Writer Eternal: A little early for this week's chapters, but I got extra time. By the end of this triple chapter release, the introduction and events leading to the main setting are done. To be good or to be bad; Wei walks his own path to avoid the tragic end fate wants of him.

Chapter 10: The Corpse Field

Wei and Benkei drew their swords and tread carefully as they exited the sewer tunnel. Before them was a giant underground plain littered with corpses. Black clouds floated in the air, causing the grass to wither where they passed. A mist of blood lingered around the corpses, the bodies long dead and no longer juicy.

"A corpse field! With so many dead, no wonder a Corpse Eater could be born. There are so many bodies to use for such dark magic," Wei gasped.

"What about those black clouds? The blood mist?" Benkei asked.

"Leave the blood mist to me. Director Ji mentioned once that my wood essence could absorb vitality. Absorbing the blood mist should enlarge my foundations and make me more powerful later on," Wei said as green energy coiled around his arms and body. He sat in lotus position, the blood mist surging toward him as if he were a black hole. Before the blood mist could touch his body, the green wood essence would absorb the blood mist.

Benkei stepped back and was stunned at the sight. It was as if Han Cong Wei was in the center of a whirlpool of blood, fear and awe in his eyes as he watched Cong Wei drain and clear the plains of the blood mist. Wei's body started to glow gold as he simultaneously practiced the Golden Indestructible Body technique. He also gained fragmented memories of those who died. Compared to finding magical treasures, the memories of the celestials he gained was more than worth it.

Black liquid impurities spilled out from his pores, burned away by his spirit energy. Wei had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. No, the peak! Foundation Establishment was the most simple cultivation realm and less difficult than Spirit Condensation. All it required was enlarging and opening the meridians in ones body to increase spirit energy reserves. Once it reached a certain level, the quasi-celestial would break the peak Foundation Establishment and be considered a true celestial of the Mortal Realm.

As the hidden body space expanded due to another cultivation increase, the Blood Vein Ring was also refined by the blood mist. Wei opened his eyes and stood up, feeling a lot of power inside his body. He materialized his Spirit Crown, ecstatic to see nine round ruby stones atop the crown. His Spirit Crown was complete and he really did reach the peak stage.

"Congratulations. Wish we could spend time to consolidate your spirit energy, but we got trouble," Benkei said, pointing to the black clouds that fell from the sky and converged on a single point.

"You need to escape. I'll hold it off," Wei said, gripping his sword tightly as the clouds began to fuse.

"How strong is it?" Benkei asked.

"Stronger than me and my spirit energy is still erratic from advancing. Go," Wei said as a howl blasted from within the clouds. His eyes stared silently at an old man in a black robe with long white hair and a white beard falling below his shoulders. The skin on the left half of his face was grey and a strange horn protruded on his forehead a few inches above the eye.

"Well, well. A human brat from beyond the Space Gate. Are you another offering for my collection? Are you the one who killed my little toys near the surface?" the old man asked.

"What are you?" Wei asked as two of his flying daggers circulated in the air around him.

"I am a demon descended from a demon emperor of the Immortal Plane. I'm stuck here, my cultivation sinking in this dreadful place. My Corpse Eaters kill the magical beasts and bring me their flesh, but it is human flesh that benefits me most. You're an inferior species, but the most compatible with spirit energy. Absolutely peerless potential," the old man began as he held out a crystal ball with black energy flowing within.

"Know what this is? This is death energy, a forbidden power using the souls of the dead. The living wither before it. You will die and there is no one here who can stop me," the old man said. "Die."

Wei roared, his killing intent of a million souls radiating from his body. A stream of black clouds collided with his killing intent. Screams and moans cried out from the cloud before the cloud broke apart. The demon rubbed his eyes, disbelief on his face as the demon's cultivation fell to peak Foundation Establishment with the lost death energy.

He appeared next to Wei in a flash, slapping him into the ground. Wei nearly lost consciousness, blood dripping from his head as the demon lifted him by the ankle and threw him at the wall. The walls cracked on impact and Wei's back burned with pain before falling to the ground.

"A little human shit wants to defy me? You've wasted years of soul collecting!" the demon roared as it grabbed Wei by the throat. Wei's legs dangled in the air as the demon lifted him above the ground. Wei clenched his fist, two flying daggers, cutting the tendons on the demon's arm. It howled in pain, releasing him as Wei took out a red ring from his hidden body space.

"Blood! Blood! I'll kill you. Rip you limb from limb as you beg for mercy!" the demon roared, clutching its arm as Wei's left hand touched the ground. He activated the brown ring's spell, dozens of rock spikes spearing the demon from below. He absorbed some of the liquid spirit energy within the Blood Vein Ring and put it on before he charged.

The demon screamed as Wei picked up his sword and used the momentum to skewer through the demon's body. The pain drove it mad, the demon flailing and breaking free of the rock spikes as a back hand landed on Wei's left shoulder. A fracture appeared and Wei tumbled four times as he was knocked to the ground.

"Why? Why won't it break! No Mortal Realm weapon can kill me!" the demon screamed, trying to destroy the sword in its body. However, its efforts were futile. The sword was one bathed in the golden flames of immortal executioners. Such a weapon could not be destroyed by a weakened demon at the same cultivation level as the owner.

"The sword can't hold it forever," Wei cursed as he released his spirit beast, his eyes widening as the cub was the size of an husky with the cultivation of the late Foundation Establishment level. As he ordered it to charge, a voice spoke to him from the ring.

"Your sword won't last. The demon's cultivation might be lost, but the strength of its soul is far too powerful. You also cannot use the golden flames of immortal executioners in the real world yet," the voice spoke in his head.

"Who are you? The damaged ghost?" Wei asked.

"Yes. I cannot pass on all my knowledge to you as your mind might break. However, I can pass on my knowledge of how to refine artifacts, my medical knowledge, and a sealing method to vanquish this demon. Your sword will be destroyed, but you can forge a new immortal executioner blade once your cultivation rises high enough to use the mask with your real body. Your sword should have originally been a non-magical sword. Most of all, I can absorb the life force of the demon inside the Blood Vein Ring and fully restore my soul," the ghost replied.

"Do it!" Wei screamed as the demon lost its mind and went on a rampage, throwing two meter chunks of ground and dirt in random directions. Wei's mind blurred as several powerful methods and knowledge was branded into his memory. In a daze, Wei muttered a memory that left as soon as he chanted its words.

The sword embedded in the demon's chest shook as rainbow colored flames burst from the sword. The demon writhed in pain as the sword broke apart. The flames solidified and became a rainbow crystal, all the death energy in the crystal orb released into the air by the flames. A large suction force absorbed the imprisoned demon into the Blood Vein Ring as Han Cong Wei collapsed onto the floor.

"Tough bones this boy has. Was able to endure the mental strain, and keep his life," the ghost approved before the ring entered Wei's hidden body space. Wei's injuries slowly healed as the dispersed death energy entered his body.

Meanwhile, Benkei was running through the sewers as fast as he could. Han Cong Wei proved a true friend by giving him the opportunity to reach Foundation Establishment and stay behind to let him escape. It was tantamount to suicide as the difference between cultivation realms were far greater than the differences in stages.

He quickly contacted Hiro through the badge as he reached the surface from where he and Wei first entered the sewers. As he followed Hiro's directions, Benkei slashed his way through several magical beasts at the Spirit Condensation level with ease. Doing so only made him feel more guilt towards his benefactor.

He called Lu Mang a hero and himself the villain? Bullshit. Lu Mang was a hero to the others but destroyed their way home. Han Cong Wei was a hero to stay behind and fight the creature. Benkei panted and ignored the burning in his leg muscles as he entered a convenience store and found the others.

"Benkei, what happened? Wait, you're at the early Foundation Establishment?" Hiro gasped as he saw him. The three girls cried out in alarm as Benkei punched Lu Mang once, knocking the latter off his feet. Benkei grabbed the collar of Lu Mang's shirt and punched again.

"You bastard! You destroyed our way home!" Benkei roared as he lifted his fist a third time.

"I know you're angry and that you don't know us, but what he did saved us," Sakura said, she and Hiro grabbing Benkei and pulling him away.

"He let a damn drake out! A drake! We're cannon fodder. No, even less than trash before it. A single puff of its breath could blast away our organs, and you stopped me from clocking him again?" Benkei roared.

"Where's Cong Wei?" Shen Ling asked, noticing Benkei came alone.

"He's at the heart of the sewers holding back an existence beyond the Foundation Establishment. That's a hero!" Benkei spat after coming to his senses. As his arms were held, Benkei kicked out, sending Lu Mang flying into the wall. "Get off of me."

"I don't sense any such presence below us. I only sense someone with a cultivation at peak Foundation Establishment. The spirit energy signature is faint and not moving. I think he's unconscious," Sakura said as she let go of Benkei and focused her spirit sense underground.

"He beat it?" Hiro frowned as Benkei looked at the street and saw a manhole.

"Once that guy gets his wits back, we're going down there!" Benkei growled, relief in his eyes as Cong Wei was safe. He trusted Sakura's spirit sense ability.

-----------------------------------------

"What happened? Ugh, my head," Wei groaned as he regained consciousness.

"You're up," the ghost said. "I'm fully recovered too. My spirit anyway. I'll regain some control over spirit energy overtime. That demon wasn't lying. Its vitality was just too deep. Luckily this is a Space Gate's dimension or its ancestor could detect the demon's death and possibly seek revenge."

"You're not speaking in my head," Wei noticed as he stood up.

"No, but I still can't be seen in the real world. I'm a poltergeist now, able to move things without touching them. Your little spirit beast guarded your body while you were unconscious. I retrieved some items from the demon's lair while the sabertooth cub was feasting on some of the more recent dead bodies. Using the liquid spirit energy really revitalized us. As a resident of the Blood Vein Ring, I serve you and was able to send the ring in your hidden body space. Such a divine ability, I envy you," the ghost laughed.

"Found an egg the size of a watermelon in there. The demon most certainly planned to eat it before you showed up. Who knows when it will hatch," the ghost continued as the spirit beast returned and shrunk into the size of a kitten. It rubbed its head against Wei's legs and fell asleep against his leg.

"Cute little guy," Wei nodded before putting the spirit beast in his Cosmos Ring. He couldn't take out the Blood Vein Ring out and only did so because no one was around. His eyes darted to the Blood Vein Ring as he took out the turtle shell pot. The pot was filled with exotic fruits and herbs, but no talisman.

"Where did it go?" Wei said as he stored the rest in his Cosmos Ring. As the pot was emptied, he noticed the turtle shell pot now had glowing white inscriptions within.

"Seems like the pot used the talisman to upgrade itself. This is a result of you not controlling the pot during refinement. Still, you do have three flying daggers. Not a total loss as the talisman wasn't real flying sword," the ghost soothed. "I would go into the demon's lair if I were you. Loot the items before your companions arrive. However, I already did. Besides the egg was this gourd. Inside the gourd is some immortal milk beverage. It is perfect for you to increase your physical strength and other benefits. There's also a flute with a rather interesting use. I already put a few hundred spirit crystals in your hidden body space as well."

"Nothing more? The demon was that poor?" Wei asked and stared at the flute before putting the two items in his hidden body space

"This is the Space Gate dimension. The demon might have devoured the magical energies of the several magical items its Corpse Eater minions found to stay alive. You're lucky to have the egg, gourd, flute, and spirit crystals at all. Well, I did find you a mana stone. No, it is not like the stories. I'll go into detail later," the ghost sighed. "I also put several Spirit Pearls at your feet, but they're useless to you. You going to give a few of them to your friends?"

"Yeah. I'm not a villain. I forge my own path," Wei said as he put them in his Cosmos Ring. "But I'm still going to punch Lu Mang just once."

"Just remember there're a drake on the loose. I found a Space Gate in another tunnel back there. I'd use it. You can hear the rampage by now," the ghost suggested as Benkei appeared.

"You're okay!" Benkei grinned as he saw Wei.

"Are those Spirit Pearls?" Hiro gasped as three appeared in Cong Wei's hands.

"Take them," Wei nodded and Sakura and Hiro beamed with delight.

"Thanks," Lu Mang muttered as he reached for it.

"Don't mention it. Not interested in your girl, but I am going to punch you," Wei whispered, Lu Mang looking at Wei just in time for a left hook to hit his jaw.

"That felt good to you too?" Benkei asked as Lu Mang was knocked out before hitting the ground.

"A bit. Wanted to do more, but we got a drake on a rampage topside," Wei shrugged as the Shen cousins shook their heads helplessly.