As I flew carelessly across the dry fields, I saw several peddlers and many other homeless people moving about like a flock of stray sheep, all moving in one single direction towards the very city I was headed to.
The closer I got, the more of these people I've seen.
'Something must have happened to have all these people moving with such desperation. Perhaps the drought's impact was too much for mortals.'
Continuing on with my flight, I arrived at the city gate in a couple of hours of time. Finding even more people at the doorway of a blocked and locked city.
Many soldiers were threatening any of the begging peddlers and the homeless with arrows if they were to take another step forward.
Ignoring the masses I continued with my flight and went into the city. But I never thought that there would be cultivators here.
Soon, four Foundation Establishment cultivators came at me with their own flying swords.
"Do you not know that it is against the rules to fly over Tinjin! Come with us calmly or we'll resolve to force!" one of the four boldly spoke.
I looked at the man with half a glance, and it was all it took for the man to understand that he was up to his ears in shit.
In this type of world, showing weakness is the same as asking to be preyed upon. Against stronger cultivators, I'll always use wits before strength, but against bugs, crushing them is all I need.
And thus I used my divine sense, and powered it with my Sky Pearl, sending a far, far weaker type of offensive Divine Sense than what Brother Zhang Tian does, but for these cultivators, this Divine Sense mixed with the tormenting and self-mutilating imagery was too much for them to resist.
The four cultivators immediately shook, and grabbed their heads, screaming as sights worse than the most frightening horror stories assaulted their minds.
Three of them were unable to keep their balance and fell off their swords, they didn't even realize that they actually hit the ground, as they still squirmed from the sights I showed them.
Though I knew that since they are cultivators, a drop from this height won't kill, but it will definitely break some bones.
The last cultivator I went toward and grabbed by the neck.
"Where is this man who calls himself Lord of Steel? And who hired you as guards?" I asked.
The man frothing at the mouth could barely speak from the horror he was going through. But a single spray of some smelling salt woke him up nicely, only to have him scream in fear for his life.
"Why are you screaming? Do I look like a monster to you?" I asked.
Shaking the man nodded up and down.
"Funny, then you better tell the monster about what he wants to know, otherwise the monster will get angry," I said, though I coated my words with my best smile, for that man the terror of that smile made him wet his pants.
"Disgusting," I said as I moved the man slightly away from me with one hand still gripping him by the neck.
Sorry for anyone who received a golden shower under us. You can file your complaints to whoever hired this scaredy-cat.
"So, speak up," I said.
"Yes, he is in the main manor, he is the city lord." The man said.
"Oh, I could have figured that out myself, what I need to know is, why were you hired, I doubt that you as a cultivator would work for a mortal," I said.
"We're cultivators who couldn't reach the Core Stage, so we decided to remain in the mortal world." The man spoke.
"Seeing that you're all Foundation Establishment and just guards, I suppose you have a captain or someone who is your superior," I said.
The man nodded, "Yes, he is a Core cultivation…" but before his words were finished I sensed something coming at the man in my hand with explosive speed.
I hurriedly moved my hand to the side along with the captured cultivator and with one swing drew Creeping Demise and swung up, cutting a steel bolt that had some inscriptions on it in one single swing.
"Oh, you have some ability to be able to block my Haven Piercing Bolt!" a random man said as he approached me with a flying sword.
"But can you block all these!" the man said and pulled eight more, one between each of the fingers on both his hands.
Pretty generic introduction to some cliché dumbass who doesn't understand how to read the mood.
And what the heck was that weak projectile, calling it Heaven Piercing, shameless.
And just to make him understand the difference between me and him, I put Creeping Demise back into my Spatial Bag, drew my revolver, pointed, and pulled the trigger.
The man never knew what happened as he was dead before he could even hear the sound of the shell blasting off from the revolver.
The man dropped like an anvil in the sea. Pointless trash mob death.
"Who the heck was that side character?" I asked the man in front of me.
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" he shouted.
'Seems that using the gun near his ear was too loud.
I pointed at the dead man on the ground and gestured to the man with one hand 'who'?
"THAT WAS THE CAPTAIN!"
'Huh, seems that even their captain was trash.' I let go of the man and he too fell down. But since he wasn't assaulted with the illusions from my sky pearl anymore, he managed to land on his feet, but that must have been painful as I clearly heard his bones snapping the moment he touched the ground.
Looking around, I managed to locate the Manor, it was the only one in the city, and was the largest one. So, I slowly flew towards it.
And on my way, I saw many guards rushing towards the manor, moving with extreme haste to their lord.
One of them even boldly took a shaky hand and nocked a bow trying to take me down. But the wise and very thoughtful smack on the head he received from the guy next to him saved his life.
"FOOL! DON'T YOU EVER DARE POINT A WEAPON AT AN IMMORTAL!" were the words of the man who dealt the smack.
'smart man'
The purpose of these guards wasn't to actually attack, or even show resistance, as I immediately understood from what happened next.
A fat man came out of the manor, barely dressed. He hurried and almost stumbled a few times. He went ahead of his hundred or so guards and immediately slammed his head on the dirt, "PLEASE SIR IMMORTAL SPARE US YOUR WRATH!" he said with a voice so loud I could even believe he was a cultivator and infused his voice with Qi.
But I suppose being terrified and afraid for your life could cause miracles.
Soon, all of the soldiers dropped their weapons and they all knelt down.
"I didn't come here to cause problems, I'm here to look for my sons," I calmly spoke.
"Great Illustrious Immortal, we would have no knowledge of the whereabouts of your sons, for if they were a fraction of your greatness they would be well known to all and worshipped."
"Worshipped? My greatness? I'd like some of that stuff you're on." I said
But my joke fell on deaf ears, or at least they had no idea what I was talking about.
"And no, they don't deserve to be worshiped, for they have things too vile for the heavens themselves to spare. Isn't that right, Xiao Bao, Lu Bao!" I spoke the last words were infused with divine sense so they did travel far and wide.
And immediately, whispers began rising as many recognized the name.
"So, you two don't wish to come out and confront your father," I said…
No response came.
"Then so be it, you there," I said to the fat person.
"Yes, your greatness,"
"I'm a little pissed right now, so I'll probably cause some mild damage to some of your furniture, you can send the tab to Wu Fan back at Lucid Springs."
"Oh, no sir, you can do whatever you want!" said the man.
'Well don't come crying to me later then.'
With my words done, I flew towards the manor. And immediately blasted the front wall of it open with a single blow.
As I stood, with a massive hole in the wall and right in the middle of the manor, Lu Bao shook in front of me, like he had seen the devil.
"Long time no see, son," I said.
"F-fffather! Wait! I can-"
I placed one finger on Lu Bao's mouth before he could finish "I know son, you can explain, I know, but I'm so pissed right now I really don't need explanation. I've been too lax in teaching you, so might as well do it now."
Lu Bao's face turned white as a ghost, and then I grabbed him by the jaw and pulled him closer.
"So, you two cursed at me for birthing you with the same alignment I had. For not being able to cultivate, right?"
Lu Bao tried to shake his head denying it, but with his face gripped tightly, he couldn't even breathe if I didn't allow it.
"Then how about you try the world of cultivators, for whatever brief moment you can." I pulled a pill and shoved it down his throat.
Unable to stop the pill from going down or even gag it out, Lu Bao could do nothing but surrender to whatever I gave him.
"That's a very special pill, it will regenerate broken bones, heal wounds, and cure illnesses and even increase lifespan. It's a drug medicine for mortals, it can make you survive even the deadliest of wounds, and its effects last for a pretty good time." I said.
Though Lu Bao didn't know why I would give him such a precious gift he was about to understand why.
"let me do a showcase!" I said and then unceremoniously threw him into a wall.
The wall broke and cracked and Lu Bao flew into the next room, throwing up blood, one of his hands was broken out of position, and he clearly had a few ribs broken. Then immediately, his wounds began healing.
"See how useful that pill is," I said then grabbed him by one leg, and then smashed him into the bed, into a table, a closet, and a few more items. Then began hammering punch after punch.
Whimpering and crying, I never let him let out a single word, as I didn't want to hear it.
Lu Bao couldn't handle such beating and soon fell unconscious.
Then I pulled him by the leg and began dragging him behind me.
Slowly I made my way towards the basement while leaving a long trail of blood that came from Lu Bao's mangled, and on the brink of death body.
Then I went down step by step, with my son's head bumping into every stair, not even caring. Until I arrived at a closed room.
I kicked the door open and found Xiao Bao, along with his wife and his daughter.
"WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE MONSTER!" said Xiao Bao.
The little girl next to Xiao Bao began screaming as she saw her 'uncle's mangled self.
But since I didn't want to traumatize them much, I threw a pill into her mouth, causing her to swallow it, then immediately fall asleep.
"You call me a monster, son.."
"Father is dead! You might have tricked my brother, but I know you're nothing but a demon!"
"Says the man who threw his own father out of a cliff just to get some spare coin. Says the man who let his people starve so he can have more gold to himself. Says the man that hides behind his wife and daughter as his own brother is beaten to death. Me? Demon, oh, then I could really be a demon. Let me show you the gates of hell, son…"
An hour later, I walked out with the two of them, chained at the ankles and began dragging them.
Seeing these two dragged, many had questions, but no one even dared question what an 'immortal' should and should not do, so they all watched as I dragged my two sons through the city streets.
"Unfilial bastards. It's for your own good that I'm here doing heaven's work in punishing such ungrateful brats such as you," I said. "For if heaven ever gets a hold of you after what you have done, then eternal torment is the least of your worries."
I spoke, and my words were for all to hear.
"Unfilial sons of mine, you've done me a great disservice, but thanks to your cruel and evil deeds, I managed to become a cultivator, but what about you? What have you gained from betraying the heavenly relationship granted to you by the heavens? Filial Piety is not something to be ridiculed, for heavens tolerate not those who mistreat their parents."
I added, and these words were for the parents and children of this city to hear. Not for my sons who were barely conscious.
I continued moving towards the gate dragging the two of them until I reached the grouping masses at the gate.
"Move," I spoke, and immediately everyone scattered away.
And as I kept dragging the two of them, I stopped and asked a random person, "Why have you come here?"
"Lord immortal! We've come in search of work and food. The drought hit us hard, and we lost our homes ad cattle. Then we heard that there was work in Lucid Springs, but after seeing its state…"
I looked around, "I can give you food, I can give you homes, I can give you jobs, but you'll have to work for them."
The man's eyes brightened "I'll break my back working for bread, my family needs it! thank you, cultivator!"
"Then follow me, I'm going back to Lucid Springs."
The man looked awkwardly at me. "But isn't it in shambles, and there was this Immortal who destroyed it, we fear that if we settle there, he'll come back."
"I'll deal with that, follow me if you wish to survive, or stay here and starve at the gates of a city that feeds only itself."
I said and then moved forward.
It took a few seconds before the masses nodded to each other and began gathering their things and followed me.
'I guess Wu Fan will be happy with this new workforce, they'll rebuild the city in no time.'