flurry of images appeared, overlooking different aspects of the mountain range.

Here, a curtain of water hid a quarter of the image, a pounding waterfall striking the clear and cold pool beneath. A trio of wild birds, brilliant white and pink feathers flashing flew past the waterfall, bathing in the liquid spray as they did so.

There, a natural cavern that been utilized by Yang Mu, its original residents returned. They hunkered far away from the carved formations and the foreign smell that lingered on the walls. All but a tiny bear cub that sniffed enquiringly at it, its tiny face scrunched up. She smiled at the cute visage, holding for an extra moment before moving on.

Another vista, high above near the peak of a mountain. Clouds and fog masking the majority of the view, as the first signs of the coming winter dusted the cold land beneath. Newly fallen snow on the peaks, adding to the accumulation of decades. 

One after the other, she switched between the formations. She paused at a few, noting disturbances. Some natural, a couple unnatural. An image, badly distorted, the formation itself barely hanging on as it fed her information, its basic properties severely damaged as the side of the mountain it had been carven into were destroyed.

Another, situated further away saw the broken illusion formation that had hid her working. The trap formation beneath, destroyed, a splash of old blood along with the picked apart limb of the one that had triggered. Behind, the crumbled remnants of her formation, taken apart with greater care than the previous one.

A few others, though these were old.

“Three search parties.” She muttered as she found an image of another group, a series of strings and sticks and ore held in their hands as they dowsed the location of her formation. This group had been in the vicinity of this formation for three days now and had yet to ascertain the working. A couple of large holes in the mountain had indicated where frustration had given way to careful consideration. “So where are you other two?”

No answer, of course. She could not watch the entire mountain range, not without exposing herself. Nor would she set up sufficient formations to do so, not waste time like that. It was a careful balancing act, between hiding from the searchers, watching them and creating the necessary formations.

Yet, finally, she was done.

In truth, she had finished her working two weeks ago. These last three formations were safeguards against the destruction of the others, for she knew once she activated the formations, there would be no hiding them any longer.

After all, the amount of energy required to cut-off a mystic realm from the middle kingdom was just a little high.

***

Wu Ying closed the manual, running a pair of fingers down the binding and feeling the slight ridges from where the thread rose and fell. He smiled a little in satisfaction and then slipped the manual back into his own storage ring, the slow rise and fall of his shirtless chest moving in time to his motions.

Eyes closed, he studied his soul and body as per the Carving of Eternity’s methodology. The sight, that third sight, displayed a twisted morass of soul and body as immortal soul and body fought against one another, portions that sought dominance inflaming the next.

Carefully, oh so carefully, he brought forth a spiritual knife. One made of will, dao and chi and sliced along the lines of body and soul. He separated two portions, cut lightly along the body as he carved away a dao understanding.

All this happened on a secondary plane, one where the soul and dao existed. Understanding given form, but as above, so below. Mirrored wounds formed along his ribs, black blood flooding outwards as the infected dao burst free. He carefully peeled away this most infected portion, pain blazing through him.

It was not the worst that had had ever experience. It was but a pale imitation to the lightning fury of the heavens during his failed ascension. The devastating torment of mind and body crammed together, unable to merge even as lightning empowered merging and punished mortal temerity.

It was not the worst, but the pain was still agonizing. Parting with one’s soul and dao, removing a portion of oneself that had grown intrinsic was never easy. This carving was one of mind and soul, clearing away false enlightenment and understanding. No matter how well such understanding, such coping methods had once been necessary, the process of improvement and healing required the discarding of such things.

To discard old crutches, to learn to walk without them after soul and body had atrophied after many years of non-use. How could it not be painful? How could it not be necessary?

Portions of mind and need, turned away, broken free. Understanding that he had once held, that those high above knew better, discarded. Honor your parents, listens to them for they are the founts of wisdom and importance. Obey the lord and magistrates, for to do otherwise would see calamity arrive. The hierarchy was important, more so than the individual, for in improving the whole, the individual benefitted.

Cut, dig deep and cast aside.

Some of it would grow back, some of it would integrate with his other understandings, with the immortal soul and the formless understanding that had soaked in his experiences and the very bedrock of who he was. Past lives, past lessons that formed the being that was Long Wu Ying.

Part it all, and then, stop. One moment that had gone on for an eternity, before he relaxed and released the spiritual scalpel. He let out a long, tired breath and touched his side that still bled freely, though the blood now washed red and clean. Picking up the bandages he had set aside, he cleaned the wound and infected blood away, utilizing the bowls of water set nearby to aid him.

After smearing healing ointment on his self-made wound, he wound a bandage around his chest. Each movement sent shards of pain through him, forcing him to breathe slowly and carefully as he finished cleaning up. It was as he was putting on his outer robes that he felt it.

The incessant thrum of the mystic realm’s portal opening, the discordant echoes that had filled the environment and set the populace on edge had increased in volume once again. Wu Ying strode over to the window, pulling his robes on fully and belting them as he moved ahead, knowing that time had run out.

A small tug on the wind brought his gear and belongings flying to him along with his friend’s own goods left behind. He stored them all within his rings with barely a thought as he readied himself to flee or fight, depending on what was to happen.

At the window, he could not see the mystic realm’s opening. He could, however, see the library from here. Individuals boiled out of the entrance, attendants and translators and patrons alike, drawn by the sudden shift in energies. The cautious kept moving, some going so far as to run from the direction of the disturbance. Most, however, stood at the steps, looking towards the mystic realm with fear and confusion intermixed.

Eventually, those that he had been waiting for showed themselves.

The Overseer, eyes wide, hands clasped together, shouting orders and trying to regain some semblance of order from the group. Though he might be the temporal power in the library, it was the three that emerged moments later that drew Wu Ying’s attention – both spiritual and physical.

No longer were they attempting to hide their presence. Their cojoined strength thrummed in the air, a shared battle technique interweaving their strength and chi. He felt their joined technique reach outwards, touching the library walls and pillars, activating and bolstering the various defensive enchantments woven in the building. One after the other, they activated. First, the walls glowed, hidden runes grown visible as they glowed and bolstered the physical presence of the structure itself. Next, a shimmering dome of brown power formed above the library, reaching downwards to touch the earth and enter it. A second pale blue dome appeared soon after the first had formed, and then a third of interlacted grey hexagons at the end. For a moment, the entirety of the library had disappeared before they cleared, only minor disturbances in the air indicating the presence of the protective shielding in place.

Even as precautions were taken by the cultivators, the disturbance in the portal had grown.Wu Ying could feel the energy resonating with another, as though the gateways between this world and the mystic realm were capturing an energy between them, the strength and intensity growing with each moment.

“What are you two doing?” Wu Ying muttered. Not the overall goal, for it was clear enough that they were attempting to destroy or cut-off gate. But their reasoning eluded the wind cultivator. As their lack of presence on this side of the gate. If the opening was to close, he feared that they would be captured within, forever.

“Cultivator Long! What are your people doing?” The door to his room was thrown open, a guard captain and his men trooping in without hesitation. Anger and concern laced their words as they marched towards him, hands on their swords.

“I do not know,” Wu Ying said. 

“You lie!”

“True.” He saw them tense and continued. “In that I understand what is happening, as your people might too if they but paid attention. But the why, that eludes me.” He shrugged. “I could guess, of course, but that is not what you’re asking me to do.” Then, he hesitated before offering a small smile. “But I do not think you wish my guesses, but are here for another reason, no?”

“Stop them! We have been ordered to make you stop this,” the guard captain snapped. 

“A foolish order.” He held a hand up, continuing. “For there is nothing I can do. I have no means of communication nor even knowledge of what they had intended.” Turning his gaze to the lieutenant by the captain’s side, he smiled a little. “She can tell you as much, no?”

“He speaks the truth.” Eyes glowing as her cultivation technique sought for and read his aura, his body and the very twisting of the world. A unique skill, though obviously one that could have been foiled, if Wu Ying tried. He had no reason to, though. “He cannot stop it.”

“Then we are doomed,” the captain whispered. By his chest, a small gem flickered as his words were transmitted outwards. Moments later, a voice emnated from it.

“Capture him! Do not let him leave. Someone must pay for this!” Overseer Norbu said.

Wu Ying shook his head a little, amused by the foolishness of man. A pull on his power had him borne aloft by the wind and within moments he was out of the balcony windows and into the air above. He allowed the wind to carry him towards the gate even as it brought him higher. Best not to get too close, for one never knew how much energy might be released in such a breakage.

He was two thirds of the way there and a couple of li in the air, myriad cultivators and mortals far below muttering to one another about the ever growing and agitated mystic realm opening. Where it had been but a pale opening that might have been easily missed before, if not for the posted guards and lone building next to the realm’s entrance, now it was a pulsing oval of yellow, purple and white power. Arcs of living chi rippled along the circumfrence of the entrance, lightning bolts exploding outwards to touch the ground and burn through the air before dispersing. Nothing living, not even the most intrepid of cultivators dared go any closer than a li in fear of their lives.

Not just the library had activted their defenses too, for various more luxurious buildings all sparkled with active enchantments as well as the very city walls that he had just left. Each layered upon another as the pulsing energy built. He nearly missed their entrance into this realm himself, and might have if not for his familiar recognition of their soul imprints. 

“There you are,” Wu Ying muttered. A small tug on the wind’s connection to him had the pair borne aloft, carried away from the shattering portal as they recovered from their transportation. He sensed the energy arcing through their forms, the damage done from traveling through the unstable dimensional opening.

Moments after the winds carried his friends away, a quartet of demons appeared as well. Three were living creatures if strange, the fourth a twisted mockery of the others. Organs displaced into the outer world, a stump of an arm and its head caved in and missing a large portion. The others slithered and fell on their faces, their snakelike bodies unable to bear themselves up.

As he brought his friends to him, Wu Ying felt the pulse of energy wash over him from the library. The power of trio Nascent Souls struck his control, making the winds falter for a moment as they bore his friends aloft before he firmed it. Thankfully, he did not control the winds but bore friendship to them, a lesser form of manipulation that allowed the winds a degree of independence that kept the bodies aloft.

Three immortal souls and wills struck him and to his surprise, Wu Ying found himself able to push it aside. The only explanation, perhaps, their focus on the library and the enroaching destruction.

A few hundred feet before his friends reached him, the portal failed at last. Cracks that had formed at the edges spiralled within, like a  mirror dropped to the ground and shattering. It exploded outwards, these shards of reality, tearing into the earth and the world anew. 

Energy trapped between doorways exited into the air and ground, melting and changing the landscape in a sweeping motion. Colours brightened and altered, grasses bloomed and shrubbery died, the smell of fresh tilled earth and mountain air intermingling for a moment. Gale force winds cast Wu Ying and his friends away, throwing them far from the epicenter even as flames and discordant energies assaulted them. The wind cultivator fought to protect his friends and himself, to control the flow of the winds and entreat them to his cause, forcing the energy to flow around them.

By the time the energies fully dispersed, he and his friends should have been many li away. Free to escape the consequences of his friends actions.

Instead, to his surprise, as dust settled and a cleansing flame swept over him and Yang Mu, he found himself hovering just outside the shield walls around the temple. Before he could move, the final shield disappeared and all three were thrown within, his control of the wind suddenly cut-off.

Landing with a thump, Wu Ying found himself facing the ire of all three librarian elders.

All that he could think was that, for once, at least it wasn’t his fault.