Once a heart devil worm flew out of my chest, my grandfather left to chase after it. I didn’t even get the chance to ask him if I was suffering from qi deviation. My heart still hasn’t calmed down, and my blood is circulating a lot faster than normal, especially to my cheeks. I guess the only thing to do is chase after him…. But that’ll bring me back to Lucia. I, I’m not scared of Lucia or anything—I’m just nervous about seeing her. It’s because she’s a horrible, horrible person. I’m nervous out of fear, not shyness!

On the way back to the chosens’ mountain, there were a lot less people than usual roaming about the sect. Normally, people would be exchanging pointers with one another, and sometimes people would market some goods. Disciples would take missions and go out and about, but it’s strangely quiet. It’s not silent, but it’s still eerie. I’ve lived in the sect for my whole life, but I’ve never experienced it quite so desolate before. It must be because everyone’s recovering from the mishap at the cultural exchange. People are calling it the Shadow Devil Sect massacre because Lucia wiped out six hundred sects by herself. Well, not whole sects, but the people that attended the exchange. I don’t know how my grandfather’s going to mend relationships with the sects. It’s possible a large number of people are missing because he already declared war.

War used to be a common occurrence, or so I’ve read. The fight for resources is brutal. To become an immortal, a lot of spirit stones, medicinal pills, treasured weapons, and other resources are necessary. And there’s simply not enough to go around for everyone. It’s also why the people of Kong County don’t have any sky-realm experts. Kong County is relatively barren when compared to the whole of the Immortal Continent. The real holy land of cultivation is smackdab in the center of the Immortal Continent. I wish I could go there one day, but I’d probably only qualify as a simple outer sect disciple at one of their weaker sects. Well, struggling is a natural part of becoming an immortal.

“Madness Strike! Madness Strike! Madness Strike!”

…What did I just walk in on? Lucia’s whaling on my grandfather, and it looks like my grandfather’s losing…. How did Lucia become so proficient with Madness Strike in the time it took me to gather my senses and go to my grandfather? It couldn’t be that I took a really long amount of time to settle my excited heart, right? I don’t think I spent very long, but time is like flowing water to a cultivator. A year could’ve passed…, but I don’t think I meditated for that long. I didn’t have to eat anything after all. Right, not much time has passed. That just means Lucia is abnormal.

“Madness Strike! Madness Strike! Madness Strike!”

Madness Strike is an explosive attack that can transcend ranks during a fight, but it comes at a great cost: torn muscles, damaged meridians, loss of sanity. It’s why the Evil Flame Sect hasn’t risen up to the position of one of the five fingers of Kong County. The recovery period is extensive unless medicinal pills are consumed to rejuvenate the user’s health, but Lucia doesn’t seem to require any rest. And it isn’t as if she’s holding back, judging by the foam pouring from her mouth. She looks like a rabid animal; though, I’ve only seen pictures of them in books. Maybe Lucia has rabies?

“Madness Strike! Madness Strike! Madness Strike!”

To be able to force out that much qi repeatedly…, the difference between her and me is too great. Where is she getting that much energy from? I’m not sure if I should just be watching like this, but I don’t think I’d be able to help my grandfather. If a high-low-ranked earth-realm expert is being pushed back like this, I wouldn’t be able to do anything as a mid-low-ranked saint-realm expert even if I have a few techniques that can transcend ranks. But it’s good to see Lucia’s fighting style so clearly for the first time. …Yes, I followed behind her during the great massacre and should’ve seen her fight then, but all the blood made me nauseous and unable to focus. Now that I can see Lucia up close without worrying about dying, my heart’s beating even faster than it was during the massacre. Why…? There’s just something about her that makes my blood boil. She’s so … heroic…. I’ve never met a man as fierce, domineering, and aggressive as Lucia. Wait! That makes it sound like Lucia’s a man, which she isn’t! She’s a woman like me…, but she’s not very feminine.

“Madness Strike! Madness Strike! Madness Strike! Damn you, why won’t you die!?”

“Wait, you’re trying to kill me?” My grandfather let out a grunt as he stomped his foot and raised his hand into the air. Heart devil qi surged out of him and crashed into Lucia, but it went around her as if she were a rock in a river. “Oh? Then how about this? Heart Devil Apparition!”

It seems like my grandfather’s trying to end this as fast as possible. Heart Devil Apparition is the strongest technique an earth-realm expert can use if they’re utilizing the Heart Devil Cultivation Technique.

“Ah?” Lucia paused as the heart devil qi around her drew back and congealed into a blob. It twisted and rose up while taking the shape of a…. Lucia sliced it in half. “Like I’d wait for something to happen! Madness Strike!”

It’s a shame slicing heart devil qi doesn’t do anything. A massive black hand reached out from one of the halves and grabbed Lucia. “H-hey! Stop that! The worms tickle!”

Right. The Shadow Devil Sect specializes in planting heart devils, not in killing opponents. The most efficient way to place a heart devil in someone is to traumatize them. And what’s a better way to traumatize someone than to cover their whole body in wriggling worms that try to burrow into their skin?

“Why isn’t my Armor of Slaughter stopping this!?” Lucia struggled and squirmed, but the heart devil worms were relentless and crawled towards her ears. “W-wait! I-Impenetrable Shell!”

That’s the other technique she stole; don’t tell me she’s proficient in that too. If she is, then what exactly have I been doing with my life? She’s able to learn two techniques in the time it takes me to calm my nerves. Wait, no. A heart devil worm just crawled into her ear straight past her defensive technique. Phew, she’s not unbelievably talented. But I should stop my grandfather’s Heart Devil Apparition from going any further or Lucia will have to deal with a heart devil. …Why do I feel pity for someone who planted heart devils in me after violating me in front of the sect? But my chest feels oddly painful when I see her suffering. There’s definitely something wrong with me. “Grandfather, stop!”