Broken world
Duan Li's consciousness floated in a void of darkness, the sensation of falling endless and disorienting. Just as he felt he could endure no more, his descent abruptly halted, and he found himself lying on a cold, hard surface. Groaning, he pushed himself up and surveyed his surroundings.
The world around him was unlike anything he had ever seen. The sky was a swirling vortex of colors, with fragments of what seemed to be different realities blending together. To his left, towering spires of a futuristic city that he had never seen before jutted into the sky, while to his right, the ruins of an ancient civilization crumbled into dust. In the distance, he could see a forest of colossal trees, their leaves shimmering with an ethereal glow.
Composing himself, Duan Li took a deep breath, feeling the dense Primordial Qi in the air. It was far richer than anything he had ever experienced, filling him with a sense of vitality and power.
'Such density...'
He quickly sat down cross-legged, beginning to circulate his Qi according to the Way of the Heavenly Ascension.
At the same time, he wondered what had happpened to his previous world. Is everyone that he knew safe and sound? Or were they also affected by this strange phenomena? Although being the next Heavenly Demon in line meant that he was someone who is callous and detached most of the time, the feeling of attachment to one's origin can't be easily erased.
'Where am I?' he thought, focusing on his breathing. 'This place... it's like different worlds have collided and merged into one.'
His mind started to ponder on all the details he could observed with his divine spiritual sense spreading around him like a blanket, courtesy of being someone in the Nascent Soul realm.
As he meditated, he became aware of the presence of others nearby. Opening his eyes, he saw a group of people approaching cautiously. They were a diverse mix of humans, each with clothing and equipment of what seemed to be from different time periods and cultures. Some wore thick armor reminiscent of western knights, while others had the tattered uniforms of soldiers from another era due to how peculiar they looked.
Almost all of them seemed so foreign to him - had it not been for his high position and his experience while travelling the world before, he might have felt like a country bumpkin.
One man, wearing a tattered soldier's uniform but looked more distinguished than the rest of his kind, stepped forward. His eyes were wary but not hostile.
"Who are you?" the man asked, his English heavily accented. He was interested in the man in front of him that was dressed like someone from a past era in the eastern region while calmly meditating.
Duan Li was a bit caught off guard by the different language but strangely enough he could understand them.
Duan Li stood up, his movements calm and measured. "My name is Duan Li. I am... from another world."
Turning around as he glanced over the horizon with his hands behind his back, he continued, " It seems we have all been brought here against our will and although that being case, we are able to understand each other just fine. There is an unknown force at work here."
The man nodded slowly, acknowledging Duan Li's quick wittedness in understanding the current situation. His guess were as good as him.
'Such composure.. he does not seemed to be a nobody..'
"I am Captain Thomas Hargrove. We were in the middle of a battle when suddenly, we were here. Do you have any idea what this place is?"
Duan Li shook his head. "No, but I believe we are not the only ones. Look around you—these ruins, these landscapes—they come from different worlds, different times."
As he spoke, more individuals emerged from the shadows. There were elves with long, pointed ears, dwarves with sturdy builds, and even creatures that defied easy description—scaled beings with reptilian eyes and feathered humanoids with wings folded behind them.
A murmur of confusion and curiosity rippled through the gathered crowd, but they all seemed to come into a similar conclusion of their current situation as time passed. Duan Li took a deep breath and addressed them all. "We are all strangers here, but it seems our fates are now intertwined. We must work together to understand this place and find a way to survive."
An older elf with silver hair and a wise, calm demeanor stepped forward. "I am Elowen, of the Woodland Realm. Our people have legends of worlds colliding, creating places of great danger and opportunity. Perhaps this is such a place."
Duan Li nodded. "We need to explore and find clues about what has happened and what we need to do. I sense powerful forces at work here. We must be cautious."
As they talked, Duan Li noticed several structures in the distance—towers that seemed to rise out of the ruins of ancient cities. He felt a strange pull toward them, as if they held the key to their predicament.
"Those towers," he said, pointing toward them, "they might hold the answers we seek. But be warned, they are likely guarded by powerful entities."
Captain Hargrove squinted at the distant structures. "Towers? They look like ancient ruins. We had similar structures in our world—fortresses and strongholds. These just seemed better but in a battered state."
Elowen nodded. "In our legends, such foreign towers often house great trials and treasures. It seems we must conquer them to uncover the truth of this place."
As the group discussed their next steps, Duan Li felt a sense of urgency. The Primordial Qi in this world was indeed denser, but it also hinted at greater dangers.
Nothing ever comes without deeper meaning.
He needed to recover his strength quickly. Sitting down again while the others discussed among themselves, he resumed his meditation, drawing in the rich Qi around him.
'If I am to face whatever lies within those towers and in this world, I must be at my full strength,' he thought, focusing intently on the energy coursing through him. As the Qi filled his dantian, he could feel his strength returning, even surpassing his previous limits.
'Such miraculous world.. the Primordial Qi here is perhaps twenty times denser than back at home..'
A sudden commotion interrupted his meditation. Looking up, he saw a group of soldiers—uniforms and weaponry indicating they were from Captain Hargrove's world—approaching with hostile intent. They were armed with rifles and pistols, their faces set in grim determination.
One of the soldiers raised his weapon and shouted, "Stay where you are! We don't know who you are or what you're planning, but we won't let you endanger us! Either everyone fall in line or we will shoot!"
Duan Li stood up slowly, his senses heightened. He could feel the tension in the air, the mix of fear and aggression. He raised his hands in a placating gesture. "We mean you no harm. We are all in the same situation. There is no need for violence."
But the soldiers were not convinced. They advanced, weapons at the ready. Duan Li glanced at Captain Hargrove, who seemed torn between loyalty to his men and the budding alliance with the strangers around him.
Seeing no other choice, Duan Li sighed and prepared to defend himself. He felt the Primordial Qi surging within him, his confidence in his martial arts as the Heavenly Demon enabled him to remain calm and collected.
Seeing the eastern man ignoring their commands, the soldier leading the rest took action.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
As they opened fire, Duan Li moved with lightning speed, evading the bullets and closing the distance between them.
In fact, he even deflected all the bullets with his right index finger while moving forward.
'Too slow...'
With precise strikes, he disarmed the soldiers, his movements a blur. Their weapons clattered to the ground, and they fell back, stunned by his speed and skill. Captain Hargrove called out to his men, urging them to stand down.
Duan Li stood amidst the fallen soldiers, his expression calm but resolute. "We cannot afford to fight among ourselves. If we are to survive this place, we must work together."
The soldiers, seeing their defeat, slowly lowered their remaining weapons. Captain Hargrove stepped forward, his face stern but understanding. "You are right. We cannot let fear divide us. We must find a way to cooperate."
Turning around to the soldier that led the others to take action without his orders, he took out his gun and pointed towards him. "David, you disappointed me. For your crime of overstepping your authority in this war time, I hereby announced you traitor and sentenced you to death."
Bam!
The soldier died on the spot as he was shot on the head.
Duan Li nodded in acknowledgement of Captain Hargove's decision to end rebellious attitude in an instant.
'Must be someone of high status...'
The tension eased as the others somehow were accustomed to such scene and murder, and the group began to organize themselves. Duan Li continued to recover his Qi, feeling the strength of the Primordial energy filling him with renewed vigor. He knew that the challenges ahead would be great, but with his newfound allies, he felt a glimmer of hope.
'It does not bode well for one to be overconfident against unknown nature. What we need are people who can set for the same goal.'
As they prepared to explore the towers and uncover the secrets of this broken world, Duan Li could not shake the feeling that their journey was just beginning. The trials ahead would definitely test their strength, their resolve, and their unity. But together, they stood a chance of surviving—and perhaps even thriving—in this strange new dimension.
Only time will tell.
The scene was set for their exploration of the towers. Each structure held mysteries and dangers, remnants of the worlds that had collided. The path to survival was fraught with peril, but Duan Li and his newfound allies were ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. The dense Primordial Qi of this broken world promised great rewards for those who could master it, and Duan Li was determined to harness its power.
In the coming days, they would uncover ancient secrets, face legendary monsters, and forge alliances across the myriad races and species drawn into this world. Each step would bring them closer to understanding the nature of their predicament and the means to escape it. For now, they could only move forward, driven by hope and the will to survive.
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