111 Duelling the Leader

Yun winced again as she felt that strange sensation from her Neidan. She had looked within herself a few times now and saw that the captive Goldenflame Lynmurku was trying to dig a hole. Thankfully her Neidan was incredibly firm due to her previous efforts in making her cultivation base stronger than the average.

She kept running at a steady pace through the woods, staying near enough to the river that she could ensure her navigation was accurate. She had been running for two days now since the incident with the beast group and had yet to encounter any other groups that could give her any trouble.

Occasionally she would run into a small group of Earthen Mantis, but they were only an early Neidan Forging beast and were no match for Yun. She continued her typical habit of storing the most valuable parts of anything she killed, knowing that Zhu Cai would definitely make her a magnificent dinner when she returned in return.

Thinking of beast materials reminded Yun of the incredible Immortal Wyrm she had missed out on. The loss of such a valuable beast really made one's heart bleed. Yun guessed that the carapace from that particular beast could be as much as ten times as strong as it's younger cousin that she had slain. Making armor and weapons with that material would likely be good even far into the Houtian realms, possibly even up to Xiantian! The regular beast's materials were already good for even Houtian warriors to use, so why not Xiantian?

The further Yun traveled the colder it became. She knew that in this northern region, though there was not much snow, the temperatures definitely got low. The mountains that surrounded the Cradle and shielded it from most of the arctic winds that blew in off the Wastes didn't cover the eastern coast of this area, leaving it exposed to these cold blasts of air. The Volvaka were unlikely to attempt anything from the nearby hive due to this increased cold weather, and their queen lacked the materials to be able to cultivate Fire-Eaters.

After another few days that felt like an eternity, Yun had finally managed to locate the distant structures that had been spotted from within the cave they had arrived in. This was unlike what she expected. Around the outside of this fortress were some tall, thick, strong walls, periodically defended by a rounded tower covered in arrow slots at multiple heights. These towers could successfully defend this fortress simply by providing a safe space for the archers to attack anyone who dares try and climb over or dig under.

Beyond these incredible walls Yun noticed that there was a small city or village that handles all he daily needs like soap and clothing.

As they neared the gate into this side of the castle town Yun caught glimpses of the majestic carvings on three of the towers.

In the tower representing the Vulpis she felt some sort strange connection, but it was a fleeting feeling, as if someone else had also felt it and quickly suppressed it. While this made Yun curious, she also did not have time to pursue such a thing.

As the weathered and weary Yun jogged towards the gate into the fortress she saw a group of guards hurriedly ride out on their Lynmurku mounts. Within a few moments they had arrived at her location, a few kilometers outside the gate, and surrounded her.

"Halt and state your purpose!" Called out one of the guards wearing leather armor with an insignia burnished into the chest and shoulders. This one was likely the patrol captain.

Yun obediently stopped jogging towards the gates and gestured towards her clothes, which had shifted when these patrol-men had ridden out of the gates to her sect colors.

"This one is Yun, direct disciple in the Hunting Hall Sect. During a mission I was separated from my companion and became lost in this region. This Yun is hoping to receive some basic aid and transportation south along the river to return to my sect."

Speaking with respect, Yun also bowed to the patrol Captain to show that she was sincere. Little did she know this particular Captain was incredibly unfriendly towards those who had managed to join a Sect like Yun. She immediately dismounted her beast and stalked forwards with a scowl on her face.

"Little one, if you're a direct disciple in a Sect then I'm a City Lord. Before you make such bold claims you'll have to fight me to prove it. What cultivation level are you at, so we can make this fair?"

Sighing heavily, Yun eyed this impetuous young Captain and measured her up, estimating whether she should reveal her true level or falsify it to avoid other's jealousy.

In the end, she decided on the second option and made sure not to release any pressure when she bowed again and answered.

"This little one is only in the early stages of Neidan Forging, as you can tell by my lack of presence. Please have mercy on me."

The patrol Captain smiled genially as he drew his short spear from the mount on the side of his Lynmurku, who had crouched down to the ground to watch. The remaining patrol-men, sighing at their Captain's antics, maintained their distance as they formed a circle around the two. Yun, still trying to remain low key, merely took out a plain ring from her shirt and pretended to fumble with it for a while before managing to do anything. After she managed to activate it she sneakily withdrew a simple spear from her spatial storage, pretending this plain ring was it.

"This Yun also practices the spear, let us exchange pointers over this beautiful weapon. I apologize for how long it took me to retrieve a weapon, the Sect gave me this ring with barely any room inside when I was promoted recently and this little one is not very good at using it. Additionally, when I was attacked by a group of Lynmurku in the woods a few days ago I lost my other spear and have to rely on this one now."

The guards all looked at her with a little surprise. A group of Lynmurku attacked such a young girl and she managed to survive? Members of the great Sects really couldn't be underestimated.

"Good, then you're ready? I will limit my power to the Neidan Forging realm with a secret skill that the military uses for duels in order to make it a fair fight. Let us begin then!"

Yun could tell this Captain hadn't used his skill at all, instead using it as an excuse so that he wouldn't be at fault later if she was injured or lost some of her valuable property. Such a shameless method of robbing another. She just shook her head gently and took up a ready position with her spear to indicate she was prepared.