Greater Good

After walking at a considerably wide angle, their feet touched the inner black ground of the cave. A wave of pure Qi was immediately transmitted beneath their feet; then, it quickly permeated their entire bodies, giving them a strange sense of ecstasy.

The Divine Beast had existed here for at least a century, and its thunderous power had rooted throughout the cave, purifying every inch of soil. Their current positions were only half a kilometer from the intense battle. However, this was still an extremely dangerous distance.

Their steps were swift, not slowing down for anything. The beast was clearly hiding its true power. If it suddenly unleashed its true strength and quickly defeated the two idiotic humans, they would be in serious trouble.

'Those full armors don't seem to have been made to enhance attack power.' Alm analyzed as they advanced deeper into the cave. 'They probably will attack with everything, not caring about defense now. Even if the beast wants to finish quickly, we'll have enough time.'

What is reassuring, however, is the fact that the divine beast evidently didn't want its residence to be damaged. It not only pushed them away but also tried not to let its attacking power explode in the cave's direction as much as possible. Something good should be buried there.

The true depth of this cave was unknown, so as they gradually delved deeper, the light also became increasingly dim. After continuing for a few minutes, a sound emerged from within, causing Alm and Bruno to furrow their brows.

In the next moment, Alm held Ruri, and they shot back behind a rock like arrows just released from the bow. Using all the remaining Qi they had, they pressed their thick arms against the surface of the rock fervently.

BOOM!!!

A mere spark of tremendously powerful thunder passed and violently exploded the rock. The dust settled slowly, and they breathed deeply. It was a very close call.

Alm looked at Ruri, and she was surprisingly excited, leaving him with a strange expression. Where did that fearful little girl go?

Their steps had slowed down a bit, then accelerated again as they hurriedly ran. Finally, in the depths, they saw a source of purple luminescence, which made Bruno and Alm's eyes light up in understanding.

'Radiant Thundergrass!' Bruno exclaimed excitedly. He had briefly read a description of this grass in the library. 'It's a natural grass from this forest and has been recorded about five times in history. It's so rare that it even attracts people from that guy's sect.'

'Why didn't the young master bastard come personally then?' Alm asked, not caring much.

'It is rare, but its thunder Qi is so furious that it's almost useless for these mediocre cultivators, and the stronger ones who formed a core no longer reap great benefits. The records speak of hundreds of people from our clan who died trying to use the grass for some purpose.'

Bruno then laughed mockingly. 'Since the young master came at the sect's request, they must have a secret method. But as he's not here, probably something rarer is stored somewhere else.'

'It doesn't matter much. Lightning laws are not useful currently, but we can absorb the laws with the Collector Qi Technique and convert them into Qi for cultivation. The main thing is the soil around the grass; the power of the earth comes from there.' Alm spoke, looking closely at those rays. 'We have to take the grass; the problem is how to do that.'

Suddenly, they felt a slight fluctuation of Qi next to them. Ruri looked at them with her eyes shining and spoke mentally with a smile. 'Plants don't have strong mental power, right?'

Alm and Bruno then had a sudden understanding; they were never good at soul power, so they didn't even consider this possibility. 'Plants in places like this planet hardly develop great intelligence. This one definitely doesn't have strong defenses.' Bruno replied.

Alm then had a bold idea and smiled sinisterly.

***

Several areas within the forest were either ablaze or violently destroyed. The grueling battle had been unfolding for almost an hour as the two men were internally drowning in despair.

About half an hour ago, the divine beast, which they thought they could defeat even with difficulties, suddenly revealed a power capable of shaking the heavens. Its cultivation was in the eighth level of the Qi Gathering Realm, but its real power now clearly surpassed that.

They realized too late when the power of thunder exploded. A severe injury was inflicted on both at the same time. They now fought to defend themselves and stay awake, as running in this state was impossible. They hadn't fallen yet because of the full armor they wore.

"Damn it! Brother, I'm sorry, but we have to get the grass at all costs." shouted the average-height man after leaping to dodge an almost fatal attack.

The tall and muscular man knew exactly what he was talking about. The mission given by the sect was divided between three groups. One of them consisted of four elders who went to a more internal area within the forest. The second group was made up of twenty young disciples; they were currently gathered, making preparations to fulfill another mission.

As for them, they were part of five pairs that sought the radiant thundergrass. The entire mission was given by a supreme alchemist counselor of the sect. News of the grass reached the sect, and they gathered everyone. Still, only one of the five pairs would find the grass first. Whichever pair found it would have a shared reward given by the counselor.

These two came from the same small clan that existed in the south of the planet and joined the sect together five years ago. They had the divine luck to find the grass. This was a chance to change their lives, as their cultivation had not improved over time. Another year stuck like this, and they could be expelled from the sect.

Suddenly, the eyes of the tall and muscular man lit up, and he spoke, "Brother, we won't be able to escape. Let's use all the remaining Qi in a single move; it will be a do-or-die situation."

The other man sighed and nodded. The two ran in opposite directions, one holding his cracked sword and the other wielding a giant axe. The beast seemed to smile at the desperate action and didn't move, accumulating its power within its core.

It was when the muscular man with the axe sighed and took out an amulet from the ring without his ally noticing, as he was on the opposite side of the beast.

It was then that a wave of spatial laws emerged without any warning. The man with the sword felt those laws, not understanding what was happening. Suddenly, he just felt a touch on his back.

He turned abruptly in surprise and saw a tall man emerging like a specter behind him. "Brother, what..." He barely had time to finish the sentence as the man's hand touched his back, revealing another amulet that glowed with a dark hue.

In the next second, the man felt all the remaining Qi in his meridians burning in his body, out of his control.

"Die for the greater good, brother," said the muscular man. While the other still stared at him, he was launched like a cannonball, with no control over his body or Qi.

The beast witnessed the scene without comprehending how the human disappeared and reappeared there, but then the instinctive sense of death surfaced. It tried to release all the accumulated Qi, but everything happened too quickly. The other man emerged in front of it, shrouded in an intense black aura.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

When the dust settled, a strong smell of blood was in the air, and the sound of something breaking reverberated. It was the tall and muscular man who had attacked with his axe. And under the axe, one could see the dead divine beast.