Yin & Yang Pleasures of Cultivation

Chapter 149: Prelude

About a few miles out from Mawold Town, Darcel, Aniela, and Yasami were casually strutting through the Wild Snow area. 

Before leaving, they had masked their presence and went virtually undetectable.

The trio didn't have to worry about getting unnecessarily stopped or a crowd forming around them. All they had to think about was the upcoming meeting with one cruel scientist. 

Darcel was positively assured neither he nor the girls needs any long or extraneous preparation for him. 

Of course, they had taken extra sets of talismans and healing pills just in case.

But Darcel, Aniela, and Masami had their confidence at an all-time high. 

Especially Darcel and Aniela since they can finally take a bit of revenge for being made a slave for all of their childhood.

Walking through the Wild Snow, Darcel knew precisely where he was going. The scientist purposely made it easy to follow the source of the bug's aura, and he wasn't that far from Mawold Town, actually.

And soon enough, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami sensed they were mere meters away from the scientist. 

The trio stopped and looked on ahead. And sure enough, they saw one lone figure approaching them.

"Tsk, tsk. This scientist's arrogance still hasn't left him! And he also got some new digs just to show off, probably. He really thinks his tricks can deal with us so casually." 

For the first time, Masami heard, Aniela had a rare heavy disdain lacing her voice.

A disdain that was also shared with Masami as she stared at the one coming towards them. An unremarkable-looking man spouting a long white coat and some normal pants.

Masami couldn't see his face all that well because of the white coat, but her eyes did spot glasses on his unremarkable face. 

But besides the man's average appearance, the real cause of Masami's disdain was the man's cultivation realm.

"Seriously? This guy goes out of his way to make himself seem so mysterious. And yet he's only in the Innate Core realm and thinks he can win? Heh! I would be laughing if this wasn't so pitiful." Masami spat out with an overflow of confidence. 

It wasn't the fact that she was being arrogant or underestimating her foe. She just knows nothing under the third level Heavenly King could genuinely challenge them.

"Hoh my. The little kids truly have grown up. But to respond to you, indeed, I do think I can win. Well, I may have some trouble doing it." The scientist boldly said as he can within a few feet apart from the trio.

Just like Darcel's group, the scientist spoke in an overwhelming confident tone. His posture showed no fear or hesitation, and his eyes stared directly into the trio's disdain gazes.

For one tense, silent second, neither the scientist nor the trio moved. 

Masami's lips had curled into a savage mocking smirk as she said, "A bit of trouble," he says. So confident, so he most definitely has something up his sleeves. Hey, what do you truly have to say about this bit of trouble, huh?"

'Whir!' 

The whole area immediately fell into chaos as Darcel, Aniela and Masami whipped out their transformation powers! 

Darcel's bloodline Darkness glow shrouded his arm, Aniela's white light glow enriched her arm, and Masami's blue fire fox cloak aura shined like the sun.

Neither Darcel, Aniela, or Masami spared any expense and blared their full powers right towards the scientist from the get-go. 

Though as confident as they are, Darcel reminded the girls to not take the scientist lightly.

Aniela didn't really need a reminder since she knew how much of a rat those scientists are. But Darcel needed to be sure Masami was on the same page so they could avoid any potential mistakes.

And sure enough, the combined transformation aura of the trio caused a tremendous suppression on the scientist. 

But instead of a look of distraught or worry, the scientist had a simple look of appraisal.

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami's power were impressive. 

More than impressive, actually! 

Suddenly, the scientist's elation about today grew a thousandfold, despite the fact he couldn't move.

But, before the trio's aura could thoroughly crush down on the scientist, a flash of silver zipped from his pockets! A bright silver aura burst forth, drawing the whole area in its brilliant radiance.

"What?" 

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami were mildly taken aback. They felt their own combined auras get canceled out by the silver aura. 

Their eyes tried to peer right into the bright silver aura.

And they immediately felt a tremendous surge of power blast out to them! 

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami were surprised once again as three silver beams blasted out of the silver aura.

The three silver beams tore through the air to the trio, and none of them considered this attack a joke. 

If they were to casually take on this attack, they sensed it could seriously injure them. It was almost like facing an attack from a powerful third level Heavenly King!

Darcel Aniela and Masami quickly jumped up to the skies, just narrowly avoiding the three silver beams. Up in the air, an amusing smile graced their lips. 

It seems this battle will be much more interesting than they thought.

But right then, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami's eyes widened when they gazed back down at the scientist. 

There was a small blue, slightly gray syringe in his hand, and he was aiming it at his neck. And when the trio's eyes landed on him, the scientist cruelly smiled and stabbed the blue, slight gray syringe deep into his neck. 

Even if Darcel, Aniela, and Masami wanted to intercept that, they were actually too slow from dodging the three silver beams.

And immediately when the scientist stabbed himself with the syringe, his power dramatically shot through the roof! 

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami felt their pupils dilated, sensing the scientist's power rise in just a manner of seconds.

From the eighth rank of the Innate Core realm to the ninth, breaking right into the Heavenly Transformation realm! Heavenly Qi and a Heavenly aura burst from the scientist, causing the wind to chaotically storm around him.

But the scientist's power simply didn't stop after breaking through. 

His power immediately shot right up to the second level Heavenly Transformation, 

third level Heavenly Transformation and, 

'BANG!!' 

A burst of tremendous Heavenly Qi gushed out of the scientist as he stepped right into the fourth level of the Heavenly Transformation realm!

A strange blue aura gushed from the scientist spraying everywhere in the wind. Mixed in with the blue aura was just barely tiny specks of a strange gray aura, not even the trio could spot.

The ground quaked under the explosion of power, and snow wildly stormed in the air. 

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami narrowed their eyes. A suppression actually crushed their bodies, but it wasn't immense.

It was certainly notable, but nothing too major that'll affect them much when fighting. Everything just happened so abruptly and quickly for the trio that they barely had any time to react to the scientist shooting up his power.

And when his power had stopped increasing at the fourth level, the scientist didn't give the trio any breathing time and disappeared from right where he stood.

A chill passed through Darcel, Aniela, and Masami, feeling the temperature drop significantly. Their Spirit Senses suddenly spiked, alerting them to tremendous danger just in front of them.

In a split second, Darcel instinctively reacted, forming a profound Darkness shield from his hands. 

At the same time, Aniela and Masami reacted in a split second, forming a white light shield and a blue fire shield, respectively. 

'Bang!' 

Three blue ice Qi fist clashed with their shields as the scientist appeared mere feet between them. 

Out from the scientist's left fist were the three blue ice Qi fists.

The clash of his fourth level power and the trio's combined power recklessly swirled all throughout the area. 

Beneath them, the ground was trembling nonstop, and snow was getting eradicated from the sheer power of two mighty forces.

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami felt their excitement for battle rise with each second. Especially for Darcel and Aniela, as this was the first time ever they felt a numbing feeling in their arms.

Moreover, a bit of blood drools from the trio's mouths. Their bodies fought off the Heavenly Qi, trying to ravage the inside of their bodies. 

The scientist was in a similar state, but he felt even more pain than the trio, and a longer drool of blood dripped from his mouth.

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami's combined powers were indeed great, but the scientist ignored their powers ravaging inside his body. 

His speed was near-instantaneous, and he flashed out of the trio's sight once again.

From up above, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami felt the temperature exponentially drop to near absolute zero degrees. 

But the trio couldn't focus on the cold for long as they sense an immense mass of power quickly surging above them.

Just a few meters above them, the scientist hovered over Darcel's group, both of his hands glowing a chilling blue ice aura. It was like time didn't matter for the scientist as right when the chilling blue ice aura formed, he instantly blasted down an icicle storm to the trio!

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami only had a split second to react, quickly raising their shields above to defend against the icicle storm. 

"Nnng!" All three of them grunted as the power behind the scientist's icicle storm actually shot them down to the ground!

The sound of numerous icicles crashing onto their shields pierced into the trio's ears, and Masami felt her frustration rise. 

Right when they were forced to the ground, Masami puffed her cheeks, causing a massive sum of raging blue fires to gather inside her mouth.

"Fuuuu!!" Out from Masami's mouth, she released a powerful blue firestorm that curved upwards. The blue firestorm wrapped up the icicle storm in an attempt to destroy it.

Right them, Darcel reached out with his other arm, grabbing onto Masami's shoulder and surge his and hers Darkness Soul link. 

Masami felt a tremendous and warm, familiar boost of energy enrich her soul. 

Her raging blue firestorm explosively increased in strength then. It didn't have a single bit of trouble in melting away the scientist's icicle storm. 

Going unnoticed and unsensed by Darcel's group, when Darcel had surged his Darkness Soul link, a very tiny patch of snow from under their feet mysteriously turned gray.

Once the icicle storm was cleared up, Aniela's eyes burst with blinding white Light brilliance!

"Flash!" 

Aniela's blinding white flashbang encompasses the whole area. 

Up above, the scientist felt his soul get utterly stunned, making his entire being completely immobilized.

Darcel worked in perfect tandem with Aniela, raising his arm up and instantly firing out one concentrated Darkness tendril from the center of his palm. 

His Darkness tendril tore through the air and quickly wrapped up the stunned scientist. 

Cruelly smirking for what's next, Darcel tightly clutched his Darkness tendril and violently slammed the scientist towards the snowy ground. With a loud thumb, the scientist crashed right through the snow and bounced off the hard cold ground.

And right in the middle of his violent bounce, Masami rushed straight up the scientist, her aura claws already on hands and made them burst with raging blue flames.

Masami was right near the scientist's face, and her aura claws intensely sparkled, reaching the maximum height of its power. 

'Bang!' 

Masami mercilessly shot a huge blue fire blast right in the scientist's face, making him sail like a broken kite.

However, not even a mere split second after Masami released her blast. The scientist didn't utter any grunts of pain, readjusted himself in midair, burst a powerful ice pike from the center of his palm, and flashed forward.

For the rare times in her life, Masami pupils became needle sizes as her Spirit Sense frantically went off at a sudden tremendous danger! 

On instinct, she just barely ducked her body before a blue, slightly gray flash grazed her shoulder.

Blood spurted into the air, and Masami felt a searing pain course in her shoulder. "Tch!" Masaim only clicked her teeth as this searing pain wasn't light at all.

Darcel and Aniela didn't even see what happen to Masami. 

Just like her, their Spirit Sense frantically went off in the face of real danger, and they could only barely move their bodies before the same blue, slightly gray flash grazed their shoulders.

Blood spurted from the duo's shoulders, and the same searing pain took hold of their bodies as well. 

"Tch!" Darcel and Aniela also clicked their teeth, and they and Masami furiously snapped their bodies around.

Their eyes were ablaze with ferocious killing intent as this was the first time someone had actually managed to hurt them! 

The scientist shakily stopped on his feet, turning around to face the trio with a broad, ugly smile.

His body was practically screaming in pain from tanking Masami's attack unprotected, but he didn't care in the slightest. 

The scientist made it seemed like he was mocking the trio, but from the corner of his eye, he spotted very minuscule patches of snow turning gray, just seemingly popping up at random.

Internally the scientist's elation explosively increased, yet his expression didn't change at all.

Neither Darcel, Aniela, nor Masami paid attention to their surroundings. They only sensed the crafty rat scientist in front of them and had their full focus hatred on him. 

None of them could've possibly noted the tiny patch of gray snow just under their feet.

Darcel's eyes zeroed in on the scientist, and before he could react, a Darkness shadow spewed from his feet, causing numerous Darkness tendrils to instantly wrap the scientist up. 

The scientist was momentarily surprised as a strange energy was making his body heat up. He felt it was trying to disrupt his Qi flow, lowering his defenses and making it harder to escape the Darkness tendrils.

Aniela and Masami capitalized on this and rushed right towards the scientist. 

Aniela's scimitars was in her hand now, and Masami was charging her aura claws once again.

However, before the girls could go near the scientist, a silver aura burst from his pockets again and destroyed Darcel's Darkness tendrils! 

Despite his restraints being free, Aniel and Masami didn't halt their rush. 

They were going to barrel right on to him until they felt their Spirit Senses frantically go off again. The girls instantly stopped, created another white Light shield and a blue fire shield in a split second.

Immediately when they created their shields, numerous sharp ice spikes burst from the snowy grounds, clashing against the girls' shields and raising them a bit into the air.

Right when the ice spikes burst towards the girls, Darcel also had to jump as ice spikes burst from him under him as well. 

While jumping up, Darcel quickly realized the ice spikes were too fast, and he formed a large Darkness shield, clashing against the rising ice spikes.

Darcel finally had enough then and gritted his teeth. 

He pushed all of his bloodline powers to the most he could muster, brought out his scimitar on to his other hand, and ablaze it with raging black flames.