102-108

Chapter 102: The Last of Us

Among the Weapons of Mass Destruction, chemical warfare was probably one of the most brutal created by mankind. Chemical warfare agents were extremely toxic synthetic chemicals that could be dispersed as a gas, liquid or aerosol or as agents adsorbed to particles to become a powder.

That was most of what I knew about chemical warfare from my previous world. I wasn't a scientist in my previous life. Still, I liked dabbling in obscure knowledge, and Wikipedia often had all the answers. I was just a nerd who looked up weird things while pretending to work at my office job.

Either way, I had little idea how to create actual chemical weapons. However, by using Qi in the process, I made something similar.

The purple mist around my barrier shifted, and I sensed that the whole town was now covered in this thick mist that blocked everyone's vision and dulled their Qi senses. It seemed almost beautiful; the light purple mist was hypnotically inviting its next victim. But the four-armed gorilla hadn't given me enough brain damage to tempt me to try something stupid like that.

I stayed in one place, making sure my barrier was steady and would follow me when I began moving. I had trained with this, but now was no time to be a risk-taker. Array conjuring was a delicate process; even the most skilled practitioners had a small chance of failure when erecting their barriers.

As the creator of the poison, I knew exactly how it smelled and even tasted in small doses. It smelled kind of sweet.

Were monstrous beasts going to die while tasting something sweet? Or perhaps many did not have bodies that could taste such things. Ah, what a shame. I wanted to ask them exactly that, but the opportunity for such things was long gone.

If there was ever a time when I wished I was more powerful, it would be during moments like these. If I could easily stop both sides from fighting, I could talk to the monstrous beasts and... I had so many questions in mind that I didn't know what to ask first.

Well, enough dwelling on what could have been. I had more important things to handle.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes since they were useless for seeing anything around me. Instead, I concentrated on my sensory abilities. Since the poison mist was imbued with thick Qi, it felt like I was surrounded by Qi, making it hard to sense any Qi signatures. 

Not impossible, but still very difficult.

It was like trying to see while underwater in a muddy lake. The monstrous beasts would be having the same difficulty.

After I got a rough idea of where everything was, I began moving among the alleys of broken homes. Staying still in this place was only a matter of time before the oxygen inside my barrier ran out or some rampaging monstrous beast accidentally stumbled upon me and broke this fragile barrier.

Strangely, the only thing I heard as I walked was the sound of my own steps. It was a bit eerie, and every now and then, I stumbled upon the corpses of some fallen monstrous beasts. Usually, it was the smaller ones; the bigger beasts at least got to struggle a bit, feeling the pain as the poison seeped into their eyes and pores.

I was extremely careful not to rush because I was doomed if I accidentally crashed into someone or something and this barrier broke.

While I technically had an antidote for the poison, if my lungs, mouth, nostrils, eyes, and every pore in my body were exposed, the antidote would be useless. That would be like jumping into a volcano and putting on some sunscreen.

Then again, there might be something like gaining a poison-resistant body or some xianxia bullshit like that. There were things in this world like the Hundred Poison Body.

The more I walked, the more corpses of monstrous beasts I saw. It seemed like some had noticed they were poisoned and had the bright idea to try and escape, only to end up dying on the way.

I was never specifically interested in poisons, but I had read many books on various topics. It was fun to see how many weird things this world had.

There was even an Extreme Physique like Ye An, related to poison, which made the cultivator stronger the more powerful poison they consumed.

Anyway, even though I wasn't particularly interested in poison, I had worked with the governor to make this one as lethal as possible. We had worked hard and used an enormous amount of his spirit stone reserves to imbue all the poison with Qi. From our calculations, the poison would stay in mist form for about a week before it ran out of Qi and fell to the ground, making the city livable again.

Of course, there was a chance of some unforeseen event, and somehow the mist might become permanent. Or perhaps it could turn sticky, and rain wouldn't be able to wash it away, making the town unlivable. But this had been our last resort.

With many thoughts running through my mind, I finally reached the outer edge of the walls and, with one leap, jumped over to the other side.

The first thing I noticed on the opposite side of the wall was that my calculations had been correct, and the poison hadn't spilled outside the walls. Still, I wasn't going to take the barrier down yet. Even though I had ensured the purple poison was always visible for this exact reason, it would be a shame to die on the last step of this battle due to carelessness.

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The second thing that caught my eye was how the snowstorm was less intense, and I could finally see something other than that eerie purple color.

I walked toward where the crack in the wall was and found the injured governor and clan leaders with a handful of able-bodied Body Tempering Cultivators. A couple dozen more were resting on the ground, some with large gashes and others missing a limb. Their lifeblood spilled onto the ground.

At least the governor and clan leaders were still fighting and easily killing any monstrous beast that tried escaping through the crack in the wall. Judging by the pile of monstrous beast corpses that had formed there, they were having some success.

When they saw me approaching, the governor smiled—something he rarely did. "I knew you would come out of this alive. You can put the barrier down now."

"Are you sure there is no invisible poison here?" I asked.

"Even if there is, we have a couple of stashes of antidote stored outside the walls in case something like this happened," he said, pointing to a crate covered in a dusting of snow.

I shrugged and disabled my barrier. As the cold touched me again, I felt the true extent of my wounds.

My blood had dried, and there was no bleeding from the injuries the lizard-like monstrous beast had inflicted. But the frozen bits of blood on those wounds felt as if the cold had seeped into my flesh. I also had barely any Qi after all the stunts I had pulled.

There was a galloping sound from the town, and a deer-like monstrous beast with the upper body of a human and antlers on its head emerged from the poison mist. It walked past the debris of the broken wall and jumped over the corpses of many of its kind.

It was drooling and looked worse for wear. We got in position to kill.

I was tired, but we were in the final stage of this battle, and now was not the time to fall.

It was time for the monstrous beasts to learn that humans also had their own kind of brutality!

"You think you can barge into my city and get away so easily?" the governor asked with a ruthless glint in his eyes.

When the monstrous beast saw this, whether or not it understood what the governor said, it lost the light in its eyes and gave up. Its body fell as soon as its will to survive vanished.

"Most of them have been like this, and the poison seems effective enough to have already killed a majority of the monstrous beasts!" the Hong Clan Leader said gleefully.

The governor, clan leaders, and the remaining fighters, including myself smiled at this. There was something about fighting a battle where all the odds were against us and somehow coming out on top that made everyone happy.

Our fighting force was crippled, and we were down to our last foot. People had lost friends and family during this battle, but our morale was higher than ever.

A snow mound next to the injured Body Tempering fighters shook, startling some of them. But those of us who could sense Qi were not worried.

Speedy popped his head out of the bundle of snow and shook his body to get rid of it. When he saw me, he rushed over—at about the speed of someone walking. Then he gently rubbed his head against my chest.

The little guy was no longer so little; even his head alone was bigger than half my body. He was the size of a car.

His head retreated into his shell, and then he came out with a barrel in his mouth and placed it next to me.

I rubbed his head. "You did a good job. I thought the barrel might shatter when the four-armed gorilla threw you over the wall, but it seems like you're stronger than I thought."

Speedy raised his head and looked around proudly. But that pride barely lasted a handful of seconds before he got sleepy again and yawned.

I smiled and gave him one last pat on his head before his body retreated back into his shell.

This barrel was my own cache of antidote for the poison, and there was no safer place than inside Speedy's shell. Sadly, it was a bit of a tight fit for me, but if he grew bigger...

The dream was for Speedy to be my turtle friend and bunker. For that, he would need to grow many times his current size.

Speedy stayed by my side as we waited for some monstrous beasts to emerge from the poison mist. I used that time to sit down, leaning against Speedy's shell, and rest. My body was riddled with injuries, my arms still tingled from the attacks of the four-armed gorilla, and my stamina was pretty much on its last legs.

Man, I wanted to sleep so badly.

But such thoughts immediately vanished as I sensed something approaching from the sky. It was coming from the town still covered in the poisoned mist, and some flying monstrous beasts were still alive.

I stood up and clenched my fists, causing piercing pain to run up my forearms. But this was not the time to sit down and relax.

"Monstrous beasts approaching from the sky. They don't seem to have been hit by the poison," I said, narrowing my eyes to see what they were. "They look like some kind of woman with wings for arms and bird-like legs. Harpy-like monsters. Their weaknesses are obvious—cut their wings and they're finished."

Even some of the injured Body Tempering Cultivators forced themselves to stand up, clutching spears in their hands. Their eyes were filled with spirit, and with us being so close to victory, none of them were willing to give up at the last step.

Despite the situation, I couldn't help but smile at the irony. Even when we were all healthy and had walls protecting us, at the cusp of victory we wanted to win harder than ever!

As the monstrous beasts approached, they first flew high and then shot down toward our position like bullets.

"Everyone, get behind me," I said, and with great effort, I pulled up the sleeping Speedy and used him as a shield. "They use their flying speed as a weapon to slam into people."

The sound of the monstrous beasts cutting through the wind as they dropped was my only warning before they smashed into Speedy. It had little effect, resulting in a screech of pain from the other side.

After the first beast smashed into Speedy, the others were not dumb enough to continue the same tactic. They maneuvered around the turtle, but without their charging speed, they were slower than before.

I took out my dagger and threw it at one of the harpy's faces. Now that I got a closer look, it resembled a human, but her face was disproportional. She had a big mouth with many rows of shark-like teeth, and her eyes were thin and dilated.

She tried to kick at my left side, and I brought up my arm to defend myself.

Everything about what would happen next played in my head. She would attack, I would block her kick, and then I'd turn around to kill the other monstrous beast sneaking up behind me.

But there was one miscalculation in that plan, and I realized it as soon as the harpy's feet made contact with my arm. After taking so much abuse from the four-armed gorilla, my forearms were on the verge of breaking.

I think I got a bit too excited at the thought of finally ending this and forgot that just because something didn't hurt, it didn't mean it wasn't damaged.

My left forearm snapped like a twig this time, bending unnaturally with a nasty bone-breaking sound.

CRACKI

Chapter 103: Perfect Execution

The dagger I had thrown pierced the skull of the monstrous beast that had broken my arm, killing it instantly. Despite the pain, I looked at my floppy arm with a strange feeling. Surprisingly, I wasn't panicking; I was rather calm overall. It must be the adrenaline.

At the same time, the clan leaders and the governor were killing the rest of the monstrous beasts. So, I had nothing to worry about except for a couple of monstrous beasts who were a bit too close for comfort and were sneaking up on me.

I turned around just as another harpy was about to attack. The monstrous beast froze for a second when it saw that I had noticed it. It narrowed its eyes, making them appear as nothing more than slits on its face. Just like the other harpy, she tried to kick me.

Since their arms were their wings and they used them to move around, it was obvious they mostly used their legs to attack. However, instead of kicking me, this one was trying to use her knee.

I had gotten used to pain and getting injured by now, but that didn't mean I would try the same thing twice and expect different results. So, I raised my arm and formed a Dancing Jade Armor shield, which I was reluctant to use since my Qi was already almost depleted.

But still, her attack barely pushed me back. She noticed that and attempted to bite me on the neck. This time, I raised my foot, aiming to knee her in the chin, as my other arm was already occupied blocking her leg.

I could feel her misty breath as she moved closer, murder radiating through her whole being. She turned and changed targets from my neck to my knee. But it was all for naught, as I used Dancing Jade Armor once again and concentrated better than ever before. Despite how I was fighting, I was strangely calm. Perhaps because the pressure she was putting on me was nothing compared to the four-armed gorilla.

I created coin-sized barriers for each of her teeth, using the minimum Qi needed to block an attack like that.

However, in that split second, I felt something strange. It was like an instant, the kind of thing one felt before they saw it. The closest comparison I could make was the anticipation of the thundering sound after seeing a lightning bolt strike in the distance.

There was no wasted Qi in how I executed the technique, and it achieved its objective perfectly. Not too much Qi, nor too little. No wasted Qi, using the exact reactive force... Everything was perfect.

The Qi around me shifted, and I saw green at the corner of my eye. I could smell jade, even though the stone itself did not necessarily have a distinct smell. There was also no jade around. 

Even the cold invading my body was secondary to this feeling. I felt like a stone washing down the river until a young child found me. It was there when the child went to show his parents what he had found.

It was a bewildering thought process I did not comprehend but somehow understood. The natural Qi around me shifted and churned, forming a green armor. Since it was made of Qi, the armor weighed nothing but still protected me from the cold.

Using my only usable arm, I used my elbow to hit the monstrous beast biting at my knee. With the pressure of the armored elbow and knee combined, the beast's head was crushed into a mess of blood, gore, and gray sludge. One of her eyes popped out and landed next to my other foot, and I was covered in her brain matter as her body slumped to the ground.

My concentration was at its peak. I could sense, smell, and even feel the Dancing Jade Armor Technique.

Trace… A perfect execution of a technique!

I grabbed one of my daggers and, with just a thought, a green hue covered the blade, extending to form a translucent greenish sword. Despite the added length, the dagger was still as light as ever.

Instantly, I let Speedy fall and no longer used him as a shield; instead, I sat on his shell, staring at the harpies around us. Some of the Body Tempering Cultivators were having a hard time since the harpies could fly.

I jumped into their midst, and even though I could only use one arm, I cut through two harpies with one swing. Despite my injuries, I moved better than I ever had, even when uninjured.

However, despite hitting a Trace, I couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. I knew the chance of hitting a Trace was higher when one was calm, but hitting a Trace would have been much more convenient when I was fighting the gorilla.

But, then again, life was rarely convenient.

Dancing Jade Armor was now officially an Earth Grade Technique. It now formed into actual armor; if I had more Qi in this temporary state, I could have done so much more. What a shame that I couldn't test everything. But next time, if I ever hit a Trace again, I will make sure to have plenty of Qi to try some stuff and get the full benefit of this temporary state of attunement with Qi.

Still, even after this, I should be able to form it into an official armor, and it was much stronger than before, requiring much less concentration to maintain.

"What is that?" asked the Lu Clan Leader. 

People around these parts might not be familiar with a Trace, but the governor's look told me he knew exactly what I was doing.

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The monstrous beasts also seemed to instinctively recognize that something was wrong, and the battle was no longer in their favor.

Those bastards broke my arm; there was no way I was just going to let them leave!

I disabled my Dancing Jade Armor and concentrated every ounce of Qi I had into the edge of the blade of my dagger. Since I no longer had the energy to imbue my entire blade with Qi, this was the best I could do to get maximum results.

A familiar feeling spread across my chest as I was about to swing my blade.

Then it happened again. It felt like I was on the moon, looking down on an Earth-like planet and licking my claws. In an instant, I was on a hill, looking at the moon and swiping my claws at it.

This was my will: to swing my claws at the heavens and make the moon fall!

Even though it was daytime, I felt the moonlight behind me. Without turning around, I already knew what was happening.

A two-dimensional full moon the size of a small car had formed behind me, and I didn't need to swing the dagger for what happened next. It was like a machine gun shooting invisible blades, butchering the flying harpy squad and turning them into bloody chunks and mush in an instant!

Usually, I wouldn't have broken my concentration at something like this. Twice, this had happened before and halted my breakthrough into Qi Gathering. But this time, it was too damn much!

Fuck! Why did this shit hit Trace even though I didn't need it? Not once, but twice?! C'mon! I didn't need this shit right now! It was useless! The enemy was already running away, and I had no Qi to practice with it!

The full moon created behind me by Falling Moon Claw shattered, and so did the rhythm I had built up. All that concentration and being in the zone dried up, and Qi no longer seemed like second nature to control.

Usually, I wasn't an emotional person, especially about things I had no control over and couldn't change. In many ways, I never expected my life to bend to my whims.

But even if I didn't expect to hit a Trace while fighting for my life against the gorilla, it was still annoying how I was risking my life out there, and only now could I hit Trace twice in a row!

I slumped and sat on the cold, snowy ground, staring at the sky.

I had no Qi to work with, so it wasn't like being in a Trace would have been that useful anyway. If there was ever the worst time to land a Trace, it was times like these—where it wouldn't save my life, and I couldn't even enjoy it.

"Congratulations, not many cultivators can say they have landed a Trace," said the governor.

I calmed down somewhat and nodded. "Thanks. Make sure to keep an eye on any monstrous beasts trying to escape. From now on, make sure you survive instead of giving chase to anyone else."

We should be safe for now because even if the four-armed gorilla had a companion who was a Foundation Establishment monstrous beast, it didn't know what had happened inside the town. So far, the monstrous beasts had been extremely patient so it was safe to assume they would continue being so. Unless, of course, they grew emotional after the four-armed gorilla died and did something illogical. In that case, we were finished. 

I was betting on my opponent being smart here.

The monstrous beasts had lost their army, and any stragglers would retreat to lick their wounds until next year when they could try to get their revenge. Either way, I would no longer be around by then, and the Blazing Sun Sect would increase its security after this year's events.

"Well, I'm going to check on the civilians," I said as I stood up.

We had planned to spread the poison gas with the idea that no civilians would be harmed, which is why we went through an effort to gather them together immediately after the attack.

"There might be monstrous beasts with higher resistance to poison, so do not let your guard down," I warned them.

The chances of that happening were low, but it was not impossible.

"Also, just because some monstrous beasts have higher cultivation doesn't make them immune to the poison. But they have higher resistance, so keep an eye out for them. Some might have higher resistance due to their physiology," I added, then began walking away, leaving the rest behind.

Even if the monstrous beasts somehow survived the poison, they would still be weakened. It was a cheap tactic, but it worked for now—until our enemies developed countermeasures or their own chemical warfare tactics. Counteracting this tactic wouldn't be difficult; a talisman that casts a simple barrier to stop gases from entering or leaving would suffice.

Just then, I heard the thud of steps behind me and turned around. There was Speedy, out of his shell and staring at me.

"Wanna come with me, little guy?" I asked.

He was no longer so little, but in my eyes, he was still that little turtle I fed while keeping him on my desk. He nudged me on the side, tapped his head against my shoulder, then turned around.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I inquired.

Speedy nudged me again, then turned around, showing me his back. Finally, I caught on to what he was trying to say and climbed atop his shell.

"Well, take us around the walls and keep some distance too. Don't stop until we reach the opposite side of the town," I said, lying on his shell.

Without any more prompts, he began walking, following my instructions. For a monstrous beast, he was slow and at max speed was about as fast as a mortal walking. But I was in no rush.

As we walked away, I was reminded by the rocking and the piercing pain that I had a broken arm.

…

It took a while since Speedy was not living up to his name. But we finally reached the other side, and I got down from him. There was no entrance on this side of the wall, and jumping over it was annoying. We needed to create a new entrance anyway, as I could sense the civilians on the other side.

I walked up to the wall, leaned back, and placed my palm on the cold, marble-white stone. Then I recalled a technique Song Song had talked about, one that was good at destroying physical objects.

With that in mind, I imbued the wall with a sliver of the meager Qi I had recovered while resting atop Speedy, which caused the Qi to implode. Cracks spread through the wall, and then I twisted my body and gave the wall a good kick. It crumbled down.

The people on the other side were startled, and I sensed some guards getting ready to fight. Before further misunderstandings could develop, I said, "Calm down, everyone! I'm here to take you all away from here."

I walked past the broken wall and caught sight of thousands of people huddled together. The gases surrounding them were only held back by a shimmering barrier and a handful of weaker artifacts placed around.

There was no food and nothing to do, and they had no doubt heard the sounds of fighting. Also, my broken arm did not inspire any confidence in them either.

But I still put on the best smile I could muster and loudly stated, "The war is won!"

When they heard that, the people's faces lit up immediately. Some cried joyfully, with the tension in their minds draining away. In contrast, others asked whether their relatives fighting in the war were okay or what this purple mist was.

I was too tired to answer, so I turned around and began walking toward Speedy.

It had been a bittersweet victory, as many people had died. The town's fighting force was crippled, and so was the economy with half the town destroyed. This was far from the victory I had wanted.

However, it was a victory nonetheless...

Chapter 104: Notes of Transparency

Fifteen days had passed since the battle, and I lay down in the master bedroom of my mansion for the first time since arriving in this town.

It was a luxurious room, with a bed so large I could lie sideways and still have ample space to sleep comfortably. Lamps provided warm lighting, and the room was awash in purple hues. From what I understood, purple was an expensive color to produce. However, it made the room feel like a decorator with questionable taste had worked on it.

What kind of showboating asshole owned this place before me? It was clear he was more concerned with flaunting his wealth.

Regardless, I wasn't planning to stay in town for long. With the monstrous beasts defeated, my job here was done.

Since the poison mist dropped, servants had been filling the halls of this mansion. Many people had volunteered to help with my recovery. Also, half of the town was destroyed, and this mansion was large enough to house several families.

I shifted in my silk sheets to find a more comfortable position. While the bed was top-notch, the cast on my broken arm limited my options for comfort.

At least the arm was healing. I should be able to use it normally again in a couple of days. The arm would have healed faster, but it had been badly broken, with chunks of bone lodged in my tendons and flesh.

Thanks to being a cultivator, my healing was much faster than most. I wouldn't suffer permanent damage or lose strength in my arm, but the break had been severe. The gorilla had likely fractured it, and the harpy's final blow shattered it completely.

While my broken arm was the most obvious injury, I had many others, from cuts to fractures in my back and more.

I shifted on the bed and removed the silver sheets. They felt uncomfortable; such luxury made it hard to rest.

The recovery environment had been harsh for a week after the battle. We had to camp in the forest, and only I could set up arrays to protect us from the freezing winters and hypothermia. There was no way I would let the people I had worked so hard to save die from the cold.

That week had been tough for everyone, but at least no one had complained, and after our victory, most were still in good spirits.

Unable to rest on the bed which felt like a soft sludge, I got up and walked around the room. But even this didn't help with the hideous purple splattered everywhere.

Luxurious didn't always mean comfortable.

I walked out of my room, and immediately, two guards bowed toward me.

"Lord Liu Feng, how may we help you today?" they said in unison, like a practiced recital.

"No need to worry, I'm just going for a walk," I replied, walking away. "You guys can take a break too. Go get something to eat. Standing around all day doing nothing can be quite daunting."

Walking through the halls, I saw many maids dusting, mopping, and cleaning the windows. They all had their respective responses when they saw me, and most didn't even seem fake. Still, having people act this way around me was always a bit uncomfortable.

During these days of rest, I couldn't train, and something had been on my mind.

How did maids exist in this world? Xianxia was usually an ancient China-like world with magical powers. I wasn't an expert in history, but I was pretty sure there were no maids in ancient China. Also, given the temperament of Cultivators, I couldn't see how something like French maids came to be.

My best theory was that some perverted transmigrators in the past "invented" maids. Weirdly enough, that made the most sense.

I walked down the stairs and finally exited through the mansion's front doors, greeted by the sight of a snowy garden and bone-chilling cold.

The outside of the mansion was very different from the inside, where I had placed low-level heat arrays. Even the pond in the corner, which used to house fish before Speedy ate them all, was frozen.

Speaking of Speedy, he was now a small hill of snow in the yard. The big guy liked sleeping in the snow.

As if sensing my presence, the small snow hill shook, and Speedy poked his head out to look at me. He had grown a bit during these weeks since the fighting. Soon enough, I would have to widen the gates, or Speedy wouldn't be able to enter or leave the mansion.

Well, he didn't go out much anyway. However, it was the thought that counted in these kinds of things.

I approached Speedy, my feet shuffling through the cold snow. Before the snow could seep onto my clothes, I used the Dancing Jade Armor Technique. It wasn't even visible to the naked eye at its lowest level. Then, I activated a heating array. This array was typically supposed to boil its victim but had many uses.

With the martial technique handling the defensive part, I used the most minuscule amount of Qi to erect the barrier, as there was no need to take precautions against the smallest force breaking it.

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Grafting array effects into martial techniques was advanced stuff. It could be pretty useful and combat-effective, though I hadn't had the chance to test it out yet.

I got close to Speedy and rubbed his head, feeling his cold skin against my palm as I had disabled the technique around my hand so I could touch him. My hand now seemed small compared to Speedy's head, which was the size of a big barrel.

It felt like just yesterday that I could hold Speedy in the palm of my hand.

I stared into Speedy's deep green eyes and wondered what could be going on inside his head.

Taking a deep breath, I appreciated the town's clean air. The poison gas had cleared now, though the governor and I had warned the citizens not to do anything foolish like eat snow. There might still be poison residue in it.

Sure, snowstorms and even a rainstorm had washed away much of the poison. Thankfully, the town had a proper sewer system, so the only things dying from the poison should be the sewer rats.

"What a shame," I muttered, continuing to pat Speedy.

If most of the monstrous beasts' corpses hadn't been poisoned, Speedy would be having a feast. Especially that Foundation Establishment gorilla—Speedy, could have grown bigger and stronger eating all of those.

Though nothing was as exciting as the battle, many things had happened during these two weeks, like finding the gorilla's corpse or discovering that some of the monstrous beasts had entered a type of hibernation to slow their heartbeats and stop the poison from spreading too quickly. Of course, their efforts were futile, and we killed any beasts hanging on to life by using diverse methods.

I sighed and felt my Qi reserves, which hadn't fully recovered since the battle. They were almost full but not quite there yet. The average amount of spiritual roots affected not only how fast someone cultivated but also the speed at which they recovered their Qi.

At the same time, I hadn't meditated or done anything to hasten the recovery. Plus, I had been putting up arrays whenever it was convenient. No wonder cultivators always wanted spirit stones and used them as currency. If I had used spirit stones, I could have regained all my Qi in about eight hours.

But since I was in no condition to fight, Qi was useless. It was as good a time as any to see how fast my natural Qi recovery speed was.

I looked at the balcony and thought it would give a nice view of the town. Walking there was a pain, and straining myself too much was not a good idea, just in case. So, I went for something in between.

With only a thought, a translucent green armor appeared next to me. It was the Dancing Jade Armor Technique, except I used it outside my body.

I jumped up, and the armor clasped its hands together like it was preparing to receive a volleyball. Then I landed on its hands, and with it throwing me and my own jump, I landed on the balcony in one leap, despite it being three stories high.

The jade armor dissolved into nothing, and I now had a better look at the town from the balcony. It was not as pretty a sight as I had imagined. Half the town was destroyed, and many families lived together, sometimes sharing bread and food with strangers.

There were some rebuilding efforts, but progress would be slow since it was winter. Working through a snowstorm was just asking people to get sick and die, so the governor and I were cautious about that.

Usually, I would have had Body Tempering Cultivators work on something like this. Their tough bodies could handle any strain or cold. But there were only two dozen Body Tempering Cultivators left. Most of them were injured, and they had all fought hard. They deserved their rest, and I wasn't going to be a slave driver. Those men had lost friends and family, brothers in arms... they needed time to grieve too.

This last battle had been purely about survival. The winner had gained nothing more than that. Even the monstrous beasts we had killed—most of their bodies were filled with poison and had turned bad. There was no way the governor could sell them or turn this into an economic opportunity. We had also drained many spirit stones to create that poison mist.

No... perhaps there was one person who benefited from all of this.

Using my new understanding of my martial techniques after the Trace, I formed a curved, moon-like blade from translucent green energy, adding the Falling Moon Claw Technique.

The attack shot forward faster than I could see, and even though I barely put any effort into it, it carved through the yard like a hot knife through butter, leaving a large gash.

No slashing motion or hand movements were needed. Pure Qi control and simple thought were enough to create this attack, which allowed me to shoot it from any angle I wanted.

Despite everything that had happened, one thing was certain: I had grown stronger by leaps and bounds. The previous me who came into town wouldn't stand a chance against the current me. I could easily kill him in three seconds.

As I leaned on the balcony railings, I sensed the governor's Qi signature approaching.

Not long after, he arrived at my front gates with a frown. He looked around and then saw me. His face eased up, "I sensed a strong attack. Is everything okay? I thought some monstrous beasts might have sneaked in."

His eyes wandered to the yard, which was cut in a straight line from the pond all the way to the wall, as thick as a tree and deep enough to be a well.

"Yes, everything is alright. I was just testing a new move. Sorry for making you come here," I apologized.

He nodded and smiled, which shattered his strict and serious old-man persona. "No worries, I was about to come and meet with you anyway."

There was a fifty percent chance that what he just said was bullshit. These people had started kissing ass harder now that the battle was over. Now that they had seen my abilities and how we had risked our lives together, they almost respected me enough not to lie to my face. So, I gave the governor the benefit of the doubt.

"Really? What for?" I raised a questioning brow, a smile playing on my lips.

With the battle over, I had handed power back to the governor. So, I was no longer involved in any political bullshit. But the governor had done nothing to show anyone he was back in charge. Technically, I was still the power behind everything. The governor, who had been grumpy about me gaining power, no longer seemed interested in reclaiming it.

"I sent letters to all nearby towns, spreading the news of our victory and what happened," the governor said, his forehead wrinkling with reluctance. "Few answered back, but those that did asked about your Monster Encyclopedia Book."

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, and don't worry if you don't want your books to spread around. I know what you did before by distributing the books to all the defenders because we were in an emergency," the governor explained.

"Sure, give them the books," I waved away his worries before he could continue. "Also, tell them they're free to spread the knowledge as they like."

It wasn't like my Monster Encyclopedia had any significant discoveries. I had mostly learned from existing books on monstrous beasts and organized the information.

He nodded and then hurried back toward his mansion. He was probably going to work on a load of paperwork dealing with the planned reconstruction of the town, with the clan heads bickering and scheming against each other.

As for me, I was just chilling. Political matters like that had nothing to do with me anymore.

Ah, life without political bullshit was quite enjoyable. Even my broken arm seemed like a minor inconvenience compared to that nonsense.

Chapter 105: The True Danger

Xin Ma hated his job as a librarian since there was never an opportunity to achieve anything. But there were times when a position like this, which always required him to stay in the library, was useful.

For example, now was a good time since the war front was an absolute disaster, and he was not part of it due to handling the library's arrays.

Xin Ma liked killing monstrous beasts as much as the next fellow cultivator, but he wouldn't risk his life recklessly. There were rumors that every attack against a city was led by at least one Foundation Establishment monstrous beast, and their armies were large and organized. Rumors also said that most monstrous beast armies that took down cities had a strategic leader guiding them, and foreign beasts not native to the lands were among the attackers. People were unfamiliar with dealing with them.

He tapped his finger against the library counter. No new outer disciples had come in for a few days, which was good news.

If it were some decades ago, Xin Ma would have cared and felt sorry for the naive youngsters who went out to fight battles they had no part in. But by now, the old librarian had grown desensitized to it. This was part of a cultivator's life.

There was only one outer disciple he really cared about, and that was Liu Feng.

He hadn't heard anything from the brat, which was quite worrying. Well, perhaps not so worrying, as Liu Feng wasn't the kind of person who would send letters or anything like that.

From what Xin Ma had gathered, Liu Feng was liked by Song Song. As long as he stayed by her side, she would protect what was hers.

The Song Clan was among the most ruthless, not just to others but also to themselves. However, when they found someone useful, they kept them close. That was how Song Song's father, the current leader of the Song Clan, kept his position primarily due to his many wives. Though there were some rumors about the man...

Xin Ma shook his head, dismissing his thoughts about inner sect politics. He was no longer involved with that and just hoped Liu Feng would come back alive.

A kid like that dying would be a shame. Liu Feng had already become part of his routine. Without him around, the old goat was even grumpier than usual. It wasn't the same without the brat around to argue with Shan Sha about stupid things and then laugh it off the next second.

Just as he thought of Shan Sha, the old man appeared like the devil summoned by his thoughts. Someone came in from the front of the library. He was shorter than most young cultivators and used a cane to walk.

Xin Ma turned toward the old man, expecting him to be grumpy as always. But instead, he saw a smiling old man that looked nothing like his expectations. The old goat had a broad smile, showing some of the few yellow teeth he had left.

Why was he so happy all of a sudden?

The old man was carrying a thick book. As he approached the librarian's counter, he asked, "Have you seen the new encyclopedia?"

"No," Xin Ma raised a questioning brow.

Encyclopedias were usually thick books by the Alchemist Tower detailing which plants were poisonous, which ingredients were precious, and what the Alchemist Tower would pay for them.

Was there a new version of it? Even if there was, why would the old guy be so excited? Perhaps he had some rare herbs he had held onto for decades that might earn him some spirit stones. But then again, the old guy didn't care and had no use for spirit stones.

Without saying anything more, the old man reached the counter and put the thick book he was carrying in front of the librarian. The book landed with a loud thud, causing it to open on some random pages.

The page it landed on featured a drawing of a weird humanoid tiger monstrous beast, with its characteristics, weaknesses, and abilities written down. However, the detailed drawing stood out the most.

Curiosity got the better of Xin Ma as the old man dragged a chair from a nearby table. Scrolling through the book, he noticed that some monstrous beasts had detailed anatomy charts explaining numerous things.

"This book has been spreading like wildfire through the cities," explained Shan Sha as he finally got the chair close to the counter and sat down. "We finally got our hands on one. An inner elder came to give this to you but met me on the way here. The elders are in short supply since they're being sent to the war front, so he quickly handed the book to me and flew away on a flying sword."

Xin Ma closed the book, got a better look at the cover, and read the title, "A Monstrous Beast Encyclopedia... by Liu Feng?"

That last part finally got a reaction out of him as his eyes widened. At first, he felt relieved as this book meant the brat was not in danger. Second, Liu Feng would be valuable enough that he wouldn't be put on the front lines in danger.

Slowly, a smile made its way onto Xin Ma's stone-like face. "That brat is always getting into weird things like this."

Shan Sha laughed. "Right? That was the same thought I had. Who goes to defend against a monstrous beast army, and their first thought is to write a book!"

Liu Feng's mind always worked in mysterious ways. As far as Xin Ma could remember, the youngster was always strange.

Usually, a cultivator faced with a stronger adversary would try to find a stronger martial technique, call a more powerful cultivator for assistance, or work harder to increase their cultivation. However, for some reason, Liu Feng created an encyclopedia of monsters, detailing how to deal with them and their weaknesses.

"What a weird kid..." Xin Ma said, his smile widening.

"At least he is somewhat smart," the old man nodded. "Though it is a shame, after all the times I helped him with his studying, he did not even put my name in the book."

The librarian stared at the old goat and asked, "Really?"

"What?" Shan Sha frowned.

The old man had not helped Liu Feng with any kind of studying. Their arguments more often than not likely hindered the kid.

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How shameless could this old man be to ask for credit for something he didn't help with at all?

********

Hu Jin stared into the distance at the towering walls behind him as he embarked on another scouting expedition for Red Lotus Town.

When sent to fight, he thought his days would be filled with constant combat and danger. However, since Red Lotus Town was so close to the Sect, they usually had a Foundation Establishment Elder keeping an eye on things.

As he ventured further away from the town, Hu Jin officially began his scouting mission.

"Do not let your guard down," an elderly voice emanated from his coin. "The whole of Red Lotus Town has been tense recently, and you are too low-ranked for anyone to tell you anything."

Hu Jin wanted to refute that, but in the end, he nodded and understood where his master was coming from. "Yes, I know. But I am already at nine-star Body Tempering. As soon as I begin sensing Qi, I can break through to the next level, and nobody will look down on me."

Though Red Lotus Town was not far from the Blazing Sun Sect, Hu Jin still saw multiple skirmishes between humans and monstrous beasts. He had lost some new friends he had made and was no longer the same reckless young man he once was. War had caused him to mature, and the thought of a full-blown battle sent chills down his spine.

But despite his feelings, the only thing he could do was train hard and consume the pills his master made for him. Sadly, his spiritual roots were still in poor condition, and breaking into Qi Gathering would not be easy.

As they traversed fields and passed an array of hills, Hu Jin finally ended up in a thick forest with giant trees many times the size of normal ones. His mission was to find monstrous beasts and detect any approaching army. However, he wasn't the only one with this mandatory mission; every Body Tempering disciple had it too.

Walking further into the forest, the air grew chillier as the taller trees cast prominent shadows. It was the middle of winter, and some frozen spots dotted the lower trunks of the trees.

Though it hadn't started snowing yet, it could begin any moment. But Hu Jin was not worried about the weather right now. Instead, he asked his master, "Do you sense anything nearby?"

"There seems to be something a couple of hundred meters to the left," the old cultivator replied. "Be careful; my senses are dulled when I'm in the coin. Though I doubt anything below Nascent Soul Cultivators would escape my senses, this world has many strange powers."

Hu Jin changed direction and headed toward the area where his master had sensed something. As he approached, the forest trees grew thinner. In some cases, they were entangled enough to form a roof over the forest, allowing very little sunlight to pass through.

When Hu Jin reached the location, he stopped about two dozen feet away as he saw what his master had sensed.

The creature was a monstrous beast resembling a tiger, but it was much larger, and instead of a tiger's tail, it had a snake.

Hu Jin was lucky as the monstrous beast softly snored and lay down. Despite its harmless position, he felt the danger in the air and knew that fighting this creature could end badly. He quickly abandoned the idea of confrontation and planned to report the beast to the town so someone else could handle it.

He turned around to leave when his master interrupted him, "Where do you think you're going?"

"What? I'm not going to fight something so dangerous for nothing."

"Look behind the monstrous beast," his master pointed out.

Behind the monstrous beast, there was a sunflower-looking herb with a crimson gem in the middle instead of sunflower seeds.

"Stop staring and take out your monstrous beast encyclopedia, and see if it has any weaknesses," his master advised.

Hu Jin complied, using his newly acquired storage ring to take out the thick book. This encyclopedia was given to all front-line cultivators, and reading it was mandatory.

"How are we supposed to find the species of this guy among thousands of other monstrous beasts recorded here?" Hu Jin grumbled but flipped through the pictures, looking for anything resembling a tiger.

Surprisingly, it didn't take as long as he had feared. This kind of monstrous beast was relatively early in the encyclopedia.

"Sharp-Toothed Snake-Tailed Tiger," he read. "It sleeps close to rare treasure-like herbs. Very dangerous and can often fight above its level. Be careful of its snake-like tail, as it has advanced sensory abilities and is known to use trickery. If a battle is imminent, the attacker should aim for the tail."

Hu Jin skimmed the rest. Though books bored him, this one was crucial as his master had pointed out. He noticed some bold lettering warning about the beast's danger.

"What can this flower even do?" Hu Jin frowned.

"I like the way it looks," his master said.

"What? You want me to risk my life for your leisure?"

"I'm just joking, you fool," the old cultivator shook his head, manifesting in his ghostly form next to Hu Jin. "That thing is called a Sun Ruby. It improves the efficiency of spiritual roots."

Hu Jin was confused, having no idea what improving the efficiency of spiritual roots even meant. His master sighed at Hu Jin's perplexed expression and began to explain.

"Spiritual roots are, at their core, an organ. Think of them like muscles that have never been used since birth. Even the most talented people usually enter Qi Gathering at fifteen years old. Their bodies have to adapt to the process, and there are physical limitations a child can't surpass," the old cultivator explained.

Hu Jin still looked confused. His education was limited to reading and understanding books about martial techniques. He never cared about anything else.

Noticing his protege's distraction, the old cultivator sighed and grumbled under his breath, "Why did I get stuck with an uneducated farmer from the middle of nowhere with a no-name clan? He doesn't even know the basics!"

"Hey!" Hu Jin protested. "I can hear you perfectly well, you old bastard. No need to be so rude!"

The master sighed, ignoring Hu Jin's comment, and continued his explanation. "Alright, let me simplify this for your shovel-swinging brain. Think of an unused shovel left in the rain; it would eventually rust. But this Sun Ruby here can remove that rust, allowing for better digging!"

"Oh, so it increases my talent?" Hu Jin inquired. He understood his master's point but wanted to provoke the old cultivator.

"No! Improving efficiency in cultivation doesn't mean you get a second shovel. It means the rust is off the first one, and now you can work more efficiently with it," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "This 'rust' can go away naturally as one cultivates, but it can take up to a decade for that to happen as spiritual roots get used to absorbing and filtering Qi. By then, some talented people might even reach Foundation Establishment. Make no mistake, all the big clans and sects have their people take medicine to deal with this problem. While this plant might be rare, powerful people have their own resources for these things."

His teacher always went on rants like this when he was annoyed, and from experience, Hu Jin knew he wouldn't stop anytime soon.

"Of course, there are rare cases like those with Extreme Physiques or certain types of Otherworldly Devils that are born able to sense Qi," the old cultivator frowned and looked at the sky.

"Otherworldly devils?" Hu Jin asked, having never heard the term.

Instead of answering him, his master stared at the sky and his frown deepened. He closed his eyes and opened them again.

"Forget the Sun Ruby flower," the old master said, returning to the coin in Hu Jin's pocket. "Return to the town as quickly as possible!"

"What?"

"Shut the hell up and get back to town!" his master yelled.

This was unlike his usual master; he seemed genuinely worried. So Hu Jin quickly turned and began using an Earth Grade Technique, flashing through the forest at breakneck speeds.

As he moved at top speed, reaching the grass fields outside the forest didn't take long. That was when he saw something on the opposite side of the forest and understood why his master was worried.

A dark cloud in the distance blocked the sun, suddenly making the day feel like night. Among the dark clouds was a giant serpent with a scar running along its titan-sized body.

The same monstrous beast had troubled him when they joined the Blazing Sun Sect and attacked the flying ships.

But that wasn't all; following the monstrous beast was an army of flying creatures, and based on the shaking ground, there were also ground troops.

"Retreat immediately, and stop gawking like an idiot," his master said. Usually, his insults were jests, but this time he was serious. "That is not an army meant to handle a town. It seems like the monstrous beasts are planning to massacre all humans and turn the Western Continent into a zone of monstrous beasts, just like they did with the central continent!"

Hu Jin's heart dropped at this. He immediately used the fastest Earth Grade Technique he knew and shot toward Red Lotus Town like an arrow.

Chapter 106: Goodbyes & Welcomes

I planted my feet on the snowy ground and breathed deeply as the cold air filled my lungs.

It had snowed so hard in the past few days that the snow now reached my knees. Even training in the yard of my mansion had changed, though it wasn't all that bad. I enjoyed training in different environments as they posed new challenges.

For example, using Rushing Bull Step in deep snow was not a good idea. Especially when the snow was so thick. However, I found a workaround by keeping my feet high as soon as I began using the technique to avoid stumbling.

Opening my eyes, I felt the cold seeping past my eyelids.

The yard had only one area not fully covered in snow, a large cut through the yard as if made by a giant scalpel.

But I no longer concentrated on the outward appearance of things around me; I looked within. Slowly, Qi surged through my body and moved with methodical precision. Everything was controlled to the smallest detail, with minimal Qi wasted.

As Qi moved to my fist, it gained a green tint and formed into a translucent jade gauntlet. On my other hand, the wind surged, forming invisible blades of condensed air held in place by Qi.

Whether for attack or defense, everything was perfect.

I never knew how good it was to have healthy arms until I discovered how miserable it was to have a broken one. Now, back in perfect fighting condition and having landed two Traces back-to-back, my techniques had reached a pinnacle usually impossible to achieve.

Not much had happened during these last few days, but I liked it that way. Everything was relatively peaceful.

The most exciting event recently was the governor's visits every other day. Now that he was back in power and there was no impending destruction, everyone was back to their usual shenanigans.

The governor's visits were mostly filled with gossip. The only slightly exciting news was a rumor that the Hong Clan Leader once loved a woman who left him for a no-good gambler and got pregnant. It sounded like a sordid version of a Titanic romance.

Learning these things was mostly useless. However, it was intriguing that the Hong Clan Leader sent the child from that relationship as the scout to deliver a letter to the monstrous beasts. Thinking about what might have been going through his mind as he schemed such a thing was amusing. Poor kid though, he had to deal with something he had no part in.

...

After training, I walked around town to loosen up my muscles before beginning my cultivation.

Snow covered the streets, houses, and everywhere else. Some of the wells in town were frozen, but I wasn't too worried since Body Tempering Cultivators handled that. As I walked deeper into town, it was evident that few people ventured outside in this weather.

With the town half-broken, there was plenty of space to walk amidst the rubble. We had moved all the dead monstrous beasts, but there were still patches of frozen blood on the walls of the buildings.

As I strolled through town, I sensed the governor approaching. This time, however, he was accompanied by another Qi Gathering Cultivator, neither of whom were the Clan Leaders. I stopped walking and waited for the governor to find me.

When he did, I was surprised to see a young man in a blue uniform beside him—the attire of an inner disciple from the Blazing Sun Sect. I recognized him as one of the members of Song Song's group.

"Liu Feng, this young man has come with a message from Song Song herself," the governor said, introducing the young man by his mission without mentioning his name.

The young cultivator, who looked fidgety and tired but not much older than me, ignored the governor's lack of introduction. "Yes, Lady Song Song has asked me to bring you back to regroup with her."

"Sure," I shrugged.

The governor's left eye twitched slightly, the only sign of his surprise. But with no monstrous beasts around and no reason to stay, it made sense to leave.

"If these were better times, I would have organized a parade to make your departure from Whitewall Town memorable. Sadly, our circumstances prevent us from doing so," the governor said with a smile, half-joking. He then waved his hand, and a carpet rolled out from his sleeve towards me leisurely. "Use this to carry your turtle."

"Thanks," I said, feeling the carpet rub against my hand. I imbued it with my Qi and controlled it by manipulating the Qi inside. "I'll return it after this whole war ordeal is over."

"There's no need for that," the governor said. "Consider it a small reward for what you've done for Whitewall City."

Just as the governor and I shared a nice moment, I sensed the Hong Clan Leader approaching. With a smile, he declared, "Yes, it is a sad day to see our hero leaving! After the repairs are done, I will build a statue in your honor in the middle of town."

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"Thanks…" I said, forcing a smile.

Inside, I was relieved to be getting away from these people. There was only so much I could force myself to smile in front of over dramatic people like this. Especially when I knew there was a good chance everything he said was fake and he just wanted to buy my favor with words.

I didn't linger long and immediately headed to the mansion to gather my things. The governor, Hong Clan Leader, and the inner disciple waited outside as I packed my belongings into a small bag and had Speedy store them in his shell.

Once ready, I used the carpet to lift Speedy, and he flew beside me leisurely. Thankfully, even with Speedy's weight, the Qi consumption to fly was manageable. This was a good artifact.

After some simple goodbyes from the governor and a dramatic farewell from the Hong Clan Leader, who looked ready to spill crocodile tears, we set off into the cold wasteland and forest outside the town.

As we reached the forest, neither I nor the inner disciple spoke. At least I had no issues with this guy, unlike the last time when one of their kind tried to get ahead of me.

We traversed the thick forest carefully, making sure not to slip or get ambushed by monstrous beasts. I used a simple array to avoid the cold, so I was pretty comfortable.

"How did the other cities do against the monstrous beasts?" I inquired.

"Three cities under Lady Song Song's management were destroyed. The only ones that survived were Lady Song Song's city and, well… yours," he added uncertainly.

I had expected something like this, as the others had not taken the monstrous beast threat as seriously as I had. It was still disheartening to hear that so many people had been killed.

The rest of the journey through the forest was quiet as I tried to figure out why Song Song would send someone to get me. She wasn't the type to do something like this after what happened the last time. Despite being socially inept, she had a certain level of common sense.

This was like giving a doctor who accidentally removed your kidneys a second chance.

I followed the guy nonetheless, discreetly preparing in case he was leading me into an ambush. Since Speedy was with me, there was no need to worry too much about potential attacks.

Speedy was floating atop the carpet, which couldn't be seen due to his size, making it look like he was flying alone.

Despite the somber mood, I enjoyed the light and strolling pace we were traveling at. However, not much longer, a chill went down my spine as an enormous amount of killing intent exploded nearby.

I froze in fear, and my companion did the same. His eyes widened, and beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks.

The killing intent became so dense it turned visible like tendrils of darkness shooting toward the sky and washing over the land. A sense of terror sprouted within my heart as one of these murderous intent tendrils seeped through my chest.

My knees buckled, and I had never felt so weakened. The other guy fell to his knees, the snow wetting the cloth around them. But that seemed the least of his worries as he began hyperventilating, looking like he was having a panic attack.

Despite the sense of terror that washed over my body, I was not scared. This was an illogical fear like something had forced my body into a fight-or-flight instinct. But despite this, my mind was like an iron wall, stopping me from overreacting.

After all, how could I be scared of a technique I had created?

It seemed like someone had taken the technique to a whole other level.

Speedy retreated inside his shell and seemed to be okay. So I went to the inner disciple, helped him to his feet, and propped him against a tree.

"Try to circulate your Qi," I advised him.

"W-What?" He looked confused, his face turning pale as blood started dripping from his nose.

I checked his pulse; his heart was beating like a loud drum, faster than an engine. He looked like he was on the verge of a heart attack.

"Calm down a little," I said, injecting some Qi around his neck. He was so distracted by fear that he barely noticed me using Qi to pressure the arteries supplying blood to his brain. In an instant, he was knocked out and slumped down.

Rechecking his pulse, it had returned to normal, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

If he hadn't been a cultivator, he would have had a heart attack, or his heart would have torn itself apart.

The source of the killing intent moved closer at such speeds that I wouldn't have been able to react if we were in a fight. It stopped about ten feet behind me.

Turning around, I raised a questioning brow at the cloaked figure.

"Do you get a laugh out of sending mixed signals? I thought you sent a messenger to get me. Why come here yourself?" I asked.

As the figure pulled back its hood, a pretty, youthful face with long, silky dark hair and deep blue eyes stared at me. She had a playful smirk and narrowed her eyes.

"If I didn't know any better, I might think you are unhappy to see me," Song Song sighed and shook her head in mock pain.

"Also, can you stop showing off with the technique you copied from me? You probably killed every animal within a two-mile radius," I said, checking the guy's vitals and making sure to keep his body isolated from outside sensations.

"Pretty cool, right?" she smiled. "While you might have created this killing intent technique, I was the one who developed it to this level. Do you know how hard I had to work at this?"

Song Song tried to string me along, but she was barking up the wrong tree on this one.

"Probably not that hard. It's not a difficult technique to master," I shrugged.

There was a good chance she developed something like this in her free time. She was crazy and crazy talented at the same time.

"Yes you are right, but you could at least make an effort to look impressed," she grumbled, kicking some snow my way. Despite her behavior, she toned down the killing intent, and that unreasonable feeling of fear disappeared in an instant.

I stood up and turned toward Song Song. There were no injuries on her, and her Qi seemed normal. Thankfully, she wasn't hurt or anything like that. I had been very worried about how she would handle a monstrous beast army led by an intelligent general while also dealing with a traitor in her midst.

"Anyway, I bet even you will be surprised by this," she said, her hands moving as if drawing an imaginary bow. Then her Qi ignited, forming an arrow of darkness.

Despite her aiming an unknown attack at me, I wasn't worried. Song Song might be crazy and unpredictable, but I was ninety-five percent sure she wouldn't harm me out of nowhere.

Without warning, she shot the dark arrow at me, and I caught the projectile with my hand. The dark energy slithered into my hand despite stopping, and an irrational sense of fear took over again.

Oh? She had infused her killing intent into a projectile Qi attack. That was impressive, especially if she wanted to stun only one target with her killing intent.

"Impressive," I admitted as fear dissipated when I crushed the foreign Qi in my body with my own Qi.

"I knew you would like that. I call it the Heart Piercing Thousand Terrors Technique," Song Song smiled.

"Lame name, but the technique is good. The guy who created the foundation for that must be a genius or something," I teased her.

Though we were talking like old friends, making jokes and teasing each other, one thought still permeated my mind:

What was she doing all the way here?

Chapter 107: A Returning Conversation

Song Song and I continued talking as I created a barrier to protect the unconscious man from the cold.

"So, how was the war on your end?" I asked her.

"I had to reinforce most cities, but the monstrous beast army was overwhelming. Ultimately, I evacuated as many people as possible to the main city I was managing. That way I only had to protect one city instead of four," Song Song explained.

Overall, it was an intelligent plan that saved more lives than it lost. But how did Song Song handle the logistical challenges of relocating so many people? What about food? Where would they sleep during this harsh winter?

"Even though I could handle most monstrous beasts, and none could really harm me. That didn't mean I could protect everyone, especially when a Foundation Establishment beast held me back while the rest of the army marched past me," she sighed. Still, a smile slowly appeared on her face. "Your killing intent move was helpful in stunning some, serving as effective crowd control. Also, your advice to keep most inner disciples together worked well. Otherwise, I might have been the only survivor of this mess."

It seemed she had faced significant challenges during the battle. Making Foundation Establishment beasts seem like mere nuisances was impressive. The higher the realm, the harder it was to bridge the gap. From what I sensed, Song Song was still at the peak of Qi Gathering, but her battle prowess was extraordinary.

"The killing intent move takes very little Qi, so it was easy to use and improve," she nodded, seemingly agreeing with something only she knew. "Eventually, the beasts learned to shroud themselves in Qi to protect against it. So, I had to focus the technique on dark tendrils to avoid hitting my allies, making it more effective. It was a game of cat and mouse, constantly improving my technique while the beasts developed countermeasures."

Outclassing an army with her talent was something only Song Song could pull off. 

Heh, her technique improvements must have terrified the intelligent beasts.

However, despite her success, her method was not the best. It was her talent bullheading through the problem. But what if she had failed?

Perhaps that was the difference between Song Song and I; she never even assumed she would fail. In some ways, that was a good trait to have, and in her position, I might have failed where she succeeded.

"How many members does your group have now?" I asked.

"Very few. Most died. At least your cousins made it out, injured and probably unable to fight for the rest of the winter. But they survived," Song Song shrugged, her gaze fixed on me like a hawk.

What was she up to now?

"What're you thinking about?" I asked her directly

I didn't have to be as vigilant as I had been with the governor and clan leaders. Neither did I have to wonder what she could be scheming. It was refreshing to be around someone as straightforward as Song Song.

"When I learned that you had not only defended your city against thousands of monstrous beasts with minimal numbers on your side..." She smiled, her eyes glistening with a strange light. "At first, I was going to let you do your own thing and rest. No doubt, what you did was exhausting. But as my situation worsened, I decided to come and get some advice. You clearly know what you're doing... even compared to people who have been defending their cities for decades!"

That last part carried an unconscious hint of bloodlust. I felt sorry for any governor or clan leader who dared to obstruct her.

"I barely got by by the skin of my teeth. There was a lot of luck and trickery involved," I shrugged.

No matter how it seemed to outsiders, I barely had control over what had happened in the town. At any moment, it could have ended in disaster. Any monstrous beast could have broken the barrier protecting the civilians from the poison. Or, if they were more familiar with human tactics, they could have seen through my deceptive letter.

"But you still stopped your city from being overrun, and from what I'm hearing, you even killed a Foundation Establishment monstrous beast," Song Song said, with a playful smile on her lips.

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"If you knew how it happened, it's not that impressive," I chuckled, remembering how I had broken an arm immediately after that.

Song Song frowned, seemingly not hearing what I said, and continued, "Perhaps if I had kept you closer and you were by my side to help with strategizing, we wouldn't have lost so many cities."

So she was ranting about this again. It seemed like the loss had affected her more deeply than it appeared at first glance. If I didn't know her well, I would have thought she was saddened by the loss of life. But I knew her mind didn't work like that. Song Song just didn't like losing. Saving lives was merely a byproduct of winning for her.

I let her vent and made myself comfortable by leaning against a tree, casting a weak heat array around me. With Song Song around, I didn't need to worry about conserving Qi for small things.

"Still, you are competent, and I expected something like this. Also, congratulations on the breakthrough," Song Song smiled. "Can you tell me what exactly happened? Rumors aren't the most reliable source."

"Before I get into that, I want to know if we'll be sticking around here for long. Should I make myself comfortable?" I asked.

She pointed behind me and said, "We will return to Whitewall City. You can tell me your story there."

I nodded and began recounting what had happened. As I spoke, I picked up the unconscious messenger and placed him atop Speedy's shell. Song Song raised a questioning brow when she saw the giant flying turtle but decided not to interrupt. We started walking back to where I had come from.

Since we weren't rushing, I was almost finished with the story before we even left the forest. Enjoying winter's frosty charm without worrying about monstrous beasts attacking me was strangely pleasant.

She smiled as I explained everything, detailing the politics and events.

"Mao... Mao Shaoqi... that name sounds familiar, but I can't quite recall where from?" Song Song interrupted me, then she shrugged and added, "Whatever, it probably isn't important if I didn't bother remembering." 

I continued with the story, finishing just as we neared the edge of the forest and saw the snowy white field in the distance.

"Also, I almost forgot. Congratulations on the book, it's quite popular," Song Song said.

Book?

It took me a moment to remember the encyclopedia. At first, I thought she meant a novel. 

I hoped cultivators found it useful during these hard times. While the encyclopedia didn't contain revolutionary discoveries, it was a detailed and comprehensive compilation. It should be quite useful for fighters, and commanders alike. 

As we approached Whitewall Town, I noticed rough construction around the outer walls covering the holes the monstrous beasts left.

I tried to get a read on Song Song, but all I could tell was that she was quite pretty when she wasn't smiling creepily. Her steamy breath in the cold gave her a charming appearance, almost like a princess.

It was easy to forget how charming she was by how she acted. As long as she didn't open her mouth or show her craziness, she could qualify as a rare beauty that many would fight over.

She stopped walking and stared at the walls. I halted along with her and stopped the flying turtle by manipulating the Qi in the carpet artifact.

"What's on your mind?" I asked, giving up on trying to read her. It seemed I wasn't the only one improving on the political side.

"My leadership while trying to defend my cities has been disastrous. If I return to the clan like this, with nothing but broken cities to show, it will be disastrous," she confessed. "That's why I decided to come here... I want to break into Foundation Establishment. But there's no one I trust in my group except you."

Ah, so that was what she was worried about. As a Core Disciple, Song Song had countless advantages many couldn't imagine. Still, those advantages came with the expectation that she would outperform everyone by a wide margin.

But with so many of her cities destroyed, a crack had formed in Song Song's indomitable armor. Her fellow Core Disciples and others would use this as a weakness or counterargument against her in the future.

Despite how much we knew and trusted each other, Song Song's goals sometimes felt alien to me. She usually didn't concern herself with what was happening around her or what people thought. Yet, there were times when she showed genuine interest and tried hard to become a better candidate for the next Sect Leader.

"Are you sure you're ready?" I inquired.

If she failed to break through to Foundation Establishment, all the Qi she had gathered would dissipate, and she would regress to a one-star Qi Gathering Cultivator.

With Song Song's talents, even if she failed, it would take at most a couple of years to reach the peak of Qi Gathering again. Compared to me, her cultivation speed was fast. But that still didn't mean much. She would be weakened if she failed, and she had too many enemies who would take advantage of such a situation.

"Yes, I have been ready for a while," she said.

I decided to trust her judgment. I would not argue with her, and I would try my best to help her if something went wrong. 

"I'm doing this because we've been called to gather and form a main army to fight against the monstrous beasts. They're apparently planning to attack some no-name town," she shrugged.

"With your background, you could stay in a safe place during the war," I offered. "There's no need to rush. Nobody can compete with you anyway, so why enter a dangerous situation for no reason?"

While Song Song might be pretty bloodthirsty, she wasn't stupid enough to willingly enter an unwinnable battle. From what I was hearing, it seemed like the monstrous beasts were preparing for one last push. If that were the case, the monstrous beast leaders might reveal themselves, which was very dangerous.

Song Song looked me in the eyes and tilted her head. "Oh... you don't know about the Sect Leader's son?"

Chapter 108: Casual Terror

The Sect Leader's son? While it might sound like a special position, it really wasn't. As one of the most powerful men on the continent, the Sect Leader had a harem. And since condoms weren't a thing here, he had around a hundred children.

I didn't know the exact number, but he had many kids. As far as I knew, none of them inherited his talent, mostly because their mothers were chosen for their beauty and were mortals. It was hard for a high-grade talent to transfer, though with these odds, the Sect Leader had been more unlucky than most.

Then again, I hadn't paid much attention to these rumors. I didn't know exactly how many children the Sect Leader had and was just speculating and crunching numbers.

"You think he can defeat you?" I asked.

At first, as we approached the town, there was only the sound of snow shuffling beneath our feet. Song Song's gaze seemed distant as she looked at the sky.

"No," she answered. "I can defeat and destroy everyone in the race to the top. There is no question about that."

"You sure?" I teased her. "The clan head has a lot of children. One of them is bound to be more talented than you."

"The only ones I have to worry about are those children from the union of the Sect Leader and my aunt," she said nonchalantly.

Song Song wasn't foolish enough to overlook the Sect Leader's other children, so there must be a reason for this.

"Why? The talent should still translate well, and the clan leader reached his position without the help of the Song Clan. There's a chance one of his children with another member of his harem will have that same potential," I explained.

"Well, let's just say that my aunt isn't the best stepmother... It's no coincidence that none of the children from the concubines have shown any talent for cultivation," she smiled as if reminded of an inside joke only she knew. "Also, she's insufferable enough that despite being married to the Sect Leader, they only had a child thirteen years ago."

Oh, so the only child of the Sect Leader she was worried about was her own cousin. From what Song Song was hinting at, it seemed like her aunt was either crippling the cultivation or poisoning the Sect Leader's newborn children so they could never become cultivators. No wonder the Sect Leader only had one child with her.

Also, what was up with the Song Clan and their women? Why were they all crazy? I felt sorry for the Sect Leader. Just imagining having someone like Song Song as a wife sent a chill down my spine.

"Have you at least ever met your cousin?" I wondered what kind of genius could worry Song enough that she would even entertain the notion that he could surpass her.

When I thought of someone who could best Song Song, the first thing that came to mind was someone with the ruthless efficiency to be her cousin, yet level-headed and humble due to his father's commoner background. A charismatic guy who could draw both sides of the Sect to his side—that was a terrifying opponent. Even if I owed Song Song a lot, that was not the kind of dude anyone wanted to fight.

"He is just some pansy, a thirteen-year-old brat who has reached the peak of Body Tempering and has been stuck there for a whole year now," Song Song explained with a bored look in her eyes. "Nobody knows his cultivation talent, or at least it is not public knowledge."

Nobody? The Sect Leader likely knew, which clarified why Song Song hadn't already been pushed out of the race. 

She shattered all my preconceptions about someone who could cause her to worry. The only thing her way was her own craziness.

As we approached the wall, a few ideas came to mind about why they might hide his talent. It made no sense unless he wasn't talented or had an Extreme Physique that meant he would die young, making it unnecessary for anyone to support him.

Extreme Physiques were rare; it was considered often if they appeared once a century. It would be improbable for the kid to have one. Still, we lived in times when heaven's favorites strolled about, so anything was possible.

"He seems to have advanced to the peak of Body Tempering quite fast. Did you do it that fast too?" I teased, trying to keep a smirk from forming.

"You damn well know that advancing through Body Tempering fast doesn't mean anything when he has so many resources. Also, if it wasn't for learning secret family techniques, I would have advanced faster than him," Song Song declared.

She saw through my ruse but couldn't stop herself from being offended.

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Despite how fast he advanced, it mattered little. Unless there was an outlier like myself, someone with low spirit roots would struggle to sense Qi and take years to advance. Some never did. That's why Spiritual Roots were so important.

"Okay, enough talk about boring things. How about you send some strategies my way? That's where I need to improve, and talking about things we can't change isn't going to help anyone," she insisted, kicking some snow as the walls got closer. Some soldiers atop the wall pointed at us, and a few went away, likely to notify the governor. But Song Song didn't seem worried and continued, "What would you do if this same situation played out during spring or summer? Because of how things are going, this war could last a while. We could enter other seasons and still be at war."

"I would poison the food and water source of the monstrous beasts," I answered faster than I was comfortable with. I was getting used to this world, and while contemplating how to deal with the monstrous beasts, I'd thought up a lot of plans on how to kill things. "I'd probably keep the same strategy if they infiltrated the city. I could also figure out how to spread the poison through plant pollen."

I sensed the governor and the two clan leaders approaching the gates. They had been notified of my presence, and they knew it was me because the report likely mentioned the flying turtle beside us.

"What if you didn't have time to prepare at all?" Song Song broke me out of my thoughts.

"Then I would die," I shrugged.

Who did she think I was? Some invincible cultivator? I wouldn't need to scheme so much if I were that strong. I wasn't a miracle worker.

Despite my answer, Song Song frowned, clearly displeased. "You would really do nothing and just accept your death?"

"I won't give up immediately. There would still be hope that someone might come and save me. But what could I do when monstrous beasts were already charging from the fields?" I asked.

Song Song pouted, annoyed at my responses. "What if you had a day to prepare?"

"It depends," I shrugged. "If the monstrous beasts were in the fields around the town, I'd use the same tactic I used to gas the town with poison-"

"Damn, we could have probably used something like that in the cities we abandoned. It would have significantly cut down the number of monstrous beasts, " Song Song grumbled.

I was used to her antics by now and continued my explanation. "If the monstrous beasts were in the forest, I'd set fire to the forest, assuming it's spring or summer. That way, some of the beasts would suffocate."

CO2 poisoning was quite bad even for monstrous beasts. I had many other plans in mind, but most were theoretical. I wouldn't risk wasting time trying them if my life was on the line in this hypothetical scenario.

Song Song smiled, satisfied with my answer. "Hearing you speak like that makes me feel that no matter what, you will never lose. You have a plan for everything."

"I barely pulled a win," I chuckled.

"A weak victory is better than the strongest defeat," she stated. "If I had taken your warning more seriously and not acted arrogant as if I could do everything on my own, it would have been better to keep you by my side, giving me weak victories rather than horrendous losses."

What was she on about?

"This is unlike you," I said. "Do you need help with anything? I could brew you a good cup of tea."

"I don't usually fail," she said. 

Her piercing blue eyes met mine, and for a second, we had a tense standoff.

"Well, if you thought you were going to live the rest of your life without failing, then you are delusional," I stated matter-of-factly.

When those words left my mouth, the temperature around us somehow grew colder. The tension in the air was palpable. But despite all that, Song Song ended up laughing and saying nothing.

Sometimes, it was hard to tell what someone like her could be thinking. What was going through her brilliant but deranged mind?

There was no more time for banter as we arrived at the front gates of Whitewall Town. The giant gates were already open, and the two clan leaders and the governor were waiting for us.

Among the three welcoming us, the governor caught sight of Song Song and paled. His lip shook, and his breaths hastened. It was a clear sign of panic. For God's sake, his face was sweaty in this bone-chilling winter.

At least the two clan leaders looked relatively normal, and the Hong Clan Head even had a smile on his face as usual. It seemed like they knew little about Song Song's reputation. Still, the governor looked like he had personal experience with her.

"Whitewall Town humbly welcomes the honorable cultivators-"

Whatever honeyed words the Hong Clan Leader was about to say were interrupted as Song Song frowned. Her deep blue eyes gained a red glint, and a dark mist began seeping out of her. The mist formed into intangible dark tendrils and spread like some unspoken horror.

"Since when did some trash get so confident? What made you think you could come greet me while standing? Get on your knees before I cut off your legs," Song Song said with an eerily calm voice.

Then, once again, that overwhelming killing intent lashed out. To some, it was like a physical force, crashing against the Body Tempering cultivators and throwing them back. At the same time, the two clan leaders and the governor's knees buckled and they fell to one knee.

The governor still seemed scared, but the clan leaders seemed to realize what was happening. Perhaps they thought that Song Song was the same as the governor since she was also at the peak of Qi Gathering. But she was in a whole other position and a hell of a lot crazier.

We had been having a nice chat before, so it was easy to forget. But Song Song was the closest thing this world had to royalty; she was a princess in the Blazing Sun Sect. She looked genuinely offended that these people hadn't greeted her on their knees.

"Perhaps you should stop releasing so much killing intent since it could harm the civilians," I advised.

"Don't worry, I tested this on civilians, and since they can't perceive Qi, the most they feel is a tingle… unless, of course, said civilians have good senses and can somehow sense Qi without being Qi Gathering cultivators. Then that's a whole different matter," she smiled.

Her murderous presence intensified once again, and the tendrils of dark intent were large enough that they looked like they were grabbing at the town.

She had gotten so much better at using this technique that it no longer felt like the same thing I had initially used. Despite how much I liked to tease her about being the one who created the active use of killing intent, Song Song had made this technique her own.