Uninterested in being drowned in mystic Qi and having her mind wholly torn apart, Stella left Ashlock to his evil god antics and headed back through the portal to the basement of the Duskwalker residence and upstairs to the meeting room. Her hand paused on the doorknob as she overheard the voices from inside; it didn't sound like politics or finance-related speech, so with some hesitance, she turned the knob and walked inside.
Everyone was here except the Grand Elder of the Mystshroud family. Despite his claimed superiority over the other mystic Qi cultivators, he also fell for Ash's scheme and was deemed worthy of joining the cult of the All-Seeing Eye.
"Oh, Stella, just in time." Diana stood up from her chair. "We should leave to meet Seth soon."
Stella smiled at her best friend, "Yeah, it's almost dusk, and he should be waiting for us at the meeting point in Nightshade City. It wouldn't be good to leave him waiting."
Evelyn looked between them with concern, "Are you two really sure about this? I know you are both stronger than anyone knows, but there's a good reason the bounty reached as high as 10,000 Yinxi Coins despite Albis Lunarshade's cultivation level."
"I was actually going to ask you about that," Stella said. She pulled out her pendant and inserted some Qi into it, revealing the bounty she had saved was on its back in golden letters.
[Death of Albis Lunarshade]
Target's estimated threat level: Star Core 2
Affiliation with the Lunarshade Family: Nascent Soul 6
Bounty: 10,000 Yinxi Coins
The bounty is placed by Corvin Blightbane. For more information, consult a Lotus Informant.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"It says here that the bounty was placed by Corvin Blightbane," Stella glanced at the Grand Elder of the Blightbane family, who sat hunched in a chair beside Evelyn. Like fading embers, his eyes peered through a curtain of hair as dark as rotting wood, and he let out a small sigh.
"Corvin Blightbane was my Father. He placed that bounty on Albis before his death."
Stella raised a brow, "How did he die?"
"The same way you two are about to—he hunted down Albis Lunarshade after that crazed bastard kidnapped his wife and ended up perishing at the hands of the Lunarshade's Grand Elder." The man let out a sad chuckle, "My old man was so blinded by rage he pulled the rest of us down with him. Most of us died seeking vengeance. Only a handful of the Blightbane family are left now to live on as a sad husk of our former glory."
"So this 10,000 Yinxi Coin bounty was placed before your Father's death and still remains?" Stella asked.
The Blightbane Grand Elder nodded, "We could request the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion to give us a portion of the money back, but we have not bothered. As angry as I am with him, that bounty is his legacy. He wanted nothing more than the death of Albis Lunarshade, so I have left it alone."
Stella's eyes widened a little. I forgot how much this family of death Qi cultivators cared about the legacies. Now, it all makes more sense.
"Why hasn't the bounty been completed thus far?" Diana asked Evelyn, who still looked concerned. "Is it because it's similar to Nox, where people feared the person standing behind them too much to dare complete the bounty?"
"That's part of it," Evelyn agreed, "Though plenty have tried to kill Albis despite the risk of angering the Lunarshade family. Those fools were convinced they could skip town before news of the bounty being completed reached the ears of the Lunarshade Grand Elder."
"What happened to those who tried?" Diana said.
"All died," Evelyn said bluntly. "No matter their cultivation level, they never came back. I appreciate what you two are trying to do for me and this partnership, but I still think this is too risky. There are other bounties or missions you can take Stella to reach the Crimson Trackers, and in time, you will make those 10,000 Yinxi Coins from selling pills. It's not worth it in my eyes."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Stella and Diana exchanged a glance.
"It should be fine, right?" Diana asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.
Stella tapped her chin and hummed as she thought this mission over.
"It should be fine. Since it's happening outside the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion, the immortal can lend us his assistance," Stella reasoned. "I can tell this is a trap from a mile away, believe me. The question is how and who."
"Seth is certainly suspicious," Diana stroked her chin, "But he is our only way to supposedly find this man, as even Evelyn doesn't know where he is most of the time."
"It's true," Evelyn said as her face twisted into a scowl, "And I prefer it that way. I only visit the Lunarshade residence to ask where he is when times get tough or I must mellow them out of acting against us. What that bastard does in his free time is of no interest to me."
Stella nodded, "Makes sense. Also, Diana, Seth may be suspicious of your true strength, but he still believes me to be an early-stage Star Core cultivator at most with subpar skills, as I didn't get a recommendation letter like you did. We can use that to our advantage."
"Fine," Diana sighed, "I don't see how they beat us with the immortal's support unless the Lunarshade Grand Elder is there. In which case, we can only hope Larry or Maple can save us."
***
Stella held her cloak's hood in place from billowing in the cold winds with telekinesis as she soared over Nightshade City, standing on her sword. To her side was Diana, who was also on a sword rather than using her wings, as they didn't want to attract that much attention. Two Star Core cultivators with uncommon affinities flying around here already raised eyebrows, but a gliding demoness would earn the ire of the pavilion.
"Tree, are you there?" Stella asked the air.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Always," he replied, his presence blooming in her mind. Ash's voice used to break her mind, but now it was the most comforting voice in the world to her.
Stella pouted, "That's a lie, and you know it."
"Hey, I am cutting into my sleeping time to watch over you. Is that not proof enough that I am always here?"
Stella rolled her eyes, "You are so unbelievably lazy. The sun hasn't even fully set yet, and you are talking about going to sleep."
"For a tree, I would argue that I am quite productive! I mean, I just established a cult in a single evening. Is that not impressive?"
Stella snorted, "Impressive? Are you trying to take credit for other people's work again? Larry was the one who gathered them all, and you didn't even come up with the cult name yourself! You stole it from some mortals that got scared by you."
"Fair... But Larry is technically my summon, so his achievements are mine, too."
"Uh-huh, sure they are." Stella couldn't believe what she was hearing. This is why I want to train Jasmine as soon as possible. Life is so easy when you can have others do the hard work and then appear at the last moment when you are needed.
"Can you two get serious for a minute? We are almost there." Diana said as she gave Stella a side-eye before tilting her sword and beginning her descent into the city.
"I am always serious," Stella clicked her tongue and followed Diana.
"Anyway, why are you two going alone anyway? I may watch over you and have the Ents and Larry on standby, but why not take the other Elders with you?"
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Stella shrugged, "Seth said if we had too big of a group, it would cause Albis to flee while his goons fought us off. Apparently, he only takes on fights that he believes he can win."
"What about the fact you guys are hunting down a lunar affinity cultivator during dusk? Wouldn't he be weaker during the daytime?"
Stella tapped her chin, "Err, I think Seth said that Albis only appears in public under the moonlight."
Ash sighed, "How convenient... this is beyond sketchy."
"I agree," Stella nodded, "But it should be fine. We are far stronger than Albis believes. My bounty claims I am at the 1st stage of the Star Core Realm when I am actually at the 6th."
"That's true. I worry about you, but I must admit you have grown in strength at an impressive rate." Ash said, warming Stella's heart. "On that note, how do you feel about the chances of your bloodline activating during this mission? Have you had any further insights into how it works?"
"I think I have it mostly figured out," Stella nodded, "After some self-reflection, I believe for my bloodline to activate, I need to feel like my pride as a ruler is threatened rather than a location like your trunk or my life."
"Mhm, that's the conclusion I reached, too. Do you have any idea why it's your pride specifically? It hasn't activated in times your life was threatened, which I would think is more important than your pride. What use is pride if you're dead?"
"The cosmos told me those of my bloodline have ruled the realms since time immemorial." Stella explained, "Which wouldn't make sense as cultivators at the top have lived too long for an ordinary person to catch up and make them bend the knee. But my bloodline helps me bridge the gap by letting me tap into the knowledge and skills of my ancestors, so long as I maintain the pride of the Crestfallen bloodline."
"Interesting, so you believe your ancestors will lend you their aid to overcome adversity if they believe it will bring shame to their legacy."
Stella nodded, "Yeah, something like that. It makes me even more glad I didn't use a fake name when registering with the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion because I bet my ancestors would be less happy to assist me if I had. Also, I noticed they provide me with more help the greater the challenge I face."
"I see you have been putting a lot of thought into this since the duel with Diana," Ashlock replied. "So, do you believe you have a way to activate your bloodline on command now?"
"Yeah, and I plan to test it during this bounty hunt." Stella frowned. "However, I still don't know how to activate my ancient bloodline's ultimate state, where I summon the celestial library and gain unlimited access to all my ancestors' knowledge."
"Considering how its presence basically crippled you, I don't think you are ready to use that on command anyway," Ashlock reassured her, and that seemed like a plausible explanation.
Although it made Diana back up in fear, I was so overwhelmed by the presence of the library and the cosmos that guarded it that I wouldn't be able to deflect an attack. For now, it's probably best that I focus on mastering the active part of my bloodline.
Stella disliked her bloodline as it felt like borrowing another person's power, unlike Diana's, which directly empowered her. However, she did retain some of the skills she exhibited while under its influence.
The more my ancestor's knowledge lives through me, the stronger I grow. It's only a matter of time before I can harness everything stored in that celestial library as my own strength. Just you wait Cosmos. I will prove I am not an ant unworthy of your knowledge.
Armed with determination, Stella landed beside Diana, and they made the rest of their way to the meeting point on foot.
***
Stella stood in an alleyway near a main street alongside Diana and Seth. They used the secret keyword "Bitch Lotus Informant" to verify each other's identity as all of them wore their masks and thick black cloaks to obscure their body shapes.
"Okay, now what? Where is Albis?" Stella asked impatiently. They had been standing here in silence for a few minutes as the sky darkened and the coldness of night approached.
Seth poked his head around the corner while answering Stella's question in a whisper, "At the end of this street is the Holy Moon Gambling house. It's owned and run by the Lunarshade family, where Albis likes to spend his nights indulging in sin. An event is scheduled for tonight, which starts once the moon rises." He pulled back and turned to face them. "This street is locked down by guards of the Lunarshade family. We will need to get past them first."
"So, a slaughter?" Stella drew her sword, "That's easy enough."
Seth raised his hands, "Woah, hold your horses. All of the guards wear artifacts that will activate an alarm in the gambling house if they are killed. It's best to try and have them all attack you at once so you can kill them all in one go and then storm the gambling house."
Diana sighed, "What a load of nonsense. First, you tell us to bring a small fighting force of only two of us to avoid attention, then make us wait until the moon is out, and now you are telling us to draw attention?"
"Not to mention, you seem to know far too much about all this..." Stella added, narrowing her eyes behind her mask.
Seth shrugged, "I am a bounty hunter and have spent months tracking Albis's activities. Meeting the requirements for the Crimson Trackers aside, I have personal reasons I want him dead, too. You are free to back out of the plan now, and I can find someone else, but this is 10,000 Yinxi Coins from which you are walking away. It's just a dozen family guards, I am sure you can handle them?"
He deflected all of the questions. What a sly bastard.
"Well, thank you for the questionable information," Diana said as she stepped past Seth. "You can leave now. We will take it from here."
Seth tilted his head, "I'm coming with you too. Who else will identify Albis once you are inside? Don't worry, I won't get in your way, I will hang back and cover your escape path."
"This guy is up to something. It's best to keep your friends close but your enemies closer." Ashlock said in Stella's mind. "I will keep an eye on him for you, so don't worry."
Stella nodded and patted Seth on the shoulder, "Whatever, let's go."
"But..." Diana groaned.
"Diana, hang back for now as well. I need to test something." Stella stepped out into the street, her sword resting on her shoulder, and began strolling toward the majestic building in the distance.
Diana walked a step behind and hissed under her breath, "Stella, what are you up to?" She used Qi to hide her voice from Seth, who followed close behind.
"Seth said we need to draw the guard's attention, right?" Stella said via her Qi without having to turn her head, "I also want to test my bloodline by drawing attention to myself, so this will kill two birds with one stone."
"What nonsense are you on about." Diana huffed, "This is a bounty from which nobody comes back alive. We should take this seriously."
"I am?" Stella said with confusion, "I am at my strongest when my bloodline is active. Without it, we would be at a significant disadvantage. The only problem is what I must do for it to activate."
"Oh? You found out how to activate it on command?"
"In theory, yes. Have you ever heard of noble cultivators defending their family's honor by entering duels?"
"Yeah, a bunch of prideful idiots." Diana shook her head, "You say one off-handed comment about their family, and before you know it, they are throwing a glove at your face and demanding a duel to the death. Those Skyrend bastards were the greatest offenders of this, according to my Father."
Stella smiled wearily behind her mask as she noticed several cultivators surrounding them in the spatial plane. "Well, um..."
Diana paused her steps. "Don't tell me... there's no way in hell that the way to activate your bloodline is what I think it is."
"Sometimes the worst answer is the right answer." Stella sighed.
"Identify yourselves!" A white robe man hopped down from a nearby roof, blocking their path. Many others followed, and soon, a dozen gathered between them and the Holy Moon Gambling house. They all drew swords that glinted in the moonlight.
Stella estimated that a few were in the early stages of the Star Core Realm. Slaughtering them would be a breeze, making this the perfect time to test her theory. She stepped forward and slowly removed her mask, revealing her face to the enemy. As the cultivators studied her face, she felt a slight tingle. It seems showing my face is enough to awaken it a little. Stella thought with relief.
"I do not recognize you as a friend of Lord Lunarshade," the man at the front insisted as he raised his sword higher. "Identify yourself. I will not repeat myself again."
"My name is Stella Crestfallen, first princess of the Ashfallen Sect." She raised her chin at them and stared at them condescendingly. "Your 'Lord' is a stain on my domain that I wish to eliminate. Do you dare prevent my passage now that you have heard my name?"
Diana groaned behind her, but Stella could feel it working as the tingle turned to whispers.
The man glanced confusedly at those beside him, who shook their heads. Looking back at her with a reddened face, he bellowed, "Woman, are you sane? I have no knowledge of the Crestfallen family or this Ashfallen Sect. If you are so eager to die, I welcome you to impale yourself on my sword for speaking so rudely about my Lord."
Despite being faced with many antagonistic opponents, Stella felt that familiar calmness spread through her body as the whispers in the back of her mind grew irritated as if they had taken that insult personally.
Her bloodline had activated, but there was a problem. Other than the calm state, she felt nothing else. Either my ancestors aren't insulted enough, or they don't deem this enough of a challenge to bother lending their aid.
Stella stored away her sword and had an idea. I want to teach Jasmine some better fist-fighting techniques, but I never really learned any. I have always relied too much on my sword.
Raising a single finger, Stella smirked at her enemies. "If I, Stella Crestfallen, cannot defeat you all with a single finger, then may my bloodline be forever mocked."
Her mind suddenly opened up to a flood of information about a technique that forced its way into her mind like a raging river. It was overwhelming, and her head began to throb with a pounding headache. Her vision blurred, and standing up became difficult. She started swaying and trying not to throw up.
"Arrogant bitch," the man's face twisted into a scowl, and he charged forward. "You think you can defeat the head of the Lunarshade guard with a mere finger while drunk? You can hardly even stand! How laughable—"
Stella swayed to the side, narrowly avoiding his overhead sword swing. Her hand blurred as she burrowed her Qi-wreathed finger like a dagger into his temple, piercing his brain. There was a second of realization on the man's face before the life left his eyes, and he collapsed to the floor in a heap.
There was a brief moment of silence as all the guards looked on in shock at how their commander had died in such a way before it was broken by a loud gong noise originating from the Holy Moon Gambling house. The alarm Seth had warned her about had activated.
Diana sprung into action, leaping over her head with her giant feathered wings of darkness growing from her back and claws. She landed among a group of cultivators and began ripping them apart. That group tried to fight her off, while another group decided to rush Stella.
Stella closed her eyes and entered the spatial plane, muttering, "It looks like I have no reason to hold back anymore. To please my ancestors and learn this new technique, they will all perish at my fingertip."
