บท 22: Grecian the Spider Emperor - Part Two
Enveloped by Meng Fu's viridescent green Qi, Neebo stared blankly forward.
As they were being lifted up from fifty meters down the pit. His mind absent-mindedly peeked into the moving view of the earth, which was the pit.
It's as if everything is moving very fast, and every moment from the past was starting to become a blur.
His life, his home, his identity, his family.
He had been too focused on his own desires, that he had forgotten what he had lost. He asked himself, did he even treasure them? Did he mourn for them?
Neebo looked back at his past. He had been a sheltered and privileged Prince of a kingdom, he had everything; the warmth of love, the copious and carefree life, protection.
He thought back to the time when he was fourteen years old, he had a joyful life back then. He dug through his memories and asked why did he hated his family so much, that he had lost his emotional attachments towards them.
His mind raced as it seem to flip into the pages of his life from the past, trying to review and uncover missing pieces to solve a problem.
He wonders to himself, 'Why would father make that decision? Why does he need to create a division among family?' his anger resurfaced again.
His eyes were blank, but a tiny spark beamed with anger.
What had he been doing all this time?
Why did it come to this point?
Everything that he thought he knew became a figment of this blurry past. The reality that he grew up with disappeared. And he thought, he had already been living in this powerful reality; where the strong preys the weak, where power is authority, where softness is a weakness. He had indulged himself into information's that were too advanced for his reality, which everything in his life became easy to give up.
He dreamed of this life, the life of adventure and battles.
He dreamt of becoming strong and powerful.
But he never thought of why.
He was not the person who had kept the injustices of life in his heart, he was a Prince. And he had everything.
As Meng Fu's viridescent green Qi ran through his body, he felt warmth and kindness to it. And he thought, 'was I wrong about him too?'
But Meng Fu was Prince Archilles's, and Prince Archilles was an enemy. But why would he save him? He had defeated him and humiliated him time and time again. He incited anger against Prince Archilles; he has spat a few mouthfuls of insults to him. But why?
He had become a dog who licks the boot off of his master; a slave, defeated in faith.
He didn't want to become a slave.
The tiny spark in his eyes beamed like wildfire, his heart rage in revolt. His mind thought of ways to escape from this predicament, he gripped his chains, the symbol of his faith; the symbol of being a slave. But no, 'this is not my end.'
Neebo looked towards Meng Fu, burning with determination and strong resolve. He witnessed everything; He saw how Meng Fu exhausted his Qi, battling against that spider creature. In his mind, he knew this was probably going to be Meng Fu's weakest state. He had to act!
Neebo had confidence burning into him, his training had been a success as he dealt Prince Archilles easily. He knew that Prince Archilles was not of his level, but what worried Neebo was, Elder Bai who was beside Prince Archilles. This man was also strong, but compared to the past, Neebo had become stronger.
Halfway through their ascent, Neebo felt pressured. He was losing time.
In a blink, Neebo lunged towards Meng Fu, as he circulated everything he got. He executed his strongest skill, the Nine Steps of Suppression.
…
Meng Fu on the other hand, had been too focused on their ascension from the pit hole. As he enveloped everyone with his Qi, he saw Neebo's disgust towards pleading to Archilles. 'At least he has pride' he thought.
And as Meng Fu brought them to a lift, Neebo's blank and witless image struck him. He thought that the earlier Neebo realizes his fate as a slave to his disciple, the easier his life would become. And so, Meng Fu left it at that. In time, the kid will accept this reality.
Meng Fu did not bother to keep an eye out on to Neebo.
Bai Feng was the same. He thought that Neebo was beneath him, and so he did not have anything in his mind that would place Neebo as a threat or would create a scene.
…
As Neebo executed the First Step, everyone's look was before him. As time seem to move at a very slow speed. Meng Fu's weak and slow turn of the head, Bai Feng's look of shock at the hostile disturbance, and Prince Archilles's look of stupefaction.
Neebo felt that everyone looked extremely funny. But he swipe this thought away as he knew that it was a critical moment in his life.
He let go of his lingering fear of the spatial crack. He let go of his fear towards the foreign lifeforms. He let go of the threats from beyond and focused on to escaping from this fate. What awaits him above was a life of humiliation and irrelevance. Neebo didn't want that.
Neebo burned with his determination and unyielding mindset. He let go of his leg, along with it was everything that he had carried. All the weight of uncertainties and fear, weakness and defeat, horror and victory. Neebo saw everything, as he saw Meng Fu's vulnerability. Above Meng Fu, Neebo released his right leg and stomped it into Meng Fu's head.
The slow and tormenting motion became Neebo's step of freedom. A step towards a different future, and he needed to take that first step to be on that track he wanted. Neebo's foot landed steadily, as if he had mastered the technique for a very long time.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A gigantic ethereal azure foot manifested as it stomped into Meng Fu's viridescent green Qi.
The gigantic ethereal azure foot was the size of the pit itself, so large that it descended with great power. Both Meng Fu and Bai Feng let their guards down, and were struck by the massive force that Neebo executed.
"Protect my disciple Bai Feng!" Meng Fu shouted in revolt.
The massive azure foot descended, and the viridescent green Qi that had enveloped everyone collapsed, this sent everyone back below the pit again.
…
Below, Zhu Hongwu was seated cross-legged, meditating and recovering from battle exhaustion. Suddenly he felt a massive weight descending from above. As he looks upward, what he saw gave him a sense of hostility.
He saw Meng Fu's viridescent green Qi collapsing, he also saw Meng Fu himself fainting from the attack.
Zhu Hongwu had little Qi left, and what was left in his arsenal was a protective talisman that could protect him from high level attacks from Peak Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators for a period of half an hour's time. And Zhu Hongwu thought that he was left with no other choice other than to use it. He felt great hesitation, because this was an expensive talisman to begin with, and he only had this one on him.
Zhu Hongwu casted the talisman; which enveloped him in white ethereal sphere as Zhu Hongwu braced himself of the collision against the gigantic ethereal azure foot.
…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
As the gigantic ethereal azure foot landed, it shook the entire earth. This was a far stronger First Step compared to what Neebo executed before. It boasted a powerful weight that was a hundred times that of his original, add to it the momentum that of which it traveled, the power was just enough to knock a weak and exhausted powerhouse like Meng Fu out.
Bai Feng, who had received orders to protect Prince Archilles in that brink of moment, didn't have enough time to assess everything as they were sent back by a massive force down below. And all he could do was to obey and envelope Prince Archilles with his own protective talismans; which left him unprotected from the massive ethereal azure foot, knocking him out as well.
A massive footprint was carved into the ground. Zhu Hongwu's white ethereal sphere collapsed right as the foot landed on the ground seems like it couldn't bear with the force for a long time. And Zhu Hongwu who was inside was also knocked on to the ground lying, coughing a mouthful of blood.
Below ground, the dust stormed madly, as it swallowed the azure foot that had landed.
The spatial crack seem to be unaffected by it, as it passed through like a ghost against the massive azure foot that was landing.
The floating canvass seal had disappeared from sight. As it seem to be swallowed as well by the unsettled dust that had covered everyone's visions.
At the center of the crash site, amidst the unsettled dust that was still lingering turbulently around; Neebo was flabbergasted. He never expected his technique would be this powerful. What he executed before against Prince Archilles didn't have this kind of power; he was stupefied from this event.
Neebo slowly probed into his surroundings, the closest to him was a bloody Meng Fu, Bai Feng and Prince Archilles. All whom, who had been knocked out from the sheer weight of that fifty thousand kilogram foot. Neebo saw Bai Feng sending massive protective talismans against his attack, and even that, was not able to stand firm against his First Step.
Neebo probed farther away, he was looking for Zhu Hongwu. He was the one Neebo was most concern of. He knew that Zhu Hongwu was very skillful in combat arts. But then he detected Zhu Hongwu's sorry state lying at the edge of the pit. Drilled into the ground just like everyone else, but Zhu Hongwu was conscious; coughing in mouthful of blood. Neebo was greatly alarmed; he didn't have a plan for what was after.
"Insolent brat!" Zhu Hongwu roared in anger. He was immobilized by that attack and was clearly injured by it.
Neebo was greatly frightened. But it was at that moment that he heard a voice in his mind which gave him the last string of hope.
Neebo immediately rushed and dove into the unsettled dust that still hangs in the air.
Zhu Hongwu followed Neebo's movements as he struggled to stand back up. He wondered what Neebo was going to do now, 'what are you planning now you insolent brat?'
Predicting Neebo's direction, Zhu Hongwu probe into where Neebo was headed. And as he circulated his Qi, enhancing his vision, he saw where Neebo was heading; towards his great sword. Zhu Hongwu panicked, if Neebo removes his sword from the ground; the floating canvas that had sealed the spider creature away would break free, and now that only he was left conscious, he was not confident facing against the spider creature alone.
"Stupid brat, Stop!" Zhu Hongwu roared as he erupted with what energy he was left.
Neebo settled before the greatsword, as he calmed himself down; he gripped the hilt of the sword with all his strength. He paused, "Swear! If I free you, I need your guarantee that you would keep your word!" Neebo spoke as if talking to someone.
A reply came in Zhu Hongwu's surprise, "Kwakakakak I swear! By the blood of my ancestors, I Grecian the Spider Emperor shall become your mount for a hundred years! Kwakakakakakak" the eerier voice of the spider creature resounded from the seal.
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