The Sovereign's Ascension

How far apart were heaven and hell? Perhaps only a step.

One moment, Lin Yun was celebrating his victory over the Flaming Inked Tiger and, the next, he was running for his life from the Golden Brute Bulls. Now, they were so close Lin Yun could hear them gasping for air. Despite pushing the Wild Goose Art to its limits, Lin Yun still couldn’t shake them. Punching the leader may have saved his life, but it had also made the bulls much angrier. Against his better judgement, Lin Yun forced himself to look back.

 The leader of the Golden Brute Bulls was only a body-length away from him, with four to five hundred bulls close behind. A heavy shadow covered the back of the herd as their dust cloud blotted out the sun. Despair consumed him.

Still, Lin Yun refused to give up. He dropped back and gave the leader another punch.

Boom!

The immense impact spread throughout his body once more, and this time he was certain he sustained internal damage. The leader of the Golden Brute Bulls was no worse for wear, though, continuing its charge without losing stride.

Swish!

The burst of speed generated by the counter force helped put some distance between Lin Yun and the herd. His lungs burned and his heart pounded as he ran. He had no idea how long he could hold on for. The only thing keeping him going now was fear. Running was his only option.

“Haha! Young master, look at him running for his life like a dog!”

The four men of the Yun Clan followed behind the herd, laughing as they watched Lin Yun struggle.

“Excellent!” The young patriarch wore a sinister smile as he yelled, “Good job, Ol’ Four! Using the Golden Brute Bulls to deal with that brat was ingenious!”

“It’s all thanks to you, boss.” Ole Four replied with a fawning smile.

“Haha, yes, it is! Let’s follow up! I want to be there when he’s trampled by those Golden Brute Bulls. He’ll rue the day he stole from me!” said the young patriarch as he picked up speed.

“That kid is really tough. If we are the ones facing the herd, we would be trampled to death by now.”

“Relax, the Golden Brute Bulls are famed for their endurance. They’ve been known to run for five days without stopping.”

“That’s what I like, seeing him jumping here and there struggling desperately to survive. Tormented by despair. No hope of escape. He’s only delaying the inevitable!” the young patriarch said excitedly.

Lin Yun was ragged. His face was pale and his body was covered in mud and bruises. If not for the hope burning in his eyes you would think he was an animated corpse.

The thunderous sound behind him was a constant reminder that he couldn’t let up. Slowing down even a little meant certain death. However, there was something strange about it. He was only a few meters from death, and yet he was calm. The sense of despair he had at the beginning had given way to acceptance. The situation was terrible, sure, but worrying would do nothing. Since he was going to die anyway, why not try something crazy?

“Here we go!” Lin Yun shouted as he popped a Blood Refining Pellet into his mouth.

It took effect immediately. Familiar waves of heat washed over him as every part of his body surged back to life. In an instant, he was back at full strength!

But this was only a temporary fix and he knew it. The bulls would last longer than he ever could, even with pellets. He had to do something drastic if he had any chance of surviving.

As he ran, Lin Yun turned his focus to his heart. While he listened, he felt the blood flowing through his veins. He could sense his internal energy and the medicine mixing, almost dancing. He watched as electricity fired from every nerve and synapse. And as he observed, he balled his hand into a fist.

He directed every ounce of energy he could summon into his fist. This was his last chance of evading death, his last hope of survival. The veins on his arm surged and his whole body shook as power boiled from his core. His desperation and anger were acting as a catalyst!

“I hereby place my life and death in this punch!” Lin Yun roared in defiance of the heavens.

And then he stopped running.

“He’s given up!” shouted one of the Yun Clan as they watched the stampede barrel towards him.

The bull’s horns were only meters away, but as he turned to face them, they seemed to stop. Lin Yun’s body was numb. The rage in his heart had faded as well. In fact, all he felt at that moment was an overwhelming sense of serenity.

It was at that moment he realized he was standing at the crossroads between life and death. Before him lay two paths. All that was left was for him to choose.

KRRAAAAKKKOWWW!!!!

The thunderous crackle of Lin Yun’s bones signalled for time to resume. The explosive power of his aura obliterated the limits of the fifth stage of the Martial Path!

 He had made his choice. He would face death as the king of the mountain!

Becoming the very embodiment of a tiger, Lin Yun’s aura surged as he unleashed a roar at the herd of bulls. He refused to die before he saw his potential realized! With this earth-shattering punch, he would overthrow heaven and earth!

Boom!

The lead bull vanished the moment his fist connected with its head. Its lifeless corpse went careening through the herd, taking a few bulls out along the way.

This was the terrifying power of complete mastery of the Ferocious Tiger Fist.

Steam rolled off his body as the heat of his blood brought him seemingly limitless strength.

Lin Yun’s hair danced as a gale swept around him. When they locked eyes with him, the Golden Brute Bulls were consumed by the dominating aura of the Flaming Inked Tiger. A fear that came from the depth of their bloodline stopped the entire herd in their tracks.

The sound of their leader finally landing spurred them to action. The terrified bulls turned and ran.

His bet had paid off!

Lin Yun let out a sigh of relief. He knew he was close to complete mastery of the Ferocious Tiger Fist after his fight with the Flaming Inked Tiger and had hoped confronting death would act as a catalyst. He bet his entire life on that single punch.

And he won!

Just as Lin Yun began checking the corpse of the Golden Brute Bulls’ leader, a terrified scream attracted his attention. Using his hand to shade his eyes, he sneered as he finally understood why the bulls had been chasing him.

In the distance, the four men from the Yun Clan could be seen running ahead of the herd. Even at this distance, Lin Yun could see they were scared shitless. Karma had come back on them quickly; it was hard not to smile.

Blood curdling screams rose from the group as two of the followers were trampled to death. No matter how hated the enemy, a scream like that made a person’s skin crawl. But the bulls were not people and they paid no mind to the screams as their hooves trampled the two.

The Yun Clan’s young patriarch took out a pellet and popped it in his mouth. His complexion became sickly, but his aura went above the sixth stage and his speed increased greatly.

Ole Four had had the same idea but had no pellets on him. In desperation, he cried out, “Young master, save me! Throw me a pellet! Anything, please!”

But the young patriarch had no intention slowing down. The only thing he could give his old friend in this moment were his parting words, “Get lost!”

As the screams faded behind him, the Yun Clan’s young patriarch increased his speed, sobbing as he ran.

“You guys brought that upon yourselves,” Lin Yun said as he strolled over to the corpses of the three men. If he bet hadn’t paid off, he would be the one trampled to death instead.

 “What’s this?”

Amidst the carnage was a bag containing beast materials. By some miracle, the claws of a Flaming Inked Tiger had survived the stampede.

“Today’s my lucky day!”

He pocketed the claws and turned his attention back to the herd leader’s corpse. Every single part of this corpse was valuable, and he had the interspatial pouch to store it all. This monster had brought him inches from death. He would squeeze every last penny from it.