Battle(1)

Two days later.

The rain did not subside. Kong Xiang had spent most of the past couple days cultivating and conversing with the monk brothers.

He presently sat cross legged in his allocated room, the windows shut to keep the falling rain away. He hesitated slightly before activated his Karma Law.

In an instant, his vision changed. Right above his head, he could now make out a mesh of illusory threads, all indicating particular connections to him. One, in particular, extended from him to a wider network of chaotic strung lines surrounding the temple, exuding a strange oninous aura.

He hesitated again, considering the option of further investigation. Ever since that faint hint of two days earlier, he had not felt anything else. He had restrained from rashly using his Karma Law, as his instinct told him there were greater forces at play in this very place.

Resolutely, he cleared his thoughts and delved further, establishing a connection with that karma thread in a bid to gauge more information, but he had a sudden premonition. Almost immediately, a sharp jolt struck him, assaulting his soul. He spat out a mouthful of essence blood, his aura waning rapidly.

Some metres away, at the exact same moment, the ghost book from before rapidly turned its pages, revealing the dark sketch from before. The sketch distorted randomly and started to morph into a familiar form. It bore a close resemblance to Kong Xiang.

There was probably a detection system in the temple, because Lu Min and Lu Ming came rushing into the library.

"Brother!" Lu Min called softly. Despite not being cultivators, they could see an inky cloud that barricaded the entrance of the library, preventing further entry. Lu Ming clenched his teeth and hesitated for a brief moment before pouncing forward, hoping to pierce through it.

"Brother!" Lu Min yelled this time as he witnessed his brother get catapulted backwards. The inky qi continued, wrapping around Lu Ming's form like a full body blanket, as if intent on suffocating him.

"The light of Buddha is akin to a blazing sun, driving away all darkness. The fire of Buddha is righteous, banning all evil..." Lu Min's voice echoed in the hallway as he started chanting. A golden halo shone from one of the relics on his neck, shimmered around him and extending to the inky silhouette. Unfortunately, while it did seem to have a somewhat restraining efect, it proved rather lacking.

BAM!

Like his brother, he got slapped backwards, slamming against the walls and bringing down with him some old, rusty building matter. The inky form extended and draped over him too, burying his form entirely.

"Sango Form. Lightning Domain" Kong Xiang suddenly appeared at the entrance in Sango Form at this moment, looking slightly dishevelled. A virtual domain of lightning was unleashed and extended in the radius around him. The inky form hissed as if it had met its natural nemesis and swiftly floated upwards, as if to make away, revealing the almost unconscious monk brothers beneath it.