Chương 22: Crocodilian
From 'it' to 'him', the Crocodilian is slowly but surely recognizing his abstract soul… bit by bit…
Immersed in his own world, the Crocodilian searched for the soul inside him with a calm spirit. The Crocodilian's inner world is that of a marsh, a place he was too familiar with in his youth. In this place, he fought his inner demons and overcame the obstacles that hindered his way.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!" The crocodilian roars with his immense amount of qi. Barring his path are human cultivators who once invaded his homeland.
It was a terrible memory for him, which transformed into his own inner demons.
Defeating these demons are just but one of the few trials for him to overcome in the process of breaking through the 5th stage.
It's a very delicate process, and the Crocodilian doesn't want to mess with his chances.
The rise to the 5th stage is a test of self, a question of existence, in which the practitioner can only find the answer within. This is the reason why this stage is called the Soul Recognition realm in the first place.
Souls are said to be the centerpiece of a creature's existence, representing the self. The question is… What is the shape of the self? Of the soul?
Some suggest that it was the exterior appearance that determines what is inside, like how monkeys have a monkey's soul, how humans have a human's soul, and so on…
According to the contrarian, however, it was the interior that determines what the outside would become, like how an old man carries his wisdom, how a scholar conveys his knowledge and etcetera…
Though they are clearly divergent from each other, the Crocodilian believes in both theories. On the outside, he is a mighty and fierce beast, while inside, he is a cunning and cautious schemer.
Finally, after an unknown time of tedious work, the Crocodilian has finally reached his destination— surrounded by infinite darkness, an enormous ball of light presented itself to him— it was his soul.
He was about to touch it.
When.
Too suddenly.
The inner world shattered.
"What is happening?" The Crocodilian is on the verge of awakening his soul as he watches the metaphysical world twist and bends at unnatural angles.
Just like pieces of glass shattering, the inner world crumbled into nothingness. With the darkness unveiled, the Crocodilian was then met with an abrupt blinding white light of pure destruction.
*PZzZWwWWwWWwWWWWIIIiiiiIIIIiiiiiiiiiiinnnngg…
With blurry eyes and impaired hearing, the Crocodilian found itself back in the world of flesh... and pain.
The Crocodilian's consciousness finally returned to his mortal flesh.
Only now did the Crocodilian feel something pierced into its left eye, leaving the big reptilian monster in excruciating pain. With its charred hide that extends on its back, the Crocodilian roared in fury.
"WHO DARES ATTACK ME!?"
"KYU!" | 'I did, whatchu gonna do?'
It was a familiar white fur ball, a rabbit. The Crocodilian remembered a particular dumb fox that wanted to cushy with the great Crocodilian.
Strangely, the Crocodilian felt the creature mocking its reptilian pride.
"I remember you, funny little one…"
"Kyu?"
"It's fine if you don't. YOU'LL BE DEAD ANYWAY!"
BANG!
Its limbs moved, and the Crocodilian's claw crashed into the little bunny at impossible speeds!
However, the bunny won't just let that be. It moved in time with great reflex to save itself. Its self-preservation instincts are kicking up a storm of nerve signals.
Bi Yuan didn't let it overwhelm her.
"Kyu~!" | 'Stupid smelly croc. Do you know? Cock and Croc sound quite alike. Are cocks and crocs related perhaps?'
Though it was only one sound, that 'kyu', Bi Yuan still manages to send her message with accurate sarcasm
…
Spirit Shackles! Divine Fortification!
Bi Yuan used her art consecutively as she dodged the coming claws at her. She impeded the beast's movement with her Spirit Shackles and then evaded with Divine Fortification cast on her bunny legs.
She hurled her Fork of Perforation imbued with Sacred Ash just a while ago, so for now, Bi Yuan is without a weapon. Even with a weapon, Bi Yuan can hardly do anything as the monstrous reptile rampage left and right.
For now, Bi Yuan can only focus on dodging as she waits for an opportunity to present itself.
…
Meanwhile, 'Oh shit, fuck, fuck…' Chaotic thoughts are running amok in Nee Chen's mind. A weakened 4th stage is not something that just drops from the sky!
"What a fuckin' waste of Exp…"
With Bi Yuan's opening salvo and the beast's weakening in its interrupted attempt to break through the 5th stage, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented itself to their party.
"It could have been better if we attacked together or maybe dropped some heavy boulders while it was immobile."
Nee Chen's thoughts aside, there is no time for regrets. It's now or never!
"…"
But... There is a problem.
If Nee Chen does manage to kill the croc, and even if his contribution is too meager, is it still possible for Nee Chen to receive the corresponding exp? Nee Chen after all is already at the max level of his current class.
With Nee Chen's class advancement at hand, killing the 4th stage beast in front of him doesn't mean anything as he has hit his level cap already.
"Sigh… Xiang Ya, would you please support Bi Yuan? I'll try my best and finish my class advancement as soon as possible."
"Hmmm… Okay." Xiang Ya watched the quickly changing expression of Nee Chen by the sidelines, as she shows an understanding look.
After all, Xiang Ya knows it too… the hunger for Exp points is a bottomless pit every 'player' desires filling up.
…
The Crocodilian is a mighty beast. Even among its tier, only a few would challenge it. That's why it felt too humiliating for it to be backed off on the corner like this.
"I WILL DESTROY YOU!"
The Crocodilian rampaged, using its claws and fearsome jaws. However, the creek is too small for it to maneuver thus why it keeps on missing. The Crocodilian doesn't want the narrow creek to collapse as the Dragon Vein might get buried, and it would take at least a century for it to recover.
Sure, the creek is big enough to allow the Crocodilian to make use of it as its den, but as a battlefield, this creek works against his disadvantage.
The little bunny is nimble and small. Though the Crocodilian can achieve greater speeds with its cultivation, it can't risk the Dragon Vein.
It is a conundrum.
What the Crocodilian can only do is make use of the hand he was dealt.
"DIE!" It cried with a savage bite!
The Crocodilian felt a weak tugging force, as it almost hits the rabbit. The reptile observed the sudden increase in the bunny's speed as its hagged teeth slips by a fur's breath away.
"You mosquito, come here!" The Crocodilian used its claws to take a swipe at the little bunny, but it missed.
Like a mosquito, the bunny acrobatically alternated from the Crocodilian's hide, shallow waters, and rocks making it extra difficult for the Crocodilian to act.
More annoying is the casual restorative martial spell that keeps on pouring on the bunny once in a while. Looking above, the Crocodilian's reptilian cold eyes landed on a female cultivator.
The bunny's restricting martial spells and empowerment martial arts are certainly special. The healing arts are also quite something else.
'Are they perhaps in a master and servant relationship? Perhaps, a spirit contract?'
The Crocodilian's random thoughts are of separate matter… what is important right now is for the Crocodilian to decide.
What is more important for it?
Though it is in an injured state, the bunny clearly poses no threat to it as the Crocodilian is now awake. The martial art that was used to inflict damage on its eye might be telling a different story, but like what the facts represent, the Crocodilian is now awake.
Like the little bunny, the Crocodilian also possesses arts, more impressively so, a 4th stage's arts.
As the pure white light take shape in the little bunny's little paws, the Crocodilian just watched. This time, it is conscious of its enemies' presence.
While the little bunny's arts are profound, its user is just a small 2nd stage. What harm can it do?
When the martial technique was fully formed and launched, the Crocodilian just stayed in its place as it shows full contempt for the bunny's flashy display.
DENSE JADE ARMOR!
The Crocodilian's hide burned in an iridescent verdant hue, as scales after scale cover its body. Like a breeze, the white light scattered at the dense qi that surrounded the Crocodilian.
"2nd stage, mind enlightenment realm," Strong contempt filled the Crocodilian's eyes as it physically confirms the cultivation base of the little bunny. "Just what in the world gave you the thought that you are qualified to fight me?"
With its ultimate defensive martial arts already activated, the Crocodilian felt that it was fine now.
It, no… He.
He still has the opportunity to reach the next stage.
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