Now to bait the fish. Huxian and the ferret hurried off at a leisurely pace. The cultivators behind them didn’t dare speed up, as both beasts were more than enough to eradicate them. Instead, they lingered behind while reinforcements gathered. Huxian chuckled before leading the ferret into another territory. This time, he didn’t instigate by jumping into the wolf’s cave like he had with Lord Earth Ferret.
“Lord Frost Wolf, get out here and help me!” Huxian’s roar caused the nearby spirit wolves to cower in fear. The birds in the forest all flew away for fear of being drawn into combat by this terrifying lord.
Less than two seconds later, a silver blur caught up to them and ran to his side. “What’s going on, little one?” the old wolf asked. “Surely a lord with your vast power wouldn’t have any problems handling two or three humans?”
Huxian clicked his tongue. “Try twenty. We’ve already killed ten, but ten more are chasing. I’m sure reinforcements are coming as well.”
The old wolf’s eyes narrowed. “So many? What did you do to attract them?”
“Nothing,” Huxian replied. “That’s what’s strange. They attacked my territory as though they knew I was there. There’s definitely a traitor in our midst.”
“How dare they,” the wolf replied while baring his fangs. “I assume my lord wishes to rout them. How can I help?”
“First, we’ll gather a few friends,” Huxian said. “Then, we’ll pick a battleground that’s to our advantage.”
They continued to flee, picking up a boar, a heron, and three snakes in the process. Meanwhile, the cultivators amassed another twenty Daoists.
We have enough now. Time to turn the tables.
The leader of the cultivators sighed in relief when the reinforcements arrived. They bowed as they reported in, making it evident that his status in the sect was secure. Seeing that they all submitted to his authority, he wasted no time before announcing his plan.
“We now have enough members to use the sect’s battle formation. Myself and twenty-three others will join in the formation as the vanguard. The remaining six will stand by to replace any fallen cultivators should the worst happen.
“Before we head out, I want to remind you all that this fox is not only cunning, but his power far exceeds our imaginations. Regardless, while they have nine demon beasts, we have our sect formation. We also have three high-level magic treasures. Moreover, their kings and their sovereign are unable to join the battle. We should have no problem trampling them with impunity.”
The team of thirty cultivators advanced through beast territory in a domineering fashion. They didn’t bother keeping their auras in check. The various spirit beasts who saw them dodged, ducked, and weaved out of the way. Although these cultivators weren’t allowed to attack them directly, it was a different story if the beasts stood in the way and courted death.
After chasing for an incense time, the leader noticed the beasts slowing down. “This terrain must be to their advantage,” the lead cultivator announced. “Be careful, everyone. Let’s link up to be safe.”
The other twenty-three cultivators nodded, and each focused their qi on a silver flying sword. Each sword glowed blue before sending out glowing tethers to neighboring swords. They could now redirect and consolidate their power at will.
With their formation activated, they confidently flew into the canyon the spirit beasts had entered. The sandy pathways were thick and one hundred feet in diameter. Here and there, they saw large scales that seemed to have shed off a large snake.
Is this the geomantic boa’s territory? This might get tricky. What a sly fox, finding a loophole in the agreement. A previously established maze that can tell friend from foe did not count as direct engagement by the geomantic boa.
Huxian heard a loud hissing sound as he led the group through the canyon.
What are you doing, young one? the geomantic boa asked. How dare you bring this fight into my territory.
Huxian snorted. Relax, old snake. I won’t make things difficult for you. In fact, I’d like to offer you a trade.
What could you possibly have that would interest me? the snake whispered in doubt.
I have a greater-demon-tier purification technique that I can pass on to you if you cooperate, Huxian sent back mentally. A few moments of silence ensued. You can pass this on to your direct descendants as well. Take this as a token of good will on my part.
How can you possibly know such a technique? the snake replied, his voice laced in suspicion. I demand to have it first. Aside from that, I will only activate the Thousand Illusions Trap and grant immunity to your group. Beyond that, you’re on your own.
Deal, Huxian replied. With but a thought, he transmitted the promised technique to the geomantic boa. This was also a clever ploy by Huxian. By divulging the technique, he was revealing his identity as a Godbeast. Only Godbeasts had inherited memories. By making this deal, his standing in geomantic boa’s eyes would increase drastically.
Very well. The maze will activate now. This time, the snake’s voice was directed to all the demon beasts in their group, who looked at Huxian in surprise.
The small fox ordered them to turn around, and they were greeted by an enraged group of cultivators attacking the air like madmen. They would be trapped in the illusion until they were attacked.
“Very impressive,” Huxian said. “All right, everyone, activate beast mode. We’ll attack them all at once before the illusion wears off. We only have three seconds.”
The ferret growled as his earth aura intensified and his armor and claws grew. Lord Frost Wolf’s fur shimmered as the projection of a full moon appeared behind him, shining down on him and imbuing him with great strength. He grew three times larger under the freezing moon’s influence. Then the full moon appeared in the center of his forehead, like a third eye that was constantly open.
The boar also doubled in size. His tusks elongated, and he was filled with a massive amount of vitality that funneled into him from the forest. Brambles grew on his fur, threatening to eviscerate anyone who touched him. Meanwhile, his friend the heron harnessed the power of wind. The projection of a great roc appeared behind him. Evidently, this humble heron held a trace of the great roc’s bloodline. The projection’s power poured into its wings, strengthening them and elongating them until its wingspan was the width of the canyon.
The three snakes, not wanting to be outdone, coiled together to form a much larger snake. It was a projection of a geomantic boa, like their mother. However, instead of disappearing, it condensed into a physical apparition. The eldest of the three sibling snakes gained control over the large avatar.
Finally, Huxian split into two foxes, one black and one white. The time had come to show his true power. Both foxes were thirty feet long, twice as big as the original size he’d displayed. The other beasts gasped in amazement when they saw this transformation. Their bloodlines thrummed as they sensed the aura of a king among demons. They felt invigorated to be with him, honored to fight with him.
“Now!” Huxian roared. The spirit beasts attacked in tandem. The large snake attacked their feet, launching a corrosive pool of venom at the group of cultivators and breaking the illusion. The cultivators were all alarmed, but the training the sect offered was cold and brutal. They quickly adapted and used their power to fly up in the air to resist the venom. However, as soon as they flew up, they were quickly attacked from three sides by a boar, a wolf, and a ferret. Six of the cultivators in their formation coughed blood from the shock of their charge but still held strong.
They paled when they saw a rapidly approaching figure. The heron flew toward them with its long, sharp wings, threatening to decapitate every one of them.
“Everyone, burn your blood essence, or we’ll all die!” cried the leader.
The twenty-four cultivators coughed up blood simultaneously. This wasn’t from injury, rather, it was their heart-blood, which was infused with their vital qi. It would take them each a few years to recover from such a larg
e sacrifice.
Their qi gathered together, and their twenty-four blades glowed, forming a giant frosty sword that struck out toward the heron, who wailed in agony. They reveled in their victory, only to realize that they’d celebrated too soon. In the middle of their formation, a large white fox had appeared. A white aura oozed out from it, and the surroundings lost their color. Their blue robes, their frosty swords, and their black hair quickly faded to white and gray. They panicked when they realized that their strength had been supressed, and they could only fight at fifty-percent efficiency.
Their horror only intensified when Huxian acted once more. The white light forced them to project long shadows. However, they saw that the shadow cast by the fox wasn’t stationary, like theirs. It was alive. It leapt from one shadow to another, devouring one shadow after another. Each shadow it ate caused the corresponding cultivator to drop to the ground, dead.
The formation crumbled in an instant, and the weakened cultivators quickly fell to the various demon beasts who assaulted them. As they died, Huxian’s purifying power turned their corpses into condensed vitality, which he fed into the grievously injured heron. Its wounds healed at a visible pace.
Finally, the white aura faded. Only the brave spirit beasts remained. They feasted together on the corpses of the cultivators, not wasting a single bite from this nutritious meal. After all, while cultivators hunted them for their beast cores, the flesh of cultivators was also full of heaven and earth qi. This was doubly so for body cultivators. This was why spirit beasts and humans hunted each other with great fervor.
The beasts stopped after eating the cultivators they killed, reserving the other half for their battle leader, Huxian. Both his clones recombined into his original thirty-foot-long appearance. He had no need to hide his appearance any longer. Under the beasts’ reverent gazes, he consumed the remaining half of the cultivators’ bodies in a single gulp.
Afterward, he gathered their treasures and swallowed them as well. Such things weren’t useful to normal spirit beasts, but to him, they were of substantial assistance to refining and strengthening his body. His fur grew more rigid, and his skin toughened immediately after consuming them.
Soon he would be immune to even the attacks of a mid-stage foundation-establishment cultivator.
An old cultivator with white hair and a blue robe gritted his teeth when he saw the fight below concluding.
“You told me that he was a two-tailed fox!” he yelled. “That beast’s abilities are clearly much greater than you reported. Now I’ve lost a good tenth of my sect’s foundation-establishment disciples.”
The large bear grunted in response. “You can’t blame me. Your sect members underestimated the enemy. If all fifty of the cultivators you sent had attacked him in tandem, this never would have happened. Of course, this would have exposed me. Still, with twice as many cultivators, you could have made up for quality with quantity.”
The older cultivator looked at the bear coldly. “You need to compensate me for this. I want that fox dead and his core in my possession. During the next ‘human tide,’ you will deliver him to me on a silver platter. Otherwise, our relationship can’t continue. I’ll find another demon beast to replace you, and we will continue harvesting you like the farm animals you truly are.”
With these words, the cultivator flicked his sleeve and vanished. The old bear sighed and closed his eyes. They both didn’t notice the small mouse hiding in small hole twenty feet away.
The little rodent had heard every single word of their conversation.
Chapter 14: A Debt Reneged
Cha Ming woke to the smell of smoke. The suffocating cloud permeated the entire room. Fortunately, his constitution was strong enough for him to handle this little bit of inconvenience. He quickly donned his robe and warily felt the door handle. It was cold.
Opening the door, he kept low and rushed over to the doctor’s room, where he saw the old man asleep at his desk. This was a common occurrence—the man was committed to his work and sacrificed his sleep far too often. Looking around, he grabbed the doctor, who was unconscious due to the smoke, and threw him over his shoulder, then proceeded to the doctor’s office. Using a burst of his strength, he broke open the locked shelf and willed all the books into his Clear Sky World. Then he opened the door to the clinic and exited.
As soon as he stepped out, a carpet of ten nets flew out, forming an inescapable enclosure. In his prime, it would not have been a problem. Without his qi, however, he had no movement techniques that could help him escape. In addition, he was burdened with the old doctor, who he would never abandon.
The nets struck Cha Ming, and his knees weakened. He crumpled under his own weight, taking Li Yin down with him.
“How do you like our body-restraining nets?” a voice asked. “We prepared these just for you, the only threat in this village.”
Cha Ming’s eyes narrowed when he heard the voice. It was the member of the Serpentine Sword bandits he had released the other day, Lei Dong.
“Why did you come back?” Cha Ming asked bitterly, already knowing the answer. “What could you possibly have seen to make you want to come back?”
“Normally, I wouldn’t tell you,” the man responded. “However, you are my savior. It was the two kids that gave it away. They wore those spirit stones casually, like they were as plentiful as cabbages. If it weren’t for them and your overly protective attitude, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought.”
Cha Ming’s glared at the man. This was the first time he’d encountered such a hateful person in this world. Someone who would betray their savior for material gain.
“You have no one to blame but yourself and your naivete,” Lei Dong continued. “If you were smart, you would have cut my throat without another thought.” He looked at his companions. “Wrap them up and send them to the cage.”
Cha Ming looked around as he was transported by four men. Their house wasn’t on fire, and neither was any other house in the village. There were only burned packages that had been set out around the house to lure him out. In the distance, he saw hundreds of people being herded toward the center of town like cattle. There, the bandits were assembling an intricate cage with practiced grace. They had evidently done this many times before.
Cha Ming didn’t dare look at his fellow villagers as they were transported away from their homes. He felt immense guilt about what was transpiring. The doctor had been right—he shouldn’t have saved the man. Soon, he found himself shackled in a separate cell from the others, who he could still see through wooden bars. Beside him was a group of five men whose wrists were bound with qi-restraining manacles. They were the only cultivators in the village, the ones who kept them safe from spirit beasts.
They looked at him with complicated expressions. It wasn’t scorn or loathing. Rather, it was a mixture of disappointment and understanding. After all, he was a healer. It was difficult for him to resist healing a stray cultivator who washed up on their shore, just like he had.
“Everyone listen to what I have to say,” one of the bandits said. He exuded a familiar but powerful presence, the aura of foundation establishment. Even in his peak shape, Cha Ming would not be his match. “I, Wei Chen, have captured this village in order to obtain these crystal stones.” The man held out a fistful of shards for the thousands of villagers to see.
“You are all worthless as slaves, and we are only interested in harvesting these stones,” he continued. “If you provide us information on where to obtain them, we will simply take them and leave. All your houses and storefronts have already been pillaged. However, these stones are far from enough. We are searching for the source. What is useless to you is extremely useful to us. Don’t force us to act recklessly for something of so little value to you.”
He motioned to one of the guards, who brought a little girl out. It was the one who had unknowingly revealed the village’s wealth, Yi Qiao. She no longer wore her bracelet and necklace. Her arms were covered with bruises. Seei
ng the villagers break out in hushed whispers, he brought a dagger out and nicked her throat slightly. A small stream of blood trickled down her tender skin.
“We will tell you everything,” a calm voice said. “After all, these stones are worthless, and our children’s lives are priceless. Mr. Zhou, Mr. Xing, Mr. Chen, please step out and help me hold a conversation with these gentlemen.” These people were the elders in charge of the village, while the voice that called out was that of the mayor.
“Excellent!” Wei Chen exclaimed. “I knew you would be reasonable people. Men, please gather these four and bring them to my tent.”
A tall, slender cultivator in a black robe sat on a large chair inside his makeshift tent. He held a bronze sword covered in intricate blue runes at his waist. Known in his group as “Archaic Sword,” Wei Chen was a legend among bandits, and the amount of loot he’d pilfered over the years could allow him to retire several times over.
Still, he didn’t stop. People speculated that he robbed and murdered for pleasure. Regardless of their conclusions, they all they knew it was foolish to oppose the Archaic Sword, the vice leader of the Serpentine Swords.
Soon, four older figures were ushered in. They were all mere mortals with not hint of cultivation in their weak bodies. They sat down meekly, fully aware that their lives were in his merciless hands. Still, to rub the impression in, he let them wait for a quarter hour without saying anything. They sat in silence while Wei Chen stared at them, and they did not dare look up. After enough time had passed, he took out a large chest and set it on the ground. After opening it, he picked up a handful of shards and let them drop back down into the chest.
Light in the Darkness Page 14
