Reverend Insanity :Savage Truth

Once it was very late, Xal had us all stop and set up camp. Traveling while tired and in the dark is not a good combination. We found a hollow, large tree where we had to kill a bear-sized raccoon. I had been using thermal vision every now and then, but inside the large forest, there were creatures everywhere.

I had to focus on looking for anything that might come near the camp, rather than trying to keep track of everything. Thankfully, the responsibility of keeping watch was not on me. Bai was in charge of the guard duty since her gu set was more focused on reconnaissance than anyone else's.

Even so, I decided to let my human self out and equip him to guard me while I ate and slept. "So, Shu, how many versions of yourself can you create?" Dali asked, eyeing my human self. Everyone who was eating also looked at me, waiting for my response.

"I can only bring out 10 for now, but eventually it'll be 12," I replied, and everyone looked impressed. "Goddamn, 12 of you? I can already see all the nicknames you'll get. Like the one-man harem, the hoard of husbands, or the 12 gentlemen—no wait, the 12 husbands/boyfriends. Maybe the honest mates..."

As she went off on one of her tirades, she was smacked hard on the back of her shoulder by Xal, who gave her a very stern "shut the hell up" look, like a parent would give their kid. "So in total, there would be 13 of you fighting at any given time. Against you, there truly would be no 1v1. I can already see your opponents complaining about how unfair that would be," Xal said, putting a stop to Dali's new nicknames.

"The world is unfair to everyone, making it fair. Now, how far are we from the Slin clan?" I asked Xal, but Bai was the one to answer. "We'll be there by tomorrow afternoon. If it wasn't for the wind fin sharks, it would take over a week if we were traveling with good movement gu."

"That's right. They want this done quickly before people hear about it, let alone the enemy finding out what's going on. And that reminds me, when we get there, don't say anything unless it's absolutely necessary," Xal said, eyeing Dali in particular.

Sleep didn't come easily to me that night, even with my teammates and human self by my side. The pressure of having to kill a clan didn't sit well with me. Beasts are one thing, but humans… they're much more dangerous.

The next morning, Xal had us eat and set off immediately. Both I and Linghun shared a ride once again. "You said you'd be able to create 12 other versions of yourself. Does that mean you have twelve human-strength phantoms?" she asked.

"I'll have 12 eventually," I replied. It's not something I could hide since they all appear whenever I use gu or tools. Eventually, the fact that I have the strength phantoms of 12 humans will be exposed. "They wouldn't happen to all be permanent strength phantoms, would they?" she asked.

So that was what she wanted to know. "They're indeed, but a normal person can hold 2, maybe 3 max. After that, they have to refine their body to handle more. Of course, you shouldn't go telling just anyone this." She nodded her head in agreement.

"Of course, I won't go around telling people about it. It's a good thing my family has to improve our bodies anyways to strengthen our souls," she said with some glee in her voice. "Well, you know more about my gu and abilities than I do about yours. So why not tell me some of your family's secrets?"

She went silent for a minute, then let out a breath and said, "That's fair. I'll tell you what most people know about us. We're capable of creating soul bubbles that can damage a being's soul. If you're hit enough, you're guaranteed to die. They're able to go through most defenses, which is another reason people fear our branch."

"Yeah, I've run into others with attacks that are almost indefensible. You should get another method of attack just in case. I learned that if you run into the wrong person who can defend themselves, they can easily kill you," I told her. Her fighting style reminded me of Celine and her rule path killer move, Deep Sleep.

"Yeah, my grandma says the same thing. She's the reason we carry a strong water path gu for offensive measures, just in case," she said.

"She sounds wise. I'd listen to her if I were you," I told her.

"Now you sound like my parents," she laughed at the end of that.

For a few hours, she talked about her family and how they taught her about soul path. When it came to strengthening the soul, she was reluctant to say much, but I told her that I knew the methods were most likely painful both to strengthen and purify the soul. Only then did she say more about it.

Apparently, they grew some roots that they paid a high price for in the past and made a tea out of it that can strengthen the soul. The more you drink, the more progress you get. However, it's incredibly concentrated and must be diluted, or it can be fatal. Only those with stronger souls can drink less-diluted versions, as they would need more to further strengthen the soul.

This was one of the reasons so many clansmen and others came to them to strengthen their souls. Their method was to drink tea, a painless and relaxing method. Unfortunately, their methods for purifying their souls were not as painless.

She told me how their preferred method for purifying the soul was to put the body through extreme weather. In her household, they had rooms to mimic certain conditions. From a freezing room to a scorching room and a room where you were completely strangled throughout your whole body.

"Why not get a gu to purify the soul?" I asked her.

"There are a few that are sold, but my family has learned that it's best to put the whole body through the refinement. It strengthens the soul, body, and mind and helps the gu masters' endurance for pain grow. Of course, if we can find a good gu, we'll use it. That's why my family is involved in this mission. We'll be able to gain gu and recipes from the Slin clan and see if we can use or merge what they have with our foundation."

That made sense as to why they put themselves through that torture. Even in the story, the most superior method to purify the soul, Lou Po Valley, was painful for the user. As for the reason she's on this mission, I had long guessed that she was here for the gu and recipes. She's probably also after the resources there.

Time went by as we spoke. Eventually, Bai called out loudly, "We're about 100 yards away from the clan," alerting us all. Xal had us all stop and slow down as we made our way to the clan, which was coming into view.

The entire clan was blocked off by a large wall that looked dark gray, almost like concrete. It had towers on top of the wall that were lit up, with people walking around on top. We made our way to large doors that were being guarded by a few people.

"HALT! State your business and your purpose for being so close to our Slin clan!" one shouted.

"I am Xal Hu, and I'm here with my team to investigate the Slin clan for demonic practices. I demand to see a higher-up, or I will assume you are uncooperative and guilty," Xal replied.

The guards whispered to one another, and the leader eventually said, "For now, I'll let you all in to our waiting area for guests. I'm sure you all want to rest from your long journey." His tone shifted a bit but was still somewhat demanding. They led us inside, and the clan buildings were made of dark, hard wood, making the place feel like a wooden resort.

Our wind fin sharks were taken to a stall to be cared for in the meantime. The building they took us into had a large open living room with a large table surrounded by pillow chairs.

"Please wait here, I'll go inform an elder of your arrival," the guard who led us here said, closing the door and leaving us alone inside.

Everyone sat down as Xal looked at me. "I look forward to our company." It was the code to let me know to bring over everyone else. I let out my will, used Jab Gu, and let my human self appear just in case someone was watching us as I quickly left. Then, I used Living Gu and swapped places with my miniman self.

Instantly, I was back in the clan, surrounded by the group, ready to leave. Fuile, who saw me, asked, "How much primeval sea essence did it cost you to come here?"

I checked my aperture and saw that about 5% was used. "I should have enough to send everyone over at once."

She nodded. "Good. Alright, everyone, let's go." Everyone held hands, and both Fuile and Ji put their hands on my shoulder as I activated Living Gu.