Fighting to be Kind in a Cultivation World

A cool rush flows through me, right after the rage comes, a clarity of thought following from my healing aura that’s repairing the damage that I’m doing to myself.

But my body doesn’t stop growing.

Blood sprays out like jets from my body, as my skin bursts after re-healing, only to grow again. And again.

Potion and pill after pill enter my mouth, with my qi rising even further than its normal range. A cycle of retaining the benefits, while removing downsides from the dangerous concoctions that I’ve brewed up to make me temporarily stronger.

That’s right, kids. It’s time to dope up on steroids.

With much more still in storage, as I suspect this will be quite the long-term battle.

The slowed perceived time from the initial potion finally wears off and I take my first step, right into the volcano-like shower of napalm that’s spraying over this entire group of 50 people.

“AAAAHHHHHHHHHH, IT BURnnnns-”

Fhwoomp.

That’s the last thing they were able to say before I punched them, exploding them into bony, meaty chunks that pierced into the others that were screaming from their own pain.

“Ugh…”

At the sight, even I can’t help but to exclaim from the disgusting bone shrapnel remains.

A terrifying reminder I should really hold back when punching people in the same realm, unless I want them to instantly die.

I don’t feel too bad about these guys getting absolutely decimated, as nearly all of them are scumbags, having been close to their leader and committing the same crimes.

… It doesn’t seem like everyone else will let go so smoothly, though.

That guy wasn’t the only leader of the group.

Just the sacrificial lamb, for those smarter and that recognized the danger of being so close to the guy that killed a core formation expert, at only rank 4 of Qi Condensation.

The ones that are now organizing the 950 or so other Vermillion Stripes, with the 2000 others. And as I tear these 50 before me to shreds, it’s not long before I can sense the first genuine attack of the group that I was fearing.

With my scan, I can hear the qi-infused order as it was given.

“Fire! Show him that the Vermillion Stripes aren’t to be trifled with.”

Well, looks like I found another person to target.

Soon after, like a wave, a continuous onslaught of various ranged qi attacks soars up and over into the sky.

To then fall upon me and the surround enemies like rain. With an initial sound like the pummeling of hailstones, the bassy sound of thumps is all that can be heard around me.

In response, I've let my qi emerge, unhidden, releasing my skills to the open. A dual shimmer that glows around my body.

My mage skin, which is just my qi condensed over my body to a density where it can actually prevent and reflect attacks against myself, as well as the new barrier cultivation method from the Xing's that I've learned, "Tortoise Swallows Dragon".

Either one could hold on against this onslaught for a short time and together, they can do so indefinitely.

However, that doesn't mean it is easy to handle this.

Just like a submarine in the depths of the ocean, my protection is creaking and groaning, but holding. All it would take is the wrong imbalance to break through.

Which is where I can see the hidden dangers arriving within the bullet hell of weak attacks. A few attacks from Foundation Establishment members and up.

If I let those hit…

Ignoring the constant pressure of the other attacks, I avoid every one of those higher realm attacks. And gain an idea in the process.

I think it’s time to remind these people why you shouldn’t look down on others. Because others will then look down on them.

After avoiding most of the dangerous attacks, I rush toward the bulk of my enemies. Each step heavier and moving faster than the last. Infusing the aura I’ve been letting out further and further into my body. Replicating the same action I took in the battle against my own group.

Qi doping.

Which only compounds the changes that have been happening to my body as I’ve been using the potions. My muscles and skin, which are still ballooning up, increases in growth even further. To cartoonish proportions.

“Grrrrugh!

“… That was close.”

Pain shoots down every part of my body, causing me to stumble mid-stride, though I barely catch myself.

I’m pushing things too far, even with my both my healing abilities running on myself.

This is enough for now. After all…

All of this happened in the span of seconds. Anyone else would just see a blur dodging and tanking innumerable attacks, while growing to a monstrous size, before charging at them. Coming closer and closer.

That’s why I put power into my legs, feeling the ground crunch against my feet and launching me into the air. A callback to my very first hulk jumps.

And for the briefest moment, as I fly into the sky, I can feel the warmth of the sun at my back and the beauty of the lands around us, despite the ruins. To then focus on the one thing that I was looking for, the fear in my target’s eyes. That very same leader who called out for my death.

As I drop from the sky towards his position, I watch him all the way down, seeing that his final action is to activate some kind of shield talisman. My scan works overtime to see what countermeasures and information on him.

Nothing I can’t stop and shouldn’t.

Making me unable to stop my crazed grin.

Tucking my legs in and cradling my head between them, I scream aloud.

“CANNONBALLLLLLLLL!”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

…

…

Rumble.

The sound and sight of bloody dust surrounds me, as I rise from the bloody, crushed pile beneath me. Another one of their leaders and several Vermillion Stripe members are dead.

Most everyone else has already run a distance away from me, creating a circle of terrified enemies.

Which is when I finally have a visual context of how large I’ve really become.

… This isn’t just to the point of looking down over them. I must be 6 meters tall now and possibly even larger than Gong.

The pure terror I see around me as I stand up seems to have frozen the battlefield. Especially since everyone here was able to just see me rise over the entire area, like some prehistoric creature.

But there’s always one guy who can’t read the situation.

“He’s just big! Charge at him!”

A lone, brave individual, that is likely one of the Foundation Establishment realm cultivators, charges at me.

A brief scan as he moves at high speeds toward me shows that he’s one of the few people in the group who aren’t totally bad. Just in an unpleasant situation and forced to be here to survive.

That means he will live, which is good news for him.

Unfortunately for him, that also means he will be in a ton of pain soon.

He speeds towards my legs, sword out and about to stab at a vulnerable position at my Achilles.

To which I let him, making no move to stop him. His sword swings at my tendon with all of his strength.

Craaack.

His hand hovers past my tendon, his eyes staring in disbelief at it. The sword has broken, with no damage to my skin.

Gently, I pick him up from between my legs, lifting him into the air by the robes.

Winding back, before casually flicking him into the distance.

“NOOO AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……..”

His screams float off into the distance until he can neither be seen nor heard anymore.

He’ll land hard, but in a patch of inert slime. The best way to survive a throw like that.

Everyone here is a cultivator. So, for them to see how far I just threw a grown man, leads to only one conclusion.

“… Fuck this shit, I’m out.”

One guy in the front just turns in the opposite direction of me and starts pushing through the other.

“WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YO-”

Another one of the Vermillion Stripes leaders comes out of the woodwork to kill that man, to set an example.

Of course, I predicted this.

In seconds, I have that leader’s head between my thumb and forefinger.

Sploosh.

I squished it. And shouted my own proclamation.

“…This is your chance to run.”

A panicked sprinting away ensues.