Attempt number 10
Yun Qiang desperately launched a barrage of attacks, the horror and pain from his last death still vivid in his mind.
An unexpected strike came for him from the side.
The strength was unremarkable but it was too fast for him to dodge.
In a split second Yun Qiang's mind clearly sketched out what was about to happen next. The punch would hit him, destroying his momentum while pushing him close to the other monks. Then they would finish the job. His bones would break, he would try to scream but they would kick his mouth, then his eyes would fill with red, until the pain darkness of death greeted once more.
No! I don't want to die again!
Desperation gripped his heart as the intense pain and suffering that accompanied each death pushed him further than before. His bones popped as he painfully twisted his body in a way that seemed inhuman. Dodging the strike at the last second.
A desperate madness filled his mind as he lunged his spear forward. The last dodge was just a desperate move to delay the inevitable. He couldn't do it again. However before dying Yun Qiang wanted to do one last thing. He wanted to kill one of his enemies. He didn't want to die another meaningless death.
As the spear neared his enemy a maddened smile formed on his lips, while his eyes looked on with ecstasy. He was almost there, he was about to kill his first enemy.
However, when the spear was just a few centimeters from his target's eyes, a golden punch struck Yun Qiang's head, hurling him against a pillar and killing him instantly. Then the soul-tearing pain of death assaulted him once again.
Attempt number 50
Yun Qiang stood atop a dying monk, his heavy breathing only interrupted by his sudden swings with the spear, desperately trying to keep his enemies at bay. However Yun Qiang knew he couldn't keep them at a safe distance forever. After two hours of constant fighting, Yun Qiang was at his limit. His chest had a visible cave in while a huge cut on his forehead constantly dripped blood into his eyes, reddening his vision. His death was inevitable.
Still Yun Qiang smiled, even if he was aware of his impending death and the pain that would follow it, he couldn't help but smile. After 50 painful deaths he had finally made some progress; he had finally killed an enemy.
Besides this....
His grin widened
I can see a pattern! They aren't alive, they are just reacting to me!
Yes, after 50 tries he had started seeing patterns in the movements of his enemies. If he directly charged at them after the dream reconstructed, the third monk on the right would always launch a punch with his right hand. Instead, if he turned around and attacked the enemies behind him, the huge monk always charged at him using his signature golden punch, killing him no matter what.
Thinking about this, it seemed stupid; maybe after dying fifty times his mind had gone astray and he was slowly falling into madness. However, it was undeniable: if he did the same thing in different dreams, then he would get the same reactions from his enemies.
This gave him hope. If the reactions were always the same and his attempts were unlimited, then he could force his way to the end; he only needed to find the right combinations of attacks, steps, parries, and defenses.
He let out a low, maddening laughter. His body was in pain, but he still smiled; his enemies were closing in on him, but he still laughed.
Finally he had found a way out of this nightmare.
Then a strike killed him, and everything went dark. When the dream restarted, Yun Qiang was in the usual starting position, his expression more determined than ever before. He was ready for another fight.
Attempt 180
Three steps to the right, a punch came his way; rotate the spear by 90 degrees. He dodged the punch, but a kick by another monk followed in its trail. Yun Qiang remained calm.
He took one step back, then jumped, dodging one of the many sneak attacks that this group of enemies had launched during the fight. The monk that sneak-attacked him couldn't help but be surprised by his dodge and stumbled a few steps forward.
A satisfied smile formed on Yun Qiang's lips;
Now!
He unhesitantly lunged his spear forward, piercing the man in the heart, directly killing him. However, he didn't relax, because he knew that after this first kill a barrage of attacks from the enraged monks would come his way. This series of attacks in particular was impossible to dodge, and after spending 20 of his attempts failing to dodge and dying to it, Yun Qiang had come to a painful conclusion.
He had to tank the hits and launch a counterattack. That was the only way to survive.
As various strikes came his way, Yun Qiang steadied his footing and steeled his resolve, mentally preparing himself for the pain that was coming.
Once the first hits started to land, Yun Qiang didn't retreat; instead, he took a step forward. He only needed to resist a few more strikes and advance a little bit more, then the fourth monk on the left would slightly pause, giving him the opportunity to counterattack and take a few more kills.
Sure enough, when Yun Qiang took another step forward, that monk was a little too slow and gave him time to counterattack. Naturally, he didn't miss this opportunity and strode forward, piercing two enemies with his spear.
After that, he leaped over the two corpses and turned his back on a nearby stone pillar, his mind already tracing the attacks that would follow suit. An excited smile appeared on Yun Qiang's lips; this time he wouldn't leave anyone alive.
Two hours later...
Yun Qiang stabbed a dead body with his spear. Blood weakly splattered on his dirty robe while the man stared at Yun Qiang, wide-eyed.
He gave him a satisfied smile. That man had killed him in his 149th attempt. The blood that stained the monk's clothes was his companion's blood; he had used it to disguise himself as a dead man. A clever tactic, but this trick wouldn't fool Yun Qiang again.
Yun Qiang let out a turbulent breath. After so much pain and suffering, he was near the end of this nightmare. Determination flashed in his eyes as he turned around to stare at the last enemy he had to kill.
It was the last monk that his counterpart defeated in this dream. His build was large and tall; on his arms, the black tattoos of a lotus swirled around as he contracted his muscles, preparing for the fight ahead.
On the other side of the square, Yun Qiang was doing the same, assuming an offensive stance while tightening the grip on his spear. He knew it: if he managed to kill the man in front of him, this nightmare would end. The pain, the deaths, the feeling of powerlessness and desperation that had accompanied him with every failure would end. He gritted his teeth. Locked on his enemy. Then he charged.
His enemy did the same, his steps wider and faster. His fist shooting directly toward Yun Qiang's spear.
Spear and fist met in the center, with a metallic sound. Shock crossed Yun Qiang's face; he had never imagined his enemy would be this tough. However, he couldn't lose his momentum. He reacted immediately, swinging his spear backward, trying to retreat from the man's attack range.
However, it was a moment too late. The monk had already released his killer move, and a punch covered with golden Qi had already closed the distance between them.
The darkness greeted him again.
Attempt 251
Yun Qiang was sent flying against one of the many pillars that surrounded the square. He spat out a mouthful of blood. He barely managed to stand up before a kick hurled him across the square, his body occasionally hitting the corpses that were scattered on the floor.
As he lay incapacitated on the ground Yun Qiang smiled bitterly. 70 deaths ago it felt like he was about to banish this nightmare and get on with his life, but now everything felt like a distant memory.
His opponent was terrifyingly powerful. Each one of his strikes carried a precision that could only be found in an expert fighter, while his ability to manipulate and use Qi was far beyond what a Qi gathering cultivator could manage.
The man was definitely a Foundation realm cultivator.
And if this wasn't enough to make his situation desperate the man's body was unnaturally tough. Even a direct hit from Yun Qiang's spear didn't leave a scratch on him.
This kind of durability exceeded the limits of the Foundation Realm. Even Voss would get injured if he tanked a spear with his body.
How is it possible? Did he refine his body beyond the second stage?
No even that wouldn't allow him to endure all of my attacks.
A special technique?
No matter how he tried to rationalize it, every explanation felt wrong. He tried to sigh but only a series of suffocated coughs came out of his mouth.
My cultivation knowledge is clearly lacking....
He looked at the man towering above him. A simple kick would be enough to end it.Yet the monk only stood there, staring down at him as if deciding what to do. It was a strange habit of his. He always hesitated before delivering the final blow.
Yun Qiang let his head fall to the side, his gaze drifting between the mangled corpses scattered across the square.
What's there to hesitate?
Can't you see what I did to your comrades?
Yun Qiang wanted to speak those words, but he already knew this body would say something else. He coughed out some blood, a defeated expression forming on his face.
His gaze fell on a nearby puddle of blood.
In the end, I will end up as another puddle of blood.
For a second he felt a pang of sadness and dissatisfaction but it quickly disappeared in the back of his mind, he had died far too many times to care about adding another death to the counter.
Oh well there is always next time....
He closed his eyes, waiting for his end.
However just as the man's final attack was falling, a spark of inspiration lit up his mind and a strange idea formed in Yun Qiang's head. A technique that his counterpart had casually read in one of his first visions surfaced from the depths of his mind.
Since no one can see me... Why not try this?
With the last bit of energy present in his body, Yun Qiang stretched his hand into a nearby puddle of blood. Then he started circulating his Qi. The technique that he was testing didn't have any cultivation or realm requirements, it only needed one thing. Blood.
The ending punch fell, killing Yun Qiang. However a strange almost maddening expression was etched on his face.
Close to him, a blood spear half a man's height had emerged from the puddle of blood. He had scratched his enemy.
Attempt 301
Yun Qiang constantly slipped in and out of the fight, his spear moving in unpredictable ways, confusing his enemies with a mixture of attack and defense, making it seem like he was executing a strange and complex dance.
After 50 more tries he had completely refined the first phase of the fight, making it more akin to child's play than an actual fight. All he had to do was follow the moves and instructions that he had discovered death after death. This process had even become tedious to him. It was like a long mandatory fight before the real Boss fight started.
1 hour later...
Yun Qiang killed the last monk. His gaze sweeping the entire square; on the ground fifty corpses laid scattered around in a strange pattern.
For a second, Yun Qiang took pride in the gruesome scene he had created after spending more than twenty deaths planning and refining the positioning of the bodies. Every corpse was like a carefully placed weapon, ready to help him in the upcoming battle.
A smile slowly formed across his face, but he quickly suppressed it.
This isn't right...
The thought surfaced on his own. Treating corpses as a resource, using blood to kill his enemies. This wasn't the path of a righteous cultivator.
Right, this is blood cultivation. I should never do it outside of here.
He took a moment to calm his mind and steady himself. He knew blood cultivation was something evil that usually leads to madness. It was something that everyone in the continent condemned and hated. He shouldn't be proud of himself; this was only a survival measure, nothing else.
He shook his head, cleansing his superfluous thoughts. It wasn't the right time to debate whether using blood techniques differed from using blood cultivation, or if the end justified the means. Right now he only needed to focus on fighting and getting out of this nightmare.
He took a long breath, then gazed at his opponent, his face sharper than ever before. His mind started working at full speed, quickly reminding him of the three things he realized during his previous attempts.
First, he couldn't use the blood spear carelessly. After one or two uses, the giant monk would move away from the corpses, forcing him to engage in clean areas where he couldn't use the blood spear.
Second, the man always hesitated when giving the final blow.
Third, being hit directly by the man's golden punch meant only one thing: Death.
On the other side, his opponent tensed his muscles, slowly falling into a fighting stance. Yun Qiang instantly snapped out of his thoughts. There was no more room for hesitation. He tightened his grip on the spear and fell into a fighting stance.
The two of them charged at each other.
Yun Qiang already knew it was a futile effort. The man was faster and stronger, and in the last fifty deaths he had only managed to take the initiative once, by starting the fight with a blood spear.
Soon the man reached him, forcing him to interrupt himself mid-charge and switch to a defensive position. The real fight started now.
The first attack that reached him was a downward punch aimed at his head, strong enough to kill him on the spot but slow enough that Yun Qiang managed to dodge it. Then came a roundhouse kick, an attack that didn't carry much strength and could be easily blocked; but Yun Qiang knew this was all a pretense, and after ducking the kick, the real strike presented itself: a shimmering golden punch aimed directly at his heart.
Yun Qiang's gaze sharpened; this is what he was waiting for. He tightened his grip on the spear, stepped backward, then tilted the spear so the point collided with the golden punch. The punch and spear collided with a metallic cry that had become all too familiar to him.
Then the recoil came. The force of the punch traveled all the way through the spear, making his hands tremble and his heart palpitate. Normally, a hit like this would make him lose his grip and force him to the ground, but this time he was prepared. As the force traveled through his body, he bent his knees, sending himself sliding backward.
His enemy, however, didn't mind this and continued his attack, charging at him with a flying kick, doing his best to close the distance. Yun Qiang smiled coldly. As the kick reached him, he ducked, putting his hands on the dead body beneath him. All according to the plan.
Just as the kick passed over him, a spear made out of blood came out of the cadaver and pierced through the monk's leg, sending him flying toward a small pile of bodies. Yun Qiang's smile widened. Before the man could touch the ground, he launched himself toward the pile of bodies where the man would fall.
If he managed to touch it before the monk reacted, he could use the blood in it to summon three blood spears and kill his opponent directly. Yun Qiang could already feel the taste of freedom from this nightmare; however, just as he was about to finish his spell, the monk reacted, kicking him to the side of his chest.
Yun Qiang helplessly rolled on the floor, managing to stop only after knocking away a few bodies. He had only managed to summon one spear.
He looked at his enemy, trying to analyze the situation while keeping a calm mind.
His opponent stood on the opposite side of the square. He could barely stand up, and both his right arm and leg were completely incapacitated. Evidently, he hadn't managed to dodge Yun Qiang's blood spear.
The duo locked eyes again; however, they didn't charge at each other. The man in front of him was too wary of the numerous cadavers that surrounded Yun Qiang, so even if Yun Qiang could barely stand while spitting up blood, he didn't approach him.
Yun Qiang barely managed to squeeze out a grin, while his body spoke the only words that he could say.
"Bastards, give me back my sister!"
Obviously, he didn't mean to say this, but it was the only thing that this body allowed him to say. Few words could clearly describe the satisfaction and smugness he felt in that moment. He had carefully arranged the corpses so that if his plan failed, he would land in an area surrounded by bodies, making him virtually untouchable.
Now his opponent had to choose. Either take a risk and attack him in a disadvantageous position, or let this fight become a battle of attrition, where the winner was the last one to bleed out.
Yun Qiang looked calmly at his enemy. No matter the choice, he was prepared for it.
Then his enemy chose.
The monk charged at him, both his hands glowing gold as he drew closer. A brief flash of surprise broke Yun Qiang's calm expression. He hadn't expected his opponent to retain this much strength.
He let out a turbulent breath, briefly closing his eyes, concentrating himself. He knew that even if he failed now, he could try again; but he didn't want to. His sanity was already stretched thin after dying three hundred times. He wouldn't. No, he couldn't die anymore. He wanted to end this now.
When he opened his eyes again, an unyielding determination could be seen within them. He assumed an offensive position, his bare feet touching the bodies beneath him.
Then, in a blink of an eye, it all happened.
The monk approached his enemy at lightning speed, ignoring the three blood spears that Yun Qiang had summoned to stop him. In less than a breath, he was upon Yun Qiang, his golden fist mercilessly knocking away his opponent's spear, his body completely ignoring Yun Qiang's extended hand as just another futile attempt to stop him.
Then he lost his life.
Yun Qiang looked into his opponent's lifeless eyes, surprise still etched within them. A blood spear the size of an arm had pierced through his body.
However, the spear that killed him wasn't one of the blood spears Yun Qiang had summoned from the corpses at his feet. It was a spear formed from Yun Qiang's own blood. While assuming his fighting stance, he had briefly cut his palm, letting him summon a blood spear directly from his palm.
I won...
He barely had the strength to breathe a sigh of relief before he fell to his knees.
He had finally won. However, he couldn't feel any of the satisfaction and pride that came with winning. Instead, there was only disappointment. He couldn't consider it a true victory. Yes, he had killed his opponent, but the price he had paid was too high. His body was riddled with injuries, and most of his blood had been drained by his last blood spear.
He completely fell to the ground, staining his black hair with the monk's blood. In a few seconds, he would die from blood loss.
Exhausted, he gazed up at the sky, wondering if this truly counted as a victory or if he had sacrificed another attempt for nothing.
Then it happened. The sky shattered. He was free from this nightmare.