Nine Paths of Asura-Original Wuxia

Chapter 79 - The True Use of Madness Rain

Thanks for commenting turtle.  To all you guys wondering about the slowdown, we are approaching the end of saved chapters, and I've actually just received a full time job offer so this may be the end of regular releases soon. I will of course, try to post stuff as often as possible, though I cannot guarantee that said stuff will be part of this particular story, but I have some ideas for short stories and new characters  so if you wish to see that do follow this account on wattpad as any works which I deem high enough quality will be posted on here. That being said, I am long overdue so I will do my best to ensure that we hit chapter 100 before I start working.

After looking through the Chosen's corpse Lineir snorted in disappointment. As expected, his bag of holding was simply filled with standard goods and miscellaneous goods. After taking out several stronger mid level Chosen, Lineir didn't put these things in his eyes at all. To be fair, they were still incomparably high level compared to Lineir's home town. But that was because the cultivators on his home planet were simply too backwards! They followed the same old styles and relied on ancient legacies and weapons passed down from cultivators who had been forced to leave the stronger realms in times past! To be crude...one could even say that the ancestors of his home planet were losers! Of course, this wasn't true in every case, there are many reasons why a cultivator might choose to leave the higher realms, but in any case, over time, weapons were lost and techniques forgotten. The result was that what was left was a weak heritage and a planet which could not compare to the Chosen of this selection!

"Don't be so presumptuous as to assume all these Chosen are weak kiddo. Against the top Chosen of these Trials, I suspect even that Jun Li fellow you ran into would not dare to fight them lightly. However...your progress is quite good. As your master, I have many techniques but this legacy is something even I cannot guide you further on. I believe its maker...holds many similarities to Madraeyal the original owner of the blade which houses my Final Heart! However, I have never divined this particular technique in my studies. That being said, with my experience I can tell you one thing! You are using it wrong!" 

Mei confirmed that this technique was extremely mysterious in origin, such to the point where even she could not understand the maker. However, as an experienced expert of a higher plane, she could still offer pointers as to its usage!

"I've just learned this technique, I understand that it's not meant as a single target attack but a wide area of effect ability!" Lineir quickly stated his theory but was shot down almost instantly by Mei.

"Hmph, as I thought you have the wrong idea. Or rather, you're half right. It is true that this ability is an extremely effective area of effect ability! However, it is not necessarily meant for that. That kind of logic is a common fallacy of mortals. After all, the ability to slay thousands or tens of thousands or even more lesser foes is something mortals have always dreamed of. But you are no mortal! You are a cultivator who walks the Path of Madness! Your primary enemy in the future will not be mortals! No you will be facing cultivators and not pathetic ones like the 'Chosen' you just slew. No you will be facing those with heritages which far surpass your own, whose legacies may be no less than that of my teachings!" Mei's voice dripped venomous derision when she spoke of mortals and weak Chosen. It was obvious she held them in no regard whatsoever!

"Ok, I understand that I must always strive to grow strong, but what does that have to do with how to use this Madness Rain?" Lineir inadvertently created a name for the technique on the spot.

"Think about it, what are the strengths of this technique?" Mei tried to get Lineir to arrive at the answer on his own.

"Well, when I use it, I use Darkness Qi instead of Death Qi. So it lacks a corrosive effect but instead generates a heavy weight using the Laws of Attraction. This will slow down the enemies holding them in place, perhaps doubling or even tripling the effort of moving." Lineir began to think of what he could do with this technique.

"And?" Mei clearly wasn't done and her tone became impatient.

"Well, of course there is also the effect of Madness. It attacks the mind and soul directly and is difficult to defend against using Qi based techniques. It's a good combination with the first binding effect holding the target down for the Madness to finish them off." Lineir's logic was fairly simple.

"Not bad, but still you focus too much on killing. Yes, you can slay normal cultivators by the thousands if you wish, but plenty of techniques are capable of that, what is it that makes this technique special?" Mei pressed Lineir for answers.

"Well...it has a huge area of effect if I wish, but like you said that doesn't help against powerful opponents...the other is...its low Qi consumption, and how intricately it combines different Daos to bypass the opponent's defenses..." Before Lineir could finish thinking Mei pounced!

"Exactly! The low Qi consumption! You can use this technique all day long if you wish! And its intricacies, its insights far surpass your normal techniques! Let me put it to you this way. Your normal techniques are like a simple meal. You can cook them easily enough. However, this technique is an elegant dish crafted by a master! There is no way you could possibly comprehend it on your own but he handed you the recipe and the ingredients pre-prepared and taught you how to make the dish yourself! Hence it can bypass most mind defenses and soul defenses at your level and even touch the minds of those at a higher level than yourself! This technique is something you should not have! In the higher realms, techniques with similar low Qi consumptions and subtle effects are known by one name and one name only. They are Domains!" 

Mei's voice thundered in Lineir's mind! 

"Domains are exactly as this technique, but usually only comprehended by those several realms higher than you! Additionally, they are usually not complete until an even higher realm! That you should have it now is simply a Heavenly blessing! The proper usage is simple. Forget about using it as a weapon of mass destruction, you can as it is a cheap way to take care of weaklings, but against the same level and higher don't discount this technique! Since its Qi consumption is so low you can activate it for an entire fight! Additionally, you use Darkness Qi instead of Death Qi. Your Madness Rain is heavy rather than corrosive so it impedes enemies movements! If you summon it during a battle and leave it on continuously can you imagine the amount of trouble an opponent will have to go through to fight you while their body is simultaneously affected by the binding effect and the whispers of Madness? Additionally, the weight will not only slow down the opponent while he or she is launching their technique, but it will actively impede the technique as it flies through the air ablating the damage! This is one of the natural advantages of the Darkness element! Lastly, once you gain great enough mastery over the technique you can unleash terrifying combination attacks with it! Imagine your opponent's divine sense blocked by the fog of Darkness Qi and his movement impaired, even if only slightly you will have the absolute advantage in launching absolutely unseen stealth attacks and fading away! If one wants to catch you in the Darkness Qi they can forget about it unless they are truly gods of perception! Now do you see what you've been handed from the sky? Literally from the sky??!!!" Mei sounded almost indignant by the end of the tirade.

"I see..." While Lineir was digesting all this information a strange thought came to him. "Is it me...or does Mei almost seem to be envious?" A second later his suspicions were confirmed when Mei leaked out mournfully,

"I didn't get my domain until I was two Realms above you..."