Chapter Text
To be honest, it was really, really, REALLY convenient to have the ability to open portals and teleport around as you needed. Not only was it easy to transport people, you could transport all number of things, like food or information or food and it would be there instantly! No need for horses or carriages or armed guards! Just like that!
Really, out of all the powers Shang Qinghua had come up with, the ability to teleport to any place you had been before was awfully amazing. It had come in use so many times in his line of work that the only reason he ever managed to become a Peak Lord was thanks to it! Well, that and his King’s willingness to use it…
Which was why, now that he suddenly couldn’t use it, he was awfully wishing he had the power himself.
It really wasn’t that long of a story. Shang Qinghua was doing work for his King, in his castle, in his lands, in the demon realm. Typical work mind you. Everyone knew he went there from time to time to do work. And other things. Frankly it was better not to ask. But if Shang Qinghua was not at An Ding Peak, then he was probably with Mobei Jun or Shen Qingqiu. But most likely Mobei Jun.
Anyways.
He was doing his job. And he finished his job. And he needed to return to An Ding Peak to do his OTHER job. (Really he worked too much.) And although he was at the castle, Mobei Jun was not. And therefore there was no one to teleport him back to An Ding Peak.
Simple enough.
Now he could wait for his dear husband to return. That was always a possibility. But he knew his husband had set out on an expedition to the south. One of the southern fire tribes was acting up and it seemed like he would be away for a while. So while he COULD wait for a chance that his husband would return before he needed to be back at An Ding Peak, it seemed unlikely. And SURE he could just NOT GO and stay here on vacation, but really no one in the castle talked to him and it was cold and really- just- no.
So he decided he’d hop on his sword and fly back himself.
He WAS a cultivator. He could fly on swords!
At least that was his rationale. Now that he was hour 2 into the ride back, he was feeling tired and really wishing for the power to teleport himself.
He sighed. How many times had he thought flying on swords would be cool! Fly here, fly there! But the distance between his destination and his origin was just too far! By now he was tired of flying through the clouds, and flying over mountains, and rivers, and trees and everything!
He sighed again.
Maybe I should head down to a nearby village and rest for a bit.
He lowered down from the skies above to just over the treetops. There had to be a small village somewhere around this area. He slowed down to a stop and leaned on his sword, squinting to try and get the lay of the land.
“Hmmm… this area is just outside of the demon realm so there should at least be a human village somewhere nearby that cultivators frequent. Hm?”
He squinted. There seemed to be something red on the horizon. Red, steaming, and moving fast…. Towards him?
He squinted harder, “Is that… a fireBALL?”
He jumped off his sword to the side to dodge and it just barely missed hm, singeing the fabric of his clothes.
What the FUCK?!??!??! WHERE DID THAT-
He remembered he was technically falling.
He screeched and summoned his sword under his feet, pulling himself back up into the air at the last minute.
Even so he didn’t have a moment to rest.
As soon as he got his footing in order, another fireball came hurtling towards him and he dodged again, this time moving both himself and his sword.
Whoever or whatever was chucking those things at him, he didn’t care. He immediately forced his sword to fly away as fast as his could. He could figure that out later!
Yet he didn’t get more than a few hundred feet away before not one, not two, but at least five fireballs came hurtling towards him this time. He dodged left and right, screaming bloody murder, but it wasn’t just one wave this time. After the first set came another, and then another.
He wasn’t made for this!
Hello?
System?
Cancel the attack! Cancel it!
North, south, east, west. No matter which way he tried to flee there would be fireballs sent his way.
He tried to keep dodging, but he couldn’t keep it up. He knew it, and likely his assailants knew it too!
Please oh great System!
He decided to flee up towards the skies.
If he was being attacked close to the ground, he might be safe up there!
He spun around, and tried to climb up as vertical as possible.
He was close! So very close!
He could feel the heat of the fireballs being targeted at him as they fell by the wayside, and it seemed like fewer of them were being fired. Just a few more feet- A few more feet and-
He felt a searing pain hit his back. It stunned him, it knocked the wind out of him and he blanked out. He lost his balance, he fell off his sword and plummeted back down towards earth. He could see the word spinning around him, his sword falling not that far away from him.
Shit!
He tried to- No. He thought to steady himself, to call his sword over, to get back on it and flee, but just as he was coherent enough to have those thoughts he hit foliage. He heard the sounds of foliage and branches and trees creaking and moaning and breaking (though that may also be his own bones) as he crashed into them, bouncing from one to another to another until he hit the ground. Hard.
He groaned in pain, he tried to right himself, but the world was spinning and becoming darker and-
He passed out.