(xvii.)

Tang Lee appeared in what could only be described as a ruin, not a soul to be found. He leveled a hard stare at the craggy landscape, turned his head, and spat on the ground.

“That damned sect leader, pretending to be something special... he's just a damn proud fool. All the incessant kowtowing... 'Yes Master' this and 'Yes Master' that... Bullshit! I've been in that damn world for over 300 years now!

“All the pills, meditation, and murder day in and day out, followed by back breaking, life threatening training. Pah! Why the hell must I suffer those fools? I've been there so long I don't even properly remember my old name anymore, just that my time spent in my past life as a doctor was helpful. Still remember my last name, at least.”

He paused for a moment, seemingly at a loss. His qi flared briefly as he struggled to remember but this response was quickly cut short. Such anger was misplaced, and therefore not useful. He shrugged it off.

“What was it again? ...Hun... Hunt... Hunter? Yes. Dr. Hunter is what I was called back on Earth. Not that it even matters anymore. They are so far ahead of what we knew, these so-called immortals.”

Tang Lee looked around in the ruins of what must have been the capital of the Tal Kingdom. While he hadn't been warned that the capital had been obliterated, he was utterly unphased. He doubted that even his Master knew. Civilizations rose and fell. Immortals scarcely concerned themselves with such petty events. With not a single living human soul nearby, he threw the sword he was handed by the Sect Master outward and infused his qi into it.

Immediately responding to his will, it floated in the air. He jumped on the floating sword and rose up into the air. There was a great deal of smoke billowing up from the east. If nothing else, investigating the source would give him a solid place to start. Snorting, he headed in that direction.

“Those damn elders will never accept this turn of events! But of course they will still expect me to return with the True Antidote,” Tang Lee sneered to himself. “It's not like I don't know they're testing me to see how loyal I am to the sect.

“You kill one mortal girl and her family and they put you on a short leash. Still, I was able to get the treasure that family had hidden.”

He glanced downward at the necklace he was wearing. It was made of what looked like white gold or silver, with a heart shaped pendant and a blue gem set into the upper center, with small filigree etched on it.

“Too bad they all died before I found out how to use the damn thing. My eye technique lets me see the aura of crap like this but then I'm left with no idea how to use it. What a useless skill; it took me three months just to learn it, and for what?”

Tang Lee flew quickly over to the smoke's origin. From on high he saw three armored knights fighting to protect mortal villagers from what looked like dog-headed demons. The knights did not seem to notice the Immortal above them but the monsters certainly did.

As they looked up they were instantly slain by the knights who where still fighting the dog-headed demons. Finally after a moment the civilians and knights noticed his presence, looking up with awe in their eyes.

They all stood in what looked like a burning village with a small stone castle nestled in the rear. Tang Lee flew down and and jumped off the flying sword, letting it float in a lazy orbit around himself until it landed. The blade sank into the scorched earth by his side, allowing him to lean on it.

“You there in the armor, I assume you are a knight of the Tal Kingdom?”

The knights glanced at each other before the broad chested one answered, “Yes, stranger... we three are knights of the Tal Kingdom.”

Tang Lee smiled. “Perfect! Gentlemen, I find myself in need of some assistance.” He paused, looking the trio up and down. “Well, I don't need three of you. Just one.”

He stopped leaning on the flying sword. In an instant, it shot forward and killed all the people present on the spot, save for the one knight who spoke to him. The knight trembled and dropped to his knees.

“Why? Why kill all these people?!”

Tang Lee did not feel the need to answer the knight but ultimately did so, if only to speed up his return.

“Your noble class should know of my Sword Sect and the Immortals. What do I care for mortals that serve no use to me?”

The knight looked around the ground in utter disbelief. The ground was littered with no fewer than thirty corpses, not including the knights and villagers the so-called immortal being just murdered. He suppressed the urge to vomit on the spot and looked back up at this murderous newcomer.

“You might as well kill me, too,” the knight said, his eyes and voice broken and hollow. “I... am afraid I will not be of any use to you, either.”

Tang Lee clicked his tongue, “That's not for a mortal to say.”

As he spoke, the knight took his own sword and impaled himself on it.

“Damn it!” the Taoist swore. “Now I have to go find new mortals! Next time I suppose I'll have to play nice. I don't want to waste any more of my time.” He spat on the corpse pile.

He flew up on his flying sword once more and took a look around. He did not see any more smoke currently, but there was a glint of something shiny on the horizon.

He used another Immortal technique to enhance his eyes, channeling qi into them. In the distance he spied a suit of armor a lot fancier than the three knights he had just met. Its wearer was fighting ten dog-headed demons on his own, defeating them with little effort on his part. The corners of his mouth turned upward in a wicked smile. Perfect.