Marcus woke in the afternoon with soreness spreading through every muscle like he had been used as a cultivation dummy in a sadistic sect. His balls felt drained like resin, empty and hollow, aching with a dull persistent throb that pulsed in time with his heartbeat. Yet it was manageable thanks to the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment 5th stage. His dantian thrummed with denser qi, a warm heavy reservoir that felt like molten gold slowly circulating through widened meridians. He flexed his fingers and felt fresh power coiling under his skin, electric and restless.
He leapt toward the bathroom. The cool tile kissed his bare feet. In the mirror fogged slightly from residual steam he saw his body covered in bruises and marks of her passionate lovemaking. Purple fingerprints bloomed across his hips like dark flowers. Red scratches raked down his back in long stinging lines that still burned when he twisted. His focus lingered on the bite marks all over his neck and chest, deep and possessive, some still faintly weeping tiny beads of blood that tasted of copper and salt when he brushed a finger across them.
The corner of his mouth rose. He smirked, the expression pulling at a fresh bruise on his jaw.
It had been a while since he had been battered like this. It reminded him of Xue Lian, the same ruthless passion, the same "I am going to drain you until you are a husk and then keep going" energy that left him raw and trembling.
Marcus cursed under his breath. Why the hell was he remembering her?
Then the dark voice slithered into his mind, dripping with cruel amusement.
"I think you are missing her. Yearning for her. I am already imagining the day you get a threesome. What will become of you when they both refine you into a fine toy? Hahahaha."
Marcus ignored the voice. He circulated his qi. Within seconds all the bruises, swelling, and fatigue vanished. Skin smoothed to its usual tone. Marks faded to faint pink lines that tingled faintly under his fingertips.
He sighed in relief, the sound echoing softly off the tiled walls. He took a hot bath. Steam rose thick with herbal oils: sharp eucalyptus, sweet lotus root, faint cinnamon, filling his lungs with every breath. Warm water soaked into sore muscles, easing the deep ache from being ridden to exhaustion. Heat seeped into his thighs, his lower back, the tender skin where her nails had dug in. He leaned back against the tub edge. Sighed again. Thought about how he barely survived last night. How she almost broke him in Amazon position. How he activated Yang Resonance at the last possible second just to not die mid-orgasm, qi surging through his shaft like liquid lightning while she milked him dry.
Close fucking call.
Clean and relaxed, he dressed in fresh robes. The soft fabric slid over still-sensitive skin. He leapt outside the room.
He saw Sarah busying herself with daily work. She was brimming with joy, face glowing with an inner light, movements light and fluid. Her aura radiated the fresh power of Golden Core in soft golden ripples that brushed against his senses like warm silk. When Marcus looked at her beautiful face he wanted to go and plant a kiss, taste the faint salt of her skin again. But he withheld the thought.
Sarah's eyes fixed on him. The corner of her mouth raised in a seductive tease. She bit her lower lip slightly, slowly, deliberately, knowing exactly what she was doing to him. The motion pulled at a memory of those same lips wrapped around him last night.
Marcus nodded once. Used Shadow Step. Vanished like a ghost.
Soon he was outside the auction building. He leapt toward his room. But before going in he took a stroll to a nearby restaurant. Ordered something to eat. Even though he was a cultivator now and did not require much external nourishment, the habit remained. Warm food. Familiar taste. Grounded him. The steak arrived sizzling, rich with fat that popped on his tongue, qi-infused juices flooding his mouth with savory heat. Every bite sent warmth spreading through his dantian like slow fire.
After finishing the nourishing meal he went to his room. Sat at the table.
Many parts he had engraved last night lay ready. Only a few were left. Then he could start assembling.
Soon he started carving with deep focus. He could feel his speed had increased compared to last time.
Now his carving knife danced with elegance, mesmerizing to watch. Lines precise. Runes flawless. The soft scrape of metal on metal filled the room, rhythmic and satisfying. Faint sparks of qi flickered at each rune's completion. But as time passed it became difficult to maintain such high focus. His spiritual consciousness felt the fatigue creeping in, eyelids growing heavy, a dull pressure behind his temples.
Marcus took breaks in between. He did not want to make mistakes that would ruin his work.
After three hours he sighed in relief. Finished the last part. The final rune pulsed once, then settled into steady quiet glow.
He was very excited. Would it work or not?
He took up the parts for the cluster bomb to assemble. When he was in the middle of assembly the dark voice rang inside his head.
"You pig head stop doing it. Do you want to blast the entire neighbourhood along with you if anything goes wrong?"
Hearing this Marcus's hand stopped. Started shaking.
Fuck. What was I thinking? If not warned by him I might have killed many innocents. There is risk. It is not worth it.
He took all the parts into the storage bag Sarah had gifted him last night, soft black leather embroidered with faint silver phoenixes that shimmered when qi brushed them.
He leapt toward the forest outside the city.
After one hour he was outside the city. Found a hidden cave to do his assembly.
He started assembling the cluster bomb. Midway through, as the dark voice had predicted, his worst nightmare came.
Fuck.