[You have slain an Impure Daimon: Choros, Lesser Veil of Aged Decay.]

  [You have obtained a Soulbound Remnant: Elixir of Cairn’s Essence]

  [Remnant Grade: Peak Impure]

  [Remnant Type: Consumable]

  Dejiu collapsed onto the ichor-flooded ground. It poured into his ears and tinged his skin a sickly color, but it didn’t matter.

  [Prana: 0/57]

  He’s exhausted. He used everything he had, and more. Hell, he’s gonna bleed and die without caring for his wounds but he’s too tired to do so. Death sounded better. Maybe he’ll be reincarnated. He’ll wake up in a noble family’s house in the capital. He’ll spoil himself with riches. Where have the temple teachings gotten him?

  Wet coughs escaped his lips. “M-Miss Bing Xin? Take my body, I don’t care anymore. Pah!”

  The metal tang coated his throat, any more liquid and he’ll suffocate before he bleeds out. “Damned blood monk. How am is a blood monk bleeding out?”

  “I’ve won.” Bing Xin said darkly. It reminded Dejiu of her cursed tone that day she forced him down the Pillarshard. The tone and cadence of a daimon.

  “The fuck do–do you mean you won?” Dejiu spat out nervously. “Me dying? Hey, are you really taking over my body!?”

  “You even cheated, but I still won. Stupid thing.” Bing Xin continued.

  “Wait-wait-wait-wait!” Dejiu was wet slick in the eye’s warm ichor, yet an unfathomable chill ran across him. A menacing cold, colder than what he felt from being suspended inside the Sixth Hell. Was this death? If it was then he took back what he thought earlier — he wanted to live!

  Dejiu looked to where the cold was coming from… and to his horror, it was the collapsed eye just steps away. From the eye, a shadowy figure rose. It wasn’t like the manifestation of his childhood self. It much much darker.

  “Accept your loss. Your gamble failed.” Bing Xin said.

  Dejiu’s confusion climbed. “Gamble? I never gambled! I’m a monk—”

  Bing Xin’s ramblings didn’t make sense. It wasn’t until he realized another shadowy figure was rising as well. One from his body. Wait… her voice. Echoing? It’s—it's not in my head!

  Dejiu opened his mouth to ask Bing Xin what was happening, but he didn’t dare speak as something forced his attention back to the shadowy figure above the daimon’s corpse.

  “And you, Bing Xin? This… vessel. This does not count as cheating?” An unfamiliar voice said. One unlike Bing Xin’s and the Seekers Accord. It sounded old. Ancient.

  “I’ve played my cards. You have yours. I wasn’t the one who used my presence to overwhelm your detestable spawn. Accept your loss, old bird.”

  Old bird? Dejiu listened against his wishes. Fuck! So that was it? She wasn’t talking to me earlier? And what’s this about a gamble?

  Bing Xin revealed the identity of the shadowy figure from the daimon’s corpse — the progenitor of the Hollow Talons and likely this eye daimon as well. That’s what she called the old bird. But so what? He wanted to die! He wanted to gauge his eyes out, crush his throat! Had his body not been rendered utterly useless in the battle, the two presences alone were enough to make him do it!

  “You overstep, wretched bird. Lower your presence. Corpses shouldn’t mingle with the living.” Bing Xin hissed. “This vessel is mine and mine alone.”

  “Corpse? And what does that make you?” The voice waned. The shadowy figure slowly retreats into the corpse. “Ah, but a mere projection… Bing Xin, there will come a day when your joy turns to ash in your hands. Your safety will be nothing more than a dream, and then you'll know that this debt was paid. I’ll wait for you and this vessel in the depths below.”

  Dejiu half-listened. Silently praying this ordeal would be over soon, he waited until the figure’s presence retreated entirely before he gasped out. “Miss Bing Xin? What now? Am I safe?”

  “Take your spoils first. That pill will help you recover.”

  [Soulbound Remnant: Elixir of Cairn’s Essence]

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  [A fledgling turned champion. A champion turned vessel. Choros, the Lesser Veil of Aged Decay was the lowest among [Redacted]’s prized spawn. But even so, Choros was to usher in a new age for [Redacted]. Failing miserably at the hands of a pitiful herald of blood, all that is left is a pill for the victor. Enhances eyesight and prana sight. Provides minimal injury recovery. Due to the heritage of this one’s progenitor, an abundance of elementless prana is provided.]

  [Remnant Grade: Peak Impure]

  [Remnant Type: Consumable]

  Dejiu cultivated slowly to regain enough strength to move his wounded left hand. Opening the small flask, he dumped the elixir into his mouth. The warm tinge spread and he focussed on assimilating the prana into him.

  [Your Remnant Has Been Destroyed]

  In moments, he felt strong enough to sit up and further absorb the elixir.

  —

  [Prana: 64/64]

  “Hoo…” He sighed and bandaged where his unholy copy severed his right hand at the wrist. Looks like he’s not going to bleed to death today. Or die from some horror of Hell’s depths. Thank the Genesis Vernerable he got a pill that helped him recover enough. And pushed his prana up!

  “Done?” Bing Xin asked.

  “I’m done. I don’t think I’ll die.” He said.

  Dejiu accomplished killing the guardian. Surviving the ordeal with that “old bird” as Bing Xin said. But there was a little problem left. Bing Xin… she’s in front of him. Well, at least her dark silhouette.

  She sat in front of him. She wore a flowy black robe which could hardly conceal her graceful figure. Long shadowy hair hung just above her waist. Dejiu couldn’t see her eyes and face in the darkness of the chamber, but he was skeptical that even if she was under the brightest and most brilliant of skies could he see them.

  “Now what? I got enemies waiting above.” He asked.

  She pointed towards the corpse. “Take the Hell Shard.”

  “...Fine.”

  Dejiu scoffed. Bing Xin was commanding as ever, manifested or not—

  “I can still hear your thoughts.” She snorted with a venomous look.

  “Forgive this lowly monk. Your wish is my command!” Dejiu wanted to collapse.

  [You have acquired a Hell Shard (Impure)]

  Dejiu raised an eyebrow. It’s still hard to believe the thing was classified as an Impure Daimon.

  “Think of it as a scion from a noble clan. Given the best of techniques, resources and everything. However, borrowing the presence of their leader does much of the heavy lifting. Besides, it was trying to advance using the Pillarshard. Had it advanced, no ordinary Advanced Stage cultivator would be capable of handling it. Your luck knows no bounds.”

  [Prana Core: High Initiate]

  [Prana: 65/65]

  “Cannot complain with this. It even nocked up by one.” He smiled. Turning to Bing Xin, he asked, “Where is the Pillarshard’s core?”

  Bing Xin pointed in a random direction and he nodded. He wandered around the dark chamber, a little better than before. The elixir worked its magic. He could see more than just the floor! Ha!

  But before he could celebrate seeing almost ten steps around him as he walked, a distant orange glow became increasingly brighter and stronger as he came close. He was going to turn back to ask Bing Xin about it, but he blinked to find Bing Xin ahead of him.

  He frowned. “New tricks?”

  She shook her head and changed topics. “Touch the core, the Seekers Accord will give you two options. One, you will snuff the core. Extinguish the Pillarshard and crumpling it to dust. You will have almost a day to climb back to the surface. Two, you will maintain the core under your control by feeding it Hell Shards. The Pillarshard could descend further but you must feed it even more Hell Shards. I’d advise against continuing its growth for now if you choose this option.”

  Dejiu squinted his eyes in thought. “What do you think I should do?”

  “What makes you ask me?” She laughed.

  “You made me go down here. To fight the guardian as well. And I haven’t even gotten to ask you about that thing that rose from the daimon’s corpse and your wager. Everything!” He complained.

  “In due time, little monk. Ah, but I would maintain this Pillarshard. It would be quite a boon to keep such a bridge to the Seventh Hell so close to the temple.”

  Dejiu scratched his bald head. “I see. It’s something they could easily defend as well, right?”

  “Indeed, a foothold into the Seventh Hell.”

  “Any benefit to snuffing the core?” He asked.

  “The Seekers Accord will bestow you a greater appraisal than you would obtain by choosing the other option — not to say that your performance isn’t already something unheard of.”

  “Huh? What’s this about the appraisal? I didn’t read or hear about this.”

  “You’ll be granted a reward for either option you pick. The greatest of seekers are granted befitting awards after all.”

  Dejiu frowned. He didn’t know which to pick. Each had their benefits.

  “Again, I would pick to maintain the Pillarshard. Although you may gain greater and more immediate benefits from whatever the Seekers Accord deems befitting, be it a remnant or something else, you’re bound to receive something no less than what you have already accomplished. Besides, this is a mere Impure Pillarshard.”

  Pondering to himself, Dejiu paced back and forth. This was a decision harder than choosing to wake up for the morning prayer or getting beaten by Teacher Jiansu. Hmmm…. I mean, she’s not wrong. I’d have better inclination to snuff the core had it been a Tainted Pillarshard, but if the situation had reached that point, I’d have no chance to even kill the guardian.

  But then he remembered something. His fist hammered into his palm as it dawned on him. I’m brilliant!

  His lips pulled into a smile. “I’ll maintain the Pillarshard.”