Butterfly

Amelia gave Linruo a cup of spirit tea. Taking a sip of the cup, Linruo looked at the cup again with sparkling eyes. This tea made her feel warm and comfortable, the kind of feeling that she has never felt in her life. Her mother gave birth to her and a twin brother the same day and she grew up being over shadowed by her twin brother. 

Their parents are very rich before and after the change. Their father was a businessman who managed a large retail business and now he is responsible for the supply of various businesses in the base. He is like a middleman between the supply point and the small businesses inside the base so even though he is not employed by the base he is a successful person. 

Their family places more importance to the males than females even her mother treated her as if she was air, their shared birthday was celebrated as if she was not there and everyone only paid attention to her brother and not even a glance in her direction. 

Whenever she wanted to made something of herself she would be ridiculed and put down that she slowly began to believe that she is nothing compared to her brother. When she awakened ice power she thought maybe something will change and her family will finally treat her as one of them, all these years she has lived in loneliness and isolation and it took a long time for her to extricate herself from the pain.

She has not had any grand dreams all she wants was to not feel so worthless and alone anymore. But...Amelia said she will lead armies to battle.

"You seem to not believe what I said to you. Do you not trust yourself or it is me you do not trust?" Amelia asked without accusations in her tone.

"I just think it is incredible. Of course I want to believe it but..." Linruo didn't want to tell her that she doesn't dare hope for such things anymore. They have long been beaten out of her a long time ago.

"You don't have to believe. All you have to do is to want it to happen. Do you want to be strong?" Amelia asked her calmly.

"I do." She does, whether it is for herself or to prove to her family that they had ignored and abused a good child. She wants to be strong.

"That is all that matters little Ruoruo. Focus on that single burning desire and let it carry you." Amelia smiled when she saw those words penetrating the layer of self doubt on the other girl.

"Alright." Linruo agreed.

"There is a long way to go. But for today, just rest. I have a meeting to go to tomorrow so I'll make your medicinal bath from tomorrow onwards. I will make it while you watch so that you can do it yourself in the future."

"Yes leader."

"Call me Amy or elder sister." Amelia said generously.

"I am 17 years. How can you be elder sister? I am obviously.... obviously...wait how old are you?" Linruo asked her after some thought. Could she be older or is she younger than Amelia?

"I am almost 19 years old little Ruo. Go on...I want to hear you call me elder sister~" Amelia teased. Linruo had a face full of disbelief.

"*Sneer* So disobedient." Amelia said with fake dissatisfaction.

She left Linruo to herself and went to her space to gather supplies for the mission in a few days. Amelia knew that they will depart for the Japanese hideout right after coming back from the meeting.

....

Liang Mei has spent hours tied to a pole with her hands wide and feet chained firmly on the ground. She doesn't get solid food but they use a straw to help her during the food from a glass jar. She doesn't refuse it because she wants to be strong enough to escape when the time comes.

A day has passed by but it feels like a long time has passed and she has been living in a nightmare. Every few hours they come for her blood. What she doesn't know is that because of her mutated spirit root her blood is much sweeter and more powerful than any that the demon Lord has ever drank before.

This has resulted in her blood being sucked out more than they had initially planned. The more he drinks the more his strength increases.

In the Island base owned by Liang Mei a group of mutated animals made their way to the base led by a three meters tall flaming tiger with flaming fur and a pair of burning tails. This tiger has mutated an obtained some intelligence which is how it knows to seek more energy to improve its own cultivation.

If it can eat some supernatural powered people it will be able to grow even stronger. Liang Mei had given her father a lot of resources so he was able to reach level 7 which made him the most powerful in the base at present as Liang Mei is not around. When the guards saw the in coming beasts they immediately alerted the rest of the people.

Currently there are a few thousand people in the base and the number of the animals is three time that which men they are barely enough to fit in the animals stomach. When the horde neared, the leader which is Liang Jie made a conscious decision to place everyone inside the underground bunker that Liang Mei constructed before she had the resort built.

The current situation show that it was a good decision especially since there is enough food to feed everyone here inside there for at least 5years if they use it wisely. The only problem is that the underground bunker has one open space and a few places to relive oneself. The rest of the space is occupied by the food and supplies such as sleeping bags and cooking stoves.

The people are able to enter and once inside they will have to decide on how to deal with the powerful animals outside. The animals are able to enter the resort but there is no one to greet them. The flaming tiger became furious and roared to the top of its lungs.

The inside of the bunker is congested and the ventilation is not very good. The people are very kind and accommodating at first but Mrs. Liang doesn't think she should suffer with all these people in this small space while it was her daughter who built this place.

"Madame Liang means to reduce the number of occupants inside by sending others outside to be eaten by the vicious beasts which now occupy the base?" A man asked with a calm voice but many people looked at Mrs. Liang with unfriendly eyes.

"All I said was its stuffy inside. Why are you trying to make me a bad guy who is pushing everyone to death?" Mrs. Liang huffed.

"Ah Jie, are you going to let him humiliate me like this? Don't forget that Mei told you to look after me. What do you think she will say when she finds out you let a peasant insult me? Her mother?" She looked at her husband in accusation.

"Miss Liang is such a king and gentle person, I can not believe she has such a mother. When mud births gold indeed." A woman with a poisonous tongue spoke out, others could only nod in agreement but they didn't dare make a sound.

The night came and people used the supplies to make resting places and one by one fell asleep. At midnight a loud 'bang' sound from the side of the bunker. The place shook and many people couldn't help but scream in fear, especially when the metal material of the wall started to cave in as if they are melted iron.

Many sides experienced the same thing, soon a deafening sound of metal collusion is all that people can hear inside the bunker. The screaming crowd has been silenced the noise.

Outside the bunker many mutated large worms are using their heads to hit the metal walls one by one. Their numbers are many, that is not even the most terrifying thing about them, that would be the acid substance coming out of their mouths.

They had smeared the substance on the metal walls and are now helping it by smashing the walls. Liang Mei had made several inches worth of steal when building the bunker because she was trying to create a secure place.

The problem is the animals are not in a hurry and those inside are just sitting ducks waiting for the inevitable. People are losing hope, accusing Liang Mei for cutting corners when building a bunker leading them to die in the mouths of several beasts.

The truth is the Island had grown too many animals in a short period of time because there was no one to monitor the population in the past few years and now they have grown too powerful and plentiful wanting to eat humans tender flesh to grow strong.

The people are starting to lose their minds because of hopelessness in their hearts. Father Liang has had to kill many who were trying to force their way to have a go at his stunning wife now that they will die soon.

"Do you think Liang Mei will come back before the walls give in?" Someone asked but they are just trying to drown out the loud banging sound.

....

"You should get some sleep." Blake spoke to Amelia who is standing in a balcony looking at the sky in a daze. She wonders it the elder sister made it back to that Island before mutated animals stormed the base. She turned to Blake.

"Do you want to breakthrough tonight?" She made a few formation discs when she was going to breakthrough and even more energy slips which will be filled with heavenly lightning during a breakthrough.

"I would love to. But what about the hidden families?"

"I have a perfect spot. Don't worry about them, we will be outside the country." Amelia took his hand and they appeared in the Island. There are tens of thousands of animals roaring and destroying the place.

A single tiger stood high and aloof watching as many large bodies of worm like creatures slammed against a metal walls repeatedly.

"An underground bunker." Amelia smiled at the sight.

"You may begin. It is okay even if you breakthrough on top of that castle over there." Amelia pointed at an exquisitely designed castle on the side.

Blake understood, she is going to use his heavenly lightning to destroy an enemy's hard work. Seeing her earlier gloomy expression replaced by a naughty look, he shrugged and went to stand near the flaming tiger. A moment later, Amelia had already placed the formation and the energy slips.

*Crackle* *Crackle*

Lightning fell and the size is large to each lightning is the size of a baby's arm. The pressure from the heavens is not something a little mutated beast can handle so all the animals ran away in all directions and others who are weaker fell on their stomachs as if they couldn't move.

Amelia stood a good distance away and watched as the thunder fell and got diverted to the formation. If anyone got hit by this lightning they will be distroyed immediately and not even scum will be left to bury. Amelia had re enforced the formation since last time it couldn't hold against 99 normal size lightning.

The first 30 were the normal white, the next thirty became blue and the last 30 were black. The power seemed to be 5times the previous ones. Amelia became scared for Blake. It seems the heavens want to smite him out of existence. She used space to replace the slips that have been recharged with the purest form of fire with empty ones.

The most power goes to the formation but at least 30% of each bolt will land on top on Blake's sturdy body. He is in a sorry state afterwards, his clothes are burnt and his hair is gone. The outside skin on his body is burner to charcoal black and many burnt wounds are visible.

When the last bolt landed, she quickly took away the formation and the man just as he is about to fall on the ground and disappeared from the place. She did this because she felt many powerful auras approach from the distance.

They appeared in her medical consultation room. Blake is placed on the bed and is fed a healing pill. His internal Nd external wounds are all healed but he still needs to of rest. She called a male nurse from the hospital downstairs to clean him up.

The heavens were a little heavy-handed towards him. Is it because he is very powerful or it is because he has the heart of slaughter. Amelia doesn't know but at the very least he is okay now. She had him put on his own bed after he was clean and tidy.

She checked her loot and saw that she was able to charge 9, times what she was able to charge during the time of her own cultivation.

...

"Who could it be? Someone from the Yan family?" Ye Qingyue asked the men who reported to her.

"The Yan family would have sent their own people to stand guard young miss."

"You are right. A rouge cultivator? To reach golden core with such fanfare they must be a rare talent. Find this person and recruit them to our side."'

"If they refuse?" The man asked even as he has the answer.

"Kill!" The young patriarch of the Ye family spoke in a cold tone that made the subordinate shiver from the chill.

"Yes." The man disappeared into the night.

The same conversation took place in the other three major families in the hidden territory.

On the other hand, the animals ran away and never looked back to the place where their bodies and hearts were seized by fear a while ago. Even the brave flaming tiger didn't summon the animals anymore.

The place was destroyed by the lightning. Even though Amelia used the formation to charge the energy slips, most of the lightning is directed to the ground and then the residue is sent to the slips otherwise the formation will be torn to pieces before it even begin to absorb.

The event scared away the animals and saved the human lives so it is not without a win. The people inside the bunker heard the thunder outside and became even more frightened of going outside.

They stayed like this for three days until they finally got out one by one on the fourth day. Seeing the devastation on the castle, each person felt fortunate to have been away when it all took place.

.....

The golden core in the middle of his sea of consciousness surrounded by thousands of essence drops it made for a beautiful picture of glistening lights. Blake has been cultivating his powers for over a few centuries and was looking forward to getting his spirit body when he finally condense enough essence drops.

As he sleep in the bedroom his body slowly became covered in a transparent light which is the unification of his essence drops and transformation of his body into a spirit body which will significantly boost his power both physically and mentally.

Luckily he does not need to be awake for the process to be successful. His body is bathed in light as each of his organs, bones and muscles are each transformed into those of a pseudo immortal. As from this point on, he will not die from old age for at least the next three thousand years. 

His body became younger, his skin got prettier, and his speed and strength sored by leaps. When he woke up he looked like a fairy, his hair regrew and his eyes seem to shimmer like the surface of a calm lake reflecting the light from the sun. The charm unmistakable, as if a song of a mermaid comes from the depths luring people.

When the sun came up, Blake's butterfly wings eyelashes fluttered open and he sat up. Although he felt tremendous amount of strength he also felt a load of filth covering his body. He didn't waste time going to take a shower and also gave himself a hair cut.

He found Amelia playing a game of chess with a small child? Anyways the girl looks tiny but she is holding her own against Amelia in a strategic gave although by his calculations she will be defeated in the next four moves. Amelia saw him and she stared at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"Whose the super star?" Linruo asked while also watching Blake but soon she averted her eyes from him. "So scary." She then said with a trembling voice. Although Blake's visuals have improved, his pressure and lethal gaze have also been upgraded another level.

"Did you bust out of your cocoon?" Amelia stood up studying his transformation. She is not too shocked by this because cultivators transform all the time when they get more powerful. This is why cultivators are usually very good looking. 

"Pfft." Linruo laughed at the comment. Amelia just indirectly called the scary good looking man a butterfly. 

...