Sidekick Fights Back (Married The Protagonist’s Mother)

His Nightmare

He sat down, meditating for a long time to calm the tempest of his emotions. His consciousness shifted inward, sinking into the vast expanse of his spiritual sea—an lake of liquid gold beneath a sky of drifting, white-gold mists representing his will and intent.

His spiritual avatar materialized at the sea's center and began the painstaking process once more: drawing wisps of soul energy, weaving them into ethereal walls connecting the five golden anchors suspended above. 

This was the first crucial step in laying the groundwork for the Indomitable Soul Pagoda Art. As the fragile structure took shape, the memories surged, unbidden. The walls trembled violently, holding for longer than before, but inevitably, they fractured and collapsed again under the weight of the past.

He didn't give up. He tried again. And again.

Over the next few days, he intensified his training, pushing the limits of his endurance. He practiced the soul cultivation method, the Indomitable Soul Pagoda Art, until mental exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him, clinging to the belief that even slow progress was progress nonetheless. He would succeed.

Finally, he made his first breakthrough in the Star Tempering Exercise. He sensed faint threads of an unfamiliar, white-silver energy entering his body. It was an alien sensation, like sun-warmed silk interlaced with needle-fine chills, simultaneously soothing and electrifying.

It was Star Qi. At last, his body had begun to respond to it. Now, he just had to patiently allow this gentler energy to forge the pathways within him, preparing his very meridians and flesh to eventually capture and withstand the raw, untamed power of true Astral Qi. 

The Star Tempering Exercise aimed to open an energy path for Astral Qi in his body with the help of Star Qi—a more refined and accessible form of Astral Qi. Soon, he would begin tempering his body.

---

The mountain chamber was silent, the only sound being the gentle whisper of the wind. Moonlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the stone floor. A single calming incense stick burned softly in the corner, its curling smoke twisting and vanishing into the cool night air. Su Kang sat on the floor in a meditative posture.

After weeks of relentless effort, he had made significant progress. Tonight, he would attempt once more to lay the foundational floor for his soul's sanctuary—the base upon which the Indomitable Soul Pagoda would rise. He inhaled deeply, breath steady, centering his will.

Deep within his spiritual sea, the five golden anchors floated serenely. His avatar directed the shimmering soul energy, weaving the connecting walls, stronger this time, more resilient.

Yet doubt coiled around his mind like a whispering serpent.

Will I survive Li Fang’s fury? Can I truly take my revenge on the demon cultivators?

The question was a key, unlocking the floodgates. Memories surged, dragging him into the abyss of the past. Images from his life as Arya flickered—the weight of unspoken obligations, the sting of failure as a son, as an older brother, the crushing burden of being a disappointment.

Then, the vision shifted, plunging him into his deepest nightmare: the annihilation of his family.

He saw his mother fleeing from demon cultivators. His father shielding her with all his strength. His mother, terrified of being humiliated before her own son, had taken her own life. He saw his father captured, brutally tortured, his broken body fed to demonic beasts after death.

He saw the children—Su Ren, face streaked with tears and dirt, shielding his terrified little sister behind him in the blood-splattered main hall.

Su Ren stood protectively before the others, shielding them. The children trembled, horrified, as their grandparents, fathers, and uncles were slaughtered before their eyes.

Their own mother was forced to eat their father’s flesh. Then she was stripped and violated—again and again by countless men.

The cruel laughter of the demon cultivators echoed through the ruined halls.

"Hehehe, the women of your family weren't bad… they lasted two days. They earned two days of life for their children, but it seems no one is coming to save you." A pale-skinned man with dead black eyes stepped forward, robe half-undone, a twisted smirk playing on his lips.

"We gave you enough time, but it seems no one in this state is brave enough. No one came to save you." Another, burly with fiery red hair and eyes, contemptuously threw Su Hua's severed head across the floor.

Her body bore the marks of torture and humiliation, her limbs severed. Her eyes, once filled with pride and determination, were now frozen wide open—clouded with despair and unshed tears. Tear tracks stained her pale cheeks, her delicate features contorted in silent agony. Even in death, her eyes seemed to ask the question that no one had answered—

Why did no one come? Where did we go wrong?

Su Kang's eyes were empty, devoid of hope; blood-stained tears streaked his face. His limbs were broken, his dantian shattered—forced to witness the massacre unfold.

"Hahaha! Then it's time to wrap up our little game. Since no one came to save you, and all the women are either dead or too tired to entertain us, there's no point in dragging this out," the pale man shouted, his voice reverberating through the ruined Su Manor like a death knell.

Su Kang's unfocused gaze trembled, flickering toward the women huddled in the corner. Their once-pristine robes were torn and bloodied, their faces hollow with despair.

Suddenly, a voice—hoarse and broken—rang out, shattering the suffocating silence.

"No… please… just one more day… I can still go on…"

It was the voice of his eldest sister-in-law, Lady Lin. Her plea, filled with desperation and exhaustion, carried a flicker of hope—for her children's safety, she was still willing to endure. Her trembling fingers clutched the man's robe.

"Please… just one more day…" Her voice broke into ragged sobs.

Su Kang's heart burned with impotent rage. He wanted to scream, to rip them apart, but he remained paralyzed, a helpless observer.

Her pleas soon turned into screams as the man tore her apart. Su Ren trembled, witnessing his mother's death. The other children began to cry. Su Ren, hugging his little sister's body, turned to Su Kang. His eyes, once full of cheerfulness and pride, now brimmed with despair and hatred.

"Uncle Kang, please..." the childish voice murmured, laden with unbearable weight.

Su Kang felt himself shatter. His eyes, which had long run dry, welled with tears again. He could do nothing. Worse—he was the reason all this had happened. The demon cultivators were doing this to send a message to the Central Plains.

Soon, blood-red fire engulfed the Su Manor. The shrieks of women and children rang in Su Kang’s ears. They were burned alive, their blood and souls harvested by the demon cultivators.

---

In Su Kang’s spiritual sea, the walls connecting the five anchors trembled. The nightmare clawed at his mind, trying to drag him into despair. For six weeks, this same horror had haunted him whenever he attempted to build the foundation.

His breathing quickened. Though his eyes were closed, teardrops escaped their corners. The walls began to collapse again.

But this time, he was ready. He didn't fight the collapse. He didn't suppress the memories or question their validity. He accepted them. He embraced the searing hatred, the crushing despair, the blinding rage, the paralyzing fear. He acknowledged the darkness within him.

"I will have my revenge," he vowed silently, fiercely. "But first, I must conquer this."

He let the turbulent emotions manifest within his consciousness. They turned into black smoke, coiling and twisting. The smoke entered his soul sea, where it merged with a large mass of white-gold mist—his willpower and intent.

The two opposing forces churned, battled, and then, slowly, began to fuse. The black smoke didn't vanish; it integrated, turning the mist into a roiling cloud of stormy gray shot through with threads of brilliant gold.

My soul is my Pagoda. No harm shall enter. No fear shall linger.

The mantra resonated not as words, but as unshakable truth.

The gray-gold cloud slowly drifted toward the five anchors above his soul essence. It merged with the collapsing walls, and the trembling stopped. Then, the cloud flowed into the pentagonal space defined by the anchors, filling it, condensing.

The walls became denser, more real, infused with the integrated power of his confronted darkness and unwavering will. It was a slow, arduous process. 

Su Kang’s breathing deepened. His will strengthened. Time lost meaning. Sweat beaded on his brow, his muscles trembled with strain—but his mind remained steadfast.

Pain could be endured. A broken body, mended. But the soul, the mind—it had to be reforged through suffering, tempered by darkness, and infused with unbreakable, indomitable intent.

As the first pale light of dawn touched the horizon, a profound shift occurred within his spiritual sea. The gray-gold clouds dissipated, fully integrated.

A smooth pentagonal platform floated above Su Kang’s soul sea, measuring around 45 to 50 meters wide and three meters thick. Its five edges glowed with a faint golden hue, while the central surface shimmered a dull, stormy gray. It radiated an aura of immense stability and resilience. This was the foundation forged from pain, forged through will.

His foundation for soul cultivation—the base for the Indomitable Soul Pagoda—had finally taken form. Now, the true cultivaton could begin.