16 Cage Of Beasts

*Things like sexism and racism are purely for worldbuilding and to make it more realistic. Thank you for your understanding.*

Looking down, Qing Fang's eyes widened.

A couple of thousand meters beneath Qing Fang and Meng Ai was a huge city.

Strong winds assailed Qing Fang as his makeshift robes fluttered violently in the powerful gales as his eyes washed over every portion of the city that he could see.

A sea of green roof tiles entered his vision as buildings littered the ground below like sawdust. Coupled with the green tiles was a type of redwood that looked very sturdy and dense. It was likely that all the buildings were only made from these two materials as the city can only use the resources within its cage. The green tiles made from dark green clay from the marshlands Qing Fang saw to his east; the redwood procured from the giant trees that were apparent in this part of Tai forest.

The whole city seemed to be in some sort of strangely-shaped valley in the ground. Where Qing Fang currently is was level ground for the rest of the Tai forest. However, just before him, the ground disappeared and a steep cliff face replaced it. The rock was a very light shade of grey and had geometrical slates hanging off of it, presumably from the wind's erosion.

The valley was over two thousand meters below the ground Qing Fang was stood on. On the top of the valley, huge trees that were hundreds of meters tall dotted the periphery, keeping this valley hidden from an ariel view. The trees were at least a a dozen meters thick while the smallest was two hundred meters tall. The trees had strangely shaped dark-green leaves, showing their coniferous nature and the trunk had a red tint. These were most likely the trees used by the city to create that redwood.

Seeing the extremely deep valley surrounded by extremely tall trees, Qing Fang no longer found it incredulous how such a gigantic city could stay hidden within the small Tai forest. Although Tai forest was the largest forest on the planet, Qingpu planet was mostly covered in water and had little landmass. From this, Tai forest was only just over a thousand square kilometers, three-hundred-and-fifty hundred kilometres across either way.

This City, which was easily two thousand square kilometers, could never stay hidden under normal circumstances. However, the extremely deep valley which widened the deeper it got made this an easy task. The shape of the valley was like a triangle, with the city at the base and Qing Fang currently at the top.

Looking at the outlay of the land, the top of the valley was actually above where the entrance of the sacred garden was. Along the top of the cliff face, there were many passages that led to the level ground of Tai forest and the sacred garden was one of the hundreds. It looked like a strange paradise as within crevices in the rock face, green nature and bright sunlight suddenly appeared like a passage, leading outward of the valley and into Tai forest.

It was just after midday and the city was bright and bustling. Although Qing Fang could not see in much detail from so high up as he is only a mortal, he could hear the loud sounds the city produced.

Wondering how the city could stay so illuminated by so little natural sunlight, Qing Fang turned his attention back to the cliff face. Under his gaze, he saw the extremely light shade of grey reflect most of the light that touched it, directing it onto the city. The air within the valley showed light rays passing through the air, making for a dreamy scene. If one stood in the city and looked above them, they would see many lines of light interconnecting for a magnificent sky.

On the cliff face were many stone steps that connected each passageway to Tai forest. The valley was extremely wide and a grey rock face with trails on them filled all of Qing Fang's vision. If he still had the vision of a cultivator, Qing Fang would've been able to see many tiny dots traversing the trails along the cliff face.

Looking from what he could see, the huge city had a population of over fifteen million people. For comparison, Qingshan City, which was the largest known city on the planet, only had a population of eleven million people and was one-thousand-and-five-hundred square kilometres. From this, one could see how massive the city within the valley was.

Considering that this city was completely hidden from Qing Clan, it was safe to assume that it was entirely comprised of natives. Thus, Qing Fang with his white skin would stand out very much. However, he had no qualms about this. To a city that was unknowing to other races other than themselves, they would just assume Qing Fang had a skin condition or was deformed. To assume he was an 'alien' even though Qing Fang and the natives looked exactly alike other than skin colour was ridiculous. Due to this, Qing Fang no longer had to worry about fitting in in such a huge place. Two thousand square kilometres was more than the eyes could see ten times over. It was incomparably large.

Looking away from the village and toward Meng Ai who was just next to him, Qing Fang smiled. Meng Ai smiled back with uncontainable happiness. However, Qing Fang was inwardly hateful. 'This girl... To have the ability to leave the city must mean she has some sort of authority or has a large force behind her. Could she be leading me into a trap?' He looked at Meng Ai with a gentle and kind gaze but was inwardly planning to kill her.

After all, the reason he kept her alive until now was so that he could use her to integrate himself into the 'village'. However, seeing such a large city, fitting in is no longer a problem and Meng Ai's use had run out.

As for sparing her? Even though Meng Ai could not possible scheme against him with her kind nature, Qing Fang didn't leave things up to possibility. Anything could happen and this Meng Ai was a scourge to his safety. Even without a reason, Qing Fang would never be apologetic when killing. All living things die. There are uncountable causes for death. If he happens to be one of them, is he supposed to hate it? To want to change? To feel like he is wrong? 'Ridiculous.' He thought. Qing Fang knew he was the feared instead of the fearful, however, wouldn't anyone choose the same path given the chance? This is what he sincerely believed. No one wanted to fear and they might not necessarily want to be feared either. However, if they had to choose one, Qing Fang believed that people would choose what he chose.

After all, no one could choose both. If they did, they were even more insane than him.

His hand slowly clenching into a powerful fist, Qing Fang was going to deliver a swift and strong punch to her chest. Meng Ai, being a young woman as well as a mortal, would never be able to withstand such a punch as Qing Fang used strength equivalent to a Stage 1 cultivator with his unlocked soul. Her ribcage would shatter into many pieces and her internal organs would be destroyed. If Meng Ai was weaker than he expected, Qing Fang's fist might penetrate her whole body and impale her.

Qing Fang turned his body toward the unsuspecting Meng Ai. His bare upper body covered in dry mud and blood turned a redder shade as Qing Fang was mobilising his muscles beyond their normal limit to deliver a killing punch.

Seeing "Fang" turn her way and look like he was about to say something, Meng Ai waited quietly with a lovable gaze and a sweet smile. She was happy she met Fang by chance. He seemed really kind and gentle as well as having a warrior's body. Meng Ai would have no hesitation if Fang suddenly stated that he wanted to take her.

Just when Qing Fang was going to take a stance and deliver the punch, he heard talking come from beside him.

"...the current actions of the Temple." Qing Fang heard a youthful male voice resound from the path perpendicular to the cliff face. From the direction of the sound, it was obvious that people were heading toward the sacred garden from the trails along the cliffs.

Realising that people were approaching his position, Qing Fang decided against killing Meng Ai for the moment. He turned away from Meng Ai and toward the path the people would emerge from. Adopting a stance that seemed harmless but would allow him to burst out with instant speed, Qing Fang waited quietly with steely eyes.

From Meng Ai's point of view, "Fang" turned to face her and seemed like he was going to say something. However, he suddenly turned away and looked at the trail that leads down to the city. Seeing his strange movements and temperament, Meng Ai asked "Fang, what are you doing?" She had a hint of concern within her sweet voice, highlighting her interest in Qing Fang's affairs.

With a very calm expression and bearing, Qing Fang replied. "I heard someone coming." He acted completely natural and unafraid of people suddenly appearing. If he sounded very cautious, even the slow Meng Ai would become suspicious regardless of her attraction toward him. While that would not matter since Qing Fang still planned on killing her, if the circumstances did not allow it, she would be a dangerous element that could endanger Qing Fang's life.

Seeing him suddenly say so, Meng Ai turned toward the trail leading to the city. She smiled as she said "It's probably my brother and Xuan Han. They are tasked with patrolling the sacred garden while I fetch the herbs and plants." After she said that, she walked away from Qing Fang's side and toward where her brother would emerge from. It seemed she planned to welcome him.

A second voice, presumably this 'Xuan Han', resound from the same place the first did. The owner of this voice is audibly older than the first. "Sigh. Meng Chuan, I know you have a very strong moral compass and the talent to back it up, however, some things require sacrifice. There is bad within good and good within bad. The Temple's current actions...you have to believe that they are for the greater good. Think of Meng Ai. Thanks to you, the Temple picked her up from the streets and made her a priestess. You wouldn't want to throw that away, would you?"

Listening to this, Qing Fang frowned. It seems he'd escaped from one conspiracy only to land in another. Unwilling to get caught up in another mess, Qing Fang refined his friendly bearing even further as he planned to make himself seem as harmless as possible. Although his current appearance betrayed his intentions, there was nothing he could do about it other than hope this 'Meng Chuan' would accommodate him.

Meng Ai, who was currently walking over to the trail, was oblivious to the content of the conversation even though she heard it. Her naïve nature was much more apparent to Qing Fang now. Before, she just seemed overly friendly, but now she appeared to be painfully dumb. As for what Meng Ai actually heard? She heard her name mentioned, but other than that, the rest flew over the top of her head.

Knowing that her brother and Xuan Han were talking about her, she became happy. From the conversation, Qing Fang picked up that Meng Ai used to be a homeless rat, however, due to her brother, she managed to become a priestess within this 'Temple.' From this, Qing Fang found out why someone like Meng Ai was allowed out of this city and into the sacred garden. Although he no longer doubted her intentions toward him, Qing Fang had decided he would kill her and he wouldn't renege on that.

As for her possible use? There was none. What status could a lowly mortal possibly have? It was much better for Qing Fang if she was ashes. Any possible use she could have to Qing Fang is possibly her relationship to a talented youth in a large force: Meng Chuan. However, this plan would be hard to realise as of now due to a number of reasons. Firstly, Qing Fang is still a mortal. Secondly, he doesn't have enough information on the politics of the city. And lastly, the work Qing Fang would have to put in would reward too little. Manipulating a mortal and a Stage 1 cultivator was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

Meng Ai was gradually approaching the trail while Qing Fang held back to make himself seem less intimidating. Before he would decide on how to get out of his current situation, he would have to learn more about his opponents and the environment. If he could talk his way out, that would be best. Qing Fang was still a mortal and didn't want to take risks. However, he is not afraid of combat. By enhancing his muscles with his unlocked soul, he could confidently fight against three peak Stage 1 cultivators or martial arts grandmasters. If things went south and his enemies' cultivation was low, he could kill everyone here in one fell swoop.

Meng Ai was now within earshot of the conversation. Before, she couldn't hear the two talking while Qing Fang could. This was because, even though Qing Fang reverted to a mortal, he had experience in isolating sounds and listening to them. Since Meng Ai was close enough, she could hear everything that was said clearly.

"Xuan Han, you cannot sway me. As you said, things require sacrifice. If I have to lose Meng Ai, so be it. As long as I can destroy this cage that millions of people have died in, it's worth it." The first voice resounded again. It was already confirmed by Qing Fang to belong to Meng Ai's brother, Meng Chuan.

Hearing this, Meng Ai froze while Qing Fang frowned heavily.

Qing Fang was frowning heavily as he had already figured out most of what was happening. This 'Meng Chuan' and 'Xuan Han' were part of this 'Temple' as was Meng Ai. Meng Chuan had found out a secret that the Temple was keeping. If exposed, the people of this city could finally escape from this cage of beasts.

As for what that secret was? Qing Fang had a very good guess. When he first stumbled into the sacred garden, Qing Fang identified that the strongest beasts there were Stage 4 and an occasional Stage 5. Going back to the city, since it was so huge, there was bound to be a Stage 5 or even Stage 6 cultivator. But if the strongest beast was only Stage 5, why hadn't they escaped yet? The reason that Qing Fang had come up with is that the sacred garden was unique. He guessed that all the other places in the city were surrounded by Stage 6 or even Stage 7 beasts to keep the powerful cultivators contained.

Since the powerful cultivators could easily escape through the sacred garden, why had they not done so? From the display that elder Li Shan manifested over the whole of Tai forest, it is without a doubt that this city knows the outside world has people. This would greatly arouse their desire to see it and escape this cage. But they had not done so.

The likely reason for this is that this 'Temple' is keeping the sacred garden's secret hidden from the city. To back up this guess, why was Meng Ai, a mortal, allowed to enter the sacred garden? Not only that, she didn't have the bearing of a priestess. From this, it was likely that only mortals entered the sacred garden while cultivators guarded it.

Instead of this being due to religious reasons this 'Temple' might preach, Qing Fang guessed that only mortals entered the sacred garden as they couldn't tell the stages of beasts. Thus, the secret would be kept.

And, through some means, this 'Meng Chuan' discovered this secret and wanted to expose it for the cause of freeing the city's inhabitants from their cage. However, before Meng Chuan exposed it, he had to confirm it. Thus, he headed to the sacred garden. However, Qing Fang was currently at the entrance of the garden.

Cursing why this chain of events had to happen right this second, Qing Fang didn't find it strange. The display that elder Li Shan put on only happened yesterday. It was likely that Meng Chuan already knew the secret at that time but was convinced by 'Xuan Han' not to act due to the reasons Qing Fang had overheard before. However, when Meng Chuan saw the raging fires in the sky, his yearn for the outside world overwhelmed him, leading to this moment in time where Xuan Han was desperately trying to stop Meng Chuan from exposing the secret. This 'Xuan Han' probably knew that Meng Chuan knew as they seemed to be close friends. Thus, when Meng Chuan first discovered the secret, he confided in Xuan Han.

Completely unwilling to be a part of this "Meng Chuan's" quest for freedom, an ugly expression adorned Qing Fang's face.

He started emitting thick murderous intent due to anger as he directed his gaze onto the frozen Meng Ai. Laughing dryly, Qing Fang realised she must've overheard what her brother said before about "sacrificing Meng Ai for freedom."

'Hahaha. This girl. She must feel so betrayed and sad! Hehehe.' Within his thoughts, Qing Fang was void of compassion as he only saw comedy at the sight of the frozen Meng Ai. His murderous intent becoming thicker and thicker, Qing Fang's muscles bulged as he took heavy steps toward Meng Ai.

...

On the grass plateau sticking out of the cliffside, Meng Ai was crestfallen.

She had overheard her brother say he would sacrifice her for whatever reason. At this, Meng Ai's large and round eyes couldn't help but swell up with tears as she wept.

It had to be known that her brother was the only family she had left. She only joined the temple recently and didn't have any friends other than Xuan Han who she didn't really like that much. Thus, hearing that the only person in her whole world, Meng Chuan, would happily sacrifice her, she felt unwanted and sad.

Knowing that she was not as important to the most important person to her, Meng Ai felt that she was wronged. She never wanted to see her brother again. Since he didn't care about her, he wouldn't mind if she suddenly disappeared. Maybe he would even be relieved.

Thinking these thoughts, Meng Ai's tiny body shivered as she audibly cried.

She wept like a small child, high-pitched and pitiful. She used her small hands to wipe away the tears in her eyes and reddened them in the process. If anyone saw her right now, they would take pity on her. She was just too pitiful as she was right now.

Suddenly hearing dull and heavy thuds come from behind her, Meng Ai remembered about Fang. At the thought of him, she could only smile self-deprecatingly. If he saw her now, would he still be nice to her?

Not wanting to find out but needing to, she turned her little head around as she looked with tears in her eyes.

Behind her, she saw a broad figure towering over her. Not daring to make eye contact with him, she shrunk back in the large shadow encompassing her.

Hearing no words nor feeling no touch, Meng Ai started weeping again. Fang was right in front of her but why wasn't he doing anything? Fearing the worst, Meng Ai could only shrink her presence so much that she kneeled down on the grass and wept quietly.

...

Looking down at the tiny figure shivering in sorrow and fear beneath him, Qing Fang ignored her.

'She's not going to be a problem for now.' Thinking this, Qing Fang turned his scary gaze toward the two youths that emerged from the trail along the cliffside.

Although Qing Fang was a mortal, he could still sense Laws. Thus, he could tell the cultivation of the two people before him.

'Peak Stage 1 and...higher Stage 1.' Realising that he was vastly more powerful and could crush them easily, Qing Fang did not relax. He looked on, seeing if any more people had yet to appear. Seeing none, Qing Fang's tensed shoulders relaxed.

The two figures had already seen him and were extremely alert. However, once they saw he was a mortal, they eased their stances as one of them spoke in anger.

"Bastard! What did you do to my sister?!"

Qing Fang stared at the one who spoke. It was a boy. 'Fourteen years old and already higher Stage 1? This lad is indeed incredibly talented.'

Without answering the visibly fuming boy, Qing Fang turned his gaze to the other person there. 'Sixteen years old and peak Stage 1? Average.' After analysing their ages and cultivation thoroughly, Qing Fang smiled viciously.

Then, under the gaze of the boy, he reached his hand down to Meng Ai and tore apart her dress.