Life and Death

*Huff huff*

"I'll surpass them all. No, I have to surpass them! Otherwise, I will never be able to change anything", thought Tang Lin.

"All one thousand spirit trees, I will slice all of you into pieces. You shall be my first stepping stone", he declared fiercely.

He had lost count of how many times he had swung his axe with his body becoming numb. Regardless of time, Tang Lin committed to his goal hoping that all of his blood, sweat and tears would come into fruition. Each day he worked, he felt unstoppable as endless amounts of energy flowed into his body. He had hoped to uncover any kind of hidden potential left deep within his body by physically and mentally pushing himself to the limit.

***

Half a month later.

"I've improved", thought Tang Lin excitedly as he held the rock that he previously wasn't able to move above his head steadily.

Clenching his fists, Tang Lin confirmed, "My strength should be around 50 jins now".

"I should be around the half-step Strength Training stage now. Despite that, I still can't use Descending Blade more than three times before my body gives in", he said.

Immediately afterwards, he had arrived near the Forest of Remorse to train again. Within half a month, he had carried out his seemingly impossible task at a monstrous pace. This was of course, due to Tang Lin's struggles and tenacious endeavour; as a result, there were now only around 600 logs left.

*Rumble*

Suddenly, just as he grabbed his axe, an incredible tremor appeared alongside shockwaves rippling through the air. Luckily, the shockwaves became weak enough for Tang Lin to withstand by the time it reached him.

"What was that? Monsters? But the patriarch and elders have left on official matters a while ago." frowned Tang Lin.

Now that he thought about it, he wondered, "What is… inside of the Forest of Remorse?"

Unable to resist, he could hear silent roars provoking his curiosity as his body was swallowed up by the shadows of the forest.

Half an hour later venturing deep within the forest.

*Ruffle Ruffle*

Pushing apart the bushes, he made a gap small enough for his eyes to see.

"What's going on here?" he muttered in shock.

Two beasts were standing opposite each other. One was a black tiger, while the other was a giant serpent twice the size of the tiger. Despite this, what caught Tang Lin's eye was neither the black tiger or giant serpent, but the luminous red light being emitted by, what looked like, a condensed blood crystal. It was behind the black tiger as it floated above a mound atop a rock in an aloof manner.

"Is that a heavenly treasure? That must be what they're fighting over, but it looks like the black tiger is trying to defend it from the giant serpent", confirmed Tang Lin mischievously.

*Growl, hiss*

While he was thinking, the two beasts had started fighting each other as the giant serpent moved in a zig-zag pattern that caught the black tiger off guard for a moment. Feeling threatened, the black tiger jumped towards the serpent, its claws ripping apart the snake's protective skin like tofu as it bit off huge chunks of flesh and chucking it everywhere savagely.

*HISSSSS*

In pain, the serpent shrieked, hissing loudly as it hastened its strategy. Finally encircling the tiger with its massive body, the giant serpent entangled the black tiger, continuously tightening its grip. Sensing the giant serpent's constriction, the black tiger became enraged as it struggled furiously, attempting to escape. Yet it was futile, it had taken a little more than an incense stick of time before the black tiger suffocated with its body crushed into smithereens. The giant serpent collapsed in exhaustion, with the black tiger falling to the ground limp, as it looked towards the heavenly treasure it had won.

***

Ten minutes before the fight.

"If I can obtain that heavenly treasure, it should be able to help me greatly in my cultivation. This is the perfect opportunity for me; while those two monsters are distracted killing each other, I can sneak up to the crystal and steal it", planned Tang Lin carefully.

"They've started fighting. I need to move now", thought Tang Lin, his heart starting to slightly palpitate.

"These monsters are truly amazing. I think only people who are at the 5th stage of Foundation Establishment will be able to take on these beasts", Tang Lin observed, inspired by the life and death battle.

*Crash*

"Woah, I almost got hit. That was a close one." he said nervously, looking at the chunks of serpent flesh and blood spilled everywhere in sight.

"It's a little higher up on the mound than I thought, but what exactly is it?" inquired Tang Lin as he climbed up slowly.

Back to the present.

"What are you?" thought Tang Lin as he slowly reached out his curiously,

"HHIIIISSSSSSS!! (YOU DARE!!)" screeched the giant serpent.

At that moment Tang Lin didn't need to know snake language to understand what it said.

"Ah shit, it discovered me", muttered Tang Lin in a panic as he rushed to grab the crystal and run.

Despite its injuries, the giant serpent moved at an incredible speed. It had never been as angry in life as it was feeling now as it vomited blood from excessive physical and mental stress.

Regardless of this, as soon as Tang Lin touched the condensed blood crystal, it melted and fused into his body disappearing without a trace.

Seeing the giant serpent advance, Tang Lin muttered, "Mother, I might be seeing you soon…"

Unable to comprehend what just happened, Tang Lin watched as the maws of death slammed him into a sturdy spirit tree.

*BANG*

"Hot!" he thought.

"I-…!" he whispered.

"I feel hot!" he thought.

"I-I don't…!" he whispered uncertainly.

"SO HOT!" he thought.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" yelled Tang Lin decisively.

Somehow able to still move, he held his axe tightly with both hands, while planting his feet firmly into the ground as he concentrated everything within this strike. Unknowingly, crimson energy had enveloped his body and axe, gushing out endlessly.

"Mother, looks like you'll have to wait a bit longer after all", thought Tang Lin with warmth as the giant serpent charged again, its injuries numbed by its rage.

"DESCENDING BLADE!" he howled.

By using the momentum of the snake and Tang Lin's concentrated Descending Blade, the snake was split in half from head to toe as the rest of its body flew past both his shoulders.

"I did it. I won…", he groaned.

*Silence*

"Thank god I didn't die", cried Tang Lin, tears rolling down his face.