Opening the way for them had allowed Do Hye and Master Ienaga Yumi to enter Yoshika’s soul realm, but in exchange Sovereign Shen Yu had wormed his way in along with them. By itself, not the worst trade—Shen Yu’s avatar was hastily constructed, and not as powerful as it had been when she saw him last—but the lapse had allowed Yan De and the others to draw more of their power into her rea...
2023-09-01 18:50:12 +0000 UTC View PostIenaga Yumi was not having a good time. Once the girls had gotten safely through the portal to The Bloody Sovereign’s Tomb, the fighting had grown far more intense. It had begun as a battle to control who entered, but the conclusion of that battle was far from the end of it.
It was no longer a matter of stalling, and without any houtian bystanders to worry about, the xiantian fighters w...
2023-08-30 20:50:21 +0000 UTC View PostJust when Yoshika had thought she was ready to take a more active role in helping her friends again, everything started going wrong at once.
The flow of time between the physical world and her new soul realm were finally synchronized. While that eased the mental burden of trying to maintain the impossibly complicated formations that allowed them to differ in the first place, it also meant...
2023-08-28 18:56:20 +0000 UTC View Post“Everyone stand in the circle and get ready to move through on my mark.”
Dae finished putting the last pieces of the support formation into place. Hwang Sung had given him a spell talisman that would get them through the shield, but without the additional support, it would only be good for one person.
Learning the formation had been quite the trial. Dae took pride in his exempla...
2023-08-25 18:25:47 +0000 UTC View PostHyeong Daesung walked with trepidation towards the command center. He’d been dreading this moment since their arrival at Geumji. Actually, he’d been dreading it since long before. From the moment Hayakawa Kaede had recruited him into her plan to turn Geumji into its own independent state, he’d known that this time would come.
It had come in much stranger and more difficult circumsta...
2023-08-23 20:25:21 +0000 UTC View PostYue knew they were getting close to their destination when they arrived as a small encampment that was connected to, but distinctly separate from the support corps.
Zheng Long stared up at the enormous sphere of ice dominating the open area of the camp, frowning.
“Must have been quite the battle...only a xiantian could have done something like this.”
Yue could still feel L...
2023-08-21 18:25:47 +0000 UTC View PostI've added a brand new patron tier at $15 USD. Demon tier comes with all of the benefits of the $10 xiantian tier, but includes access to some very special bonus artwork (mostly by Ciel Jay). The bonus art is currently available only through the discord server, but if that's too much of a problem then I may be able to provide it directly on request.
Unlike the regular art and illustration...
2023-08-19 20:29:17 +0000 UTC View PostYue still didn’t understand what Heian was talking about, or how they were supposed to communicate with people halfway across the world and in another dimension. Nevertheless, she didn’t waste any more time asking questions.
Melati began ferrying people out towards the edge of the shield formation, leaving one drone with Yue for swift communication. Yue followed Heian—who seemed to ...
2023-08-18 21:31:00 +0000 UTC View PostYue blinked at the little spirit—if Heian could even be called such anymore.
“The world? I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to elaborate.”
Heian nodded with a yawn. Yue had always found that affectation to be unusual—spirits didn’t suffer fatigue the same way humans did, but Heian always appeared sleepy.
“Mm, the world. Just this small one, though.”
<... 2023-08-16 20:28:05 +0000 UTC View PostSetting aside the horrible experience of having a piece of her mind hijacked by an unknowable eldritch being, Yoshika focused her efforts on figuring out the problem before her.
According to Void, it was possible for her to move Chou’s realm somehow, but she couldn’t even begin to fathom what that would require. At the very least, she suspected it had something to do with the Tear. 2023-08-14 18:33:23 +0000 UTC View Post
With her domain free of suppression, Yoshika could sense the flow of divine essence around her and begin tracking it to its source. The sterile white halls of Chou’s inner palace felt cold and empty as her steps echoed around her. She moved with caution, wary of a trick or a trap—some other deception to let her guard down—but nothing came.
The halls were a winding labyrinth of ident...
2023-08-11 20:26:37 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika stared in mute disbelief at Sovereign Chou. She didn’t understand what he was saying. Why would he want to kill the creators of reality? What would even be the point? From what little she understood about demiurges, she wasn’t even sure whether they were even things that could be killed.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Jianmo.
“Hold on, you never said a word ...
2023-08-09 18:18:52 +0000 UTC View Post“Are you certain this is a good idea?”
Yue was chewing her thumbnail down to the quick with worry, despite Jia’s best efforts to calm her down.
“No, but it’s all we’ve got. Chou must have created this place for a reason, but if he thought that everything is predetermined, then why? What’s the point of putting us through all of this, telling us that our failure is inevi...
2023-08-07 20:49:39 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika gave Zheng Long some space to recover while she finished cleaning up the last of Melati’s rogue drones. The work went quickly, especially after the majority were dealt with and Melati herself began to help the culling efforts. Less than a minute after they’d reduced her numbers below a thousand, a nearby drone turned to Yoshika with a bitter smile.
“That’s the last of us. ...
2023-08-04 19:43:10 +0000 UTC View PostCulling Melati’s drones wasn’t particularly difficult. While numerous, they lacked the ability to manipulate ki as naturally as Melati herself without her direct control, and those Melati did control wouldn’t fight back at all—though most of her focus went towards keeping the ones within the walls from causing trouble. They were roughly equivalent to third-stage beasts—which ...
2023-08-02 20:41:32 +0000 UTC View PostFrom the outside world’s perspective, it had barely been a moment before Yoshika reemerged from her tent to go find Eunae.
To avoid confusion, she had Kaede stay where she was—not that it made a difference. For the time being, Kaede would be with her wherever she went.
She felt a little guilty not checking up on her first, but every second she spent focusing on Geumji was more t...
2023-07-31 19:55:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Lots of exciting new stuff this month! Tsuu's rendition of Lee Jia's Lightning God Transformation once again blows me away with the way she seems to get better with every piece, and as a little bonus I revisited alcoholicadeTe (formerly MilyGrimm) to make new set of chibis in the same style as the old ones. Aren't they adorable?
The spicy art tier isn't quite ready to publish yet, but I'v...
2023-07-31 19:52:48 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika wasn’t sure how to break the news to the others, given how anxious they were to enter. She opted for a direct approach.
“We can’t enter the palace.”
Eui’s blunt declaration drew the attention of everyone around her. Han Yu, of course, was not pleased.
“Of course not! What’s your excuse this time, eh?”
“Melati’s drones aren’t the onl...
2023-07-28 14:54:44 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika giggled at the sight of Melati’s tiny bodies wiggling around on her shoulders.
“Who are these adorable little ones?”
They both answered at once.
“We’re Melati!”
“I should have guessed.”
Ruiling caught up, rubbing anxiously at the scales on her face.
“Mel, what are you talking about? Human’s don’t grow up any fast...
2023-07-26 12:38:46 +0000 UTC View PostWithout Yu Meiren coordinating them, it was only a matter of time before the demons were driven off. Those that tried to retreat behind the shield formation found that it kept them out as surely as their enemies, while those that tried to flee were intercepted by the Silver Orchard’s demon hunters with ruthless efficiency.
Once the outcome of the battle was clear, the xiantian demons fl...
2023-07-24 17:39:55 +0000 UTC View PostYu Meiren staggered back, clutching the wound on her belly. Though the cut was deep, Yoshika could tell that she’d barely scratched the surface where it really counted—just a flesh wound. But it was a wound. The demon was no longer an unassailable foe—she could be hurt.
Unfortunately, Yoshika wasn’t sure she could actually do it again. Master Ienaga’s Soul Severing Stri...
2023-07-21 19:30:47 +0000 UTC View PostEven after most of his soul had been restored, Zheng Long remained unresponsive. Yoshika could feel traces of his domain, but the damage to his soul was too extensive for her to fix by herself. Still, as long as he remained alive, there was hope.
“Jianmo, do you know if it’s possible to restore him?”
“Even I’ve never seen a demon return a soul they’ve eaten,...
2023-07-19 20:32:33 +0000 UTC View Post“Wake up! Yoshika, darling, I know you’re exhausted after your tribulation, but this is no time to be napping!”
Yoshika stirred at the sound of Jianmo’s voice. Jianmo? Wasn’t he supposed to be sealed? No, that’s right, she’d broken the seal. She tried to stand, but her body didn’t respond. Of course it wouldn’t—not after Yu Meiren had destroyed her heart.
<... 2023-07-17 18:52:30 +0000 UTC View PostFor most people, combat against an overwhelming foe was a terrible time to get lost in thought. One couldn’t afford such distraction when locked in a fight for their life. Between Yoshika’s Absolute Awareness and Kaede’s Weightless Fist, however, she tended to do quite a bit of thinking during battle.
It almost felt like cheating—the compounding effects of her mental technique wit...
2023-07-14 20:32:32 +0000 UTC View Post“The civilian camp! Anyone with movement arts, go!”
Yoshika didn’t wait for a response, flooding her meridians with Lightning essence and unleashing the full power of Jia’s Lightning God Transformation. To her surprise the technique came to her nearly as easily as it did to Jia, even without her affinity.
With her body empowered, she became a living lightning bolt, ...
2023-07-12 19:26:18 +0000 UTC View Post“Yoshika!”
Yue and the others ran over to check on her, though Ruiling and her friends kept a respectful distance.
“Are you alright? What happened? I thought we’d lost you for a moment there.”
She smiled at Yue and shook her head.
“So did I. It was close but...I did it.”
Ja Yun looked Yoshika up and down, hesitating.
“You look different...”<...
2023-07-10 19:19:29 +0000 UTC View PostDuring her time as a cultivator, Yoshika had often meditated on what it meant to be a spirit, or an elemental, or even a fiend. The nature of existence was a mystery that Yoshika didn’t think she’d ever solve, and each time she gained a glimpse of insight into the way of the world, it only served to highlight how little she truly knew.
There was, however, a single truth she had learne...
2023-07-07 21:36:07 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika stared up at the empty sky. There was no sun or moon, no stars to light up the night, and no clouds—just an empty blue expanse. It hadn’t rained a single time since their first arrival, yet the distinctive rumble of thunder was unmistakable. Someone’s breakthrough had already begun.
Eui returned Iseul to Ja Yun’s care. It had been an interesting experience, sharing the ele...
2023-07-05 17:53:22 +0000 UTC View PostJa Yun and Iseul’s combined form was a bit different from the first time. Back when Muddy was still just a newborn elemental with no sense of self, barely the size of Ja Yun’s head, it had draped itself over her head and shoulders like a cloak. This time, Iseul’s core nestled itself safely within Ja Yun’s armor and exuded tendrils of transparent slime that enveloped most of Ja Yun’s b...
2023-07-03 19:54:26 +0000 UTC View PostIn addition to what I've already mentioned in the previous announcement, I wanted to gauge interest in a new tier of patron-exclusive artwork that's maybe a little spicier than the usual fare.
Links to the art would be provided on request or through discord, rather than directly on patreon, and I'd probably be creating a new patron tier with advance access. I'm still workshopping the idea...
2023-07-02 05:15:58 +0000 UTC View Post