Against The Heavens 37 Towards Time's March.

"Seems like that overgrown lizard is starting to lose his mind after staying here for so long, not even worrying about destroying the surrounding area when he attacks."

Li Yang put on a pale and shocked expression as he looked towards the place where Jing Yimu had just come from, pointing towards it with a shivering finger as he spoke in a trembling voice.

"Senior Yimu, there is something living at the depths of this area?"

Jing Yimu let out a slight chuckle and pat Li Yang on the head as he nodded his head and a.s.sured him that nothing would happen. He did not think that Li Yang had any way of even comprehending how powerful Chen Huo was, so he did not say anything specific.

"There is a very old and powerful Demonic beast. But you don't need to worry, he can't come out here, doing so would break the last order he was given by his previous master."

Jing Yimu removed his hand from Li Yang's head and took three steps backward, putting some distance between them. Once there was some distance, he stretched out his right arm and pointed his palm towards Li Yang, pointing at his right palm with his left hand as he spoke.

"Now then, since you are going to be following me around I will help you train. Hit me with your strongest attack. You don't need to worry about hurting me, it is impossible for you."

Li Yang had expected Jing Yimu to say something like this, as Jing Yimu was simply such a person. He put on a serious face and put his body into a charging stance, nodding his head at Jing Yimu.

"As you wish, Senior Yimu."

Li Yang created a simple spear out of ice, pretending like he was not a swordsman. He dashed forward and struck towards Jing Yimu's palm, coating the tip of his spear in crimson flames. The tip of the spear hit Jing Yimu's outstretched palm and shattered into tiny fragments that shot towards his face, while the flames moved to surround and burn his hand. Jing Yimu simply blinked, causing the fire and ice to vanish. He then fondled his chin with a slightly pleased expression as he looked at Li Yang.

"Fire and ice, huh? You have a very low affinity with both of them, but you have already managed to reach the middle stage of the Mortal Rune realm, despite coming from such a humble sect, so it seems that you have made sure to practice diligently. Good. I cannot use ice, but I know a little bit about it. As for fire, I specialize in that element, so it is good that you can use it."

Li Yang did not intend to reveal that he could use the lightning element, so he only showcased his control over fire and ice. Jing Yimu himself was a cultivator who mostly used fire and wind, so Li Yang being able to use fire was something that fit him perfectly. Li Yang put on a disbelieving face as he looked at Jing Yimu, talking in an almost worshiping voice.

"Such powerful defense... Could you have already engraved your ninth rune, Senior Yimu?"

Li Yang, of course, knew Jing Yimu's true cultivation, but he had to act the role of a child that had no idea about the greater world. In response to Li Yang's question, Jing Yimu let out a loud laugh and pat him on the shoulder as he started to explain.

"Ninth rune? Little Yang, the world is far larger than you could possibly imagine. I have long since moved past the first nine runes, the first nine runes are only the start of cultivation. Follow me, and you too might have the chance to reach the same level as me."

Li Yang put on an incomparably excited face as he rapidly nodded his head to Jing Yimu. But how could Jing Yimu know that Li Yang was aiming far past Jing Yimu's level? Only the peak would be good enough for Li Yang, only by standing at the peak could he truly feel certain that he could protect Fang Ying.

"Yes, Senior Yimu!"

After checking out what he was certain was Li Yang's strongest attack, Jing Yimu slowed down his travel speed and started training Li Yang while they were traveling. Most of the training was Jing Yimu explaining to Li Yang about how to use his Qi and control it to unleash attacks, but he would occasionally have small mock battles with Li Yang to test his progress.

After seven days of traveling together, Jing Yimu was having a mock battle with Li Yang, holding back enough to where he felt it would be a challenging fight for Li Yang. The more mock battles he had with Li Yang, the more he was surprised at how quickly he grew, causing him to comment on it after they finished the mock battle.

"You are quite adept at controlling your strength, your battle sense is also excellent. Have you battle a lot?"

Li Yang nodded his head and put on a somewhat wistful expression as he spoke. The story he made up this time was not one he had made up for Jing Yimu, it was a story that Jing Yimu could barely relate to. The reason Li Yang did this was because Jing Yimu would quickly grow suspicious if every story told by Li Yang was one he could relate with.

"Yes! My father was a wandering hunter, so he taught me how to battle from a young age. When we settled down in the sect, I and father were often targets of ridicule for our humble birth, so I often ended up fighting them after they insulted father."

After listening to Li Yang's story, Jing Yimu once more pat him on the head, an occurrence which had grown rather frequent over the last seven days. While patting him on the head, Jing Yimu also took the chance to praise Li Yang somewhat.

"Good, it is important to stand up for oneself and those close to you. Your affinity is low, but with your strong determination and battle sense, it is not impossible for you to become someone truly great."

The two continued to travel together, slowly heading towards the location of the second trial, the vast plain located not far from Time's March. Their plan was to stop at Time's March to stock up on more food, before heading to the site of the trial. While traveling and training, Li Yang also took the chance to ask about Jing Yimu's experience with the trials.

"I have tried all the trials several times, but I keep lacking just a little bit to complete them. While I take the trials, you should just wait in a safe place, while the odds of dying during a trial are small for someone with such a low cultivation, it is best not to risk it."

While traveling, Jing Yimu would also occasionally capture some weak Demonic beasts and have Li Yang fight them, trying to give him more battle experience and allow him to fight a life and death battle. During the battles, he would also shout out some instructions to Li Yang. After traveling together for a little over a month, Jing Yimu once more found a weak Demonic beast and had Li Yang fight it.

"Don't let it hit you, they all contain terrifying poison. I am fast enough to save you, but it will not be pleasant for you to be poisoned."

After the battle was over, he gave Li Yang a short explanation about what he felt Li Yang had done wrong and could improve, while also patting him on the head and praising him for doing a good job.

"Good work, Little Yang. You made a few small mistakes, but it was an excellent battle."

Li Yang pretended to be completely exhausted, breathing and sweating heavily. Upon receiving the praise from Jing Yimu, he put on an ecstatic expression and a bright smile, speaking happily.

"Thank you, Master Yimu!"

Li Yang felt uncomfortable calling Jing Yimu 'Master Yimu' but it was Jing Yimu who had requested it, feeling that Li Yang was worth taking in as a disciple, so he had no choice but to pretend like he was ecstatic and keep calling him that.

Not long after Li Yang finished the fight against the Demonic beast, the sky above them started to grow darker, black clouds rapidly gathering together. Looking at the gathering clouds, an ugly expression appeared on Jing Yimu's face as he grabbed Li Yang's wrist and dragged him away.

"f.u.c.k, the clouds are gathering again. We have to find shelter."

Jing Yimu dragged Li Yang away, flying until he found a forest surrounded by an array. He dodged into the forest, finding a spot where he and Li Yang could wait for the oncoming rain to stop. Once the poisonous rain and golden lightning started to rain down on the world, Li Yang turned towards Jing Yimu and asked in a curious voice.

"Master Yimu, what is that golden lightning?"

Whenever the poisonous rain would start, Jing Yimu would find a safe place and then sit and stare at the golden lightning with wistful eyes, sighing loudly. Since Li Yang was playing the part of a naive and curious disciple, he, of course, had to ask about it. Jing Yimu looked away from the lightning, tilting his head towards Li Yang.

"What do you mean?"

Li Yang pointed at the golden lightning that was tearing open the sky, explaining what he had noticed in Jing Yimu over the time they had traveled together, acting the part of the concerned disciple.

"When you look at the lightning, you always have such a conflicted expression."

Jing Yimu nodded his head with an understanding expression, turning to look at the bolts of lightning once more. He sat in silence for a short moment, before he started to talk in a reminiscing voice.

"Ah, that. The lightning reminds me of an old friend, a person I could call a brother. For that matter, the rain also reminds me of things that happened long ago. But that is a story for a different day, for now, I just want to revel in the memories."

Li Yang nodded his head to Jing Yimu's words, mentally sneering at him. At the same time, he also wondered how Jing Yimu would react if he found out that the person he was reminiscing about was sitting right next to him. But Li Yang would not reveal himself. He would become the child Jing Yimu had always dreamed about, giving him everything he dreamed about, and then he would kill him. No matter what Jing Yimu felt about what he did in the past, Li Yang would never forgive him.