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5.15% Desolate Fate / Chapter 22: Northern Wilderness

章 22: Northern Wilderness

Shortly after the beast tide resistance groups were established, spiritual treasures were given to those core disciples who lacked such a treasure. Spiritual treasures were all valuable items, so those disciples naturally felt overjoyed. With a spiritual treasure, it became possible to properly channel their Innate Qi, amplifying their strength significantly!

It wasn't a problem for Great Elder Wan to provide Yaan with a spiritual treasure personally. The only reason he hadn't done so until now, was simply because there hadn't been any need.

A basic treasure which could be used by a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator was nothing much to the great elder. That said, the sword he gave Yaan was not simple, this weapon would continue to serve him well even after ascending to the Innate Qi Realm! Great Elder Wan wanted to ensure that Yaan was fully protected when he ventured into the wilderness, it would be too pitiful if he died to a wild beast.

Yaan examined his new sword carefully. It was similar in size and shape to his old sword, but the blade was far sharper, and when held at a certain angle, it actually released a red glimmer of light. The handle was wrapped with a unique flattened black vine, providing it with a strong and durable grip.

According to his teacher, this sword could channel Innate Qi, forming a sharp blade light around the edge of the blade. When this blade light manifested, the weapon also felt lighter, making it easier and faster to move.

After sheathing his sword into a holder which he attached to his back, Yaan glanced around curiously.

Not long after the groups were equipped with sufficient treasures, the great elders led the disciples and lower elders down the mountain, towards the Northern part of the outer sect. Everyone descended from the core sect, passing through the winding paths as a caravan of people, with the great elders a few dozen feet ahead.

Their pace was slow but steady, reaching the inner sect within an hour or two. The inner sect disciples were already being herded across the sect to the Northern face of the mountain, joining the core sect disciples. As the two groups converged, the swarm of people did not stop, but continued with their journey downwards, towards the foot of the mountain

The inner sect disciples wore expressions of reverence when they saw the majesty of the core sect disciples in their distinctly recognisable crimson robes. Even some of the weaker inner sect elders showed respect towards these genius disciples.

The hierarchy of the Heavenly Path Sect was fairly simple. The outer sect disciples were all mortals, disregarded by the sect and considered 'sect candidates' rather than true sect members. Upon reaching the Qi Gathering Realm, the outer sect disciples could enter the inner sect. Of course, those mortals who possessed high talent were able to enter the inner sect directly.

If an inner sect disciple broke through to the Innate Qi Realm before the age of 50, they would have the opportunity to rise up and become a core sect disciple. If they only reached this realm after their 50th birthday, they would most likely find themselves stuck as a low ranking elder of the inner sect for the remainder of their lives.

Reaching the Qi Temple Realm meant becoming a higher ranking elder, whilst the great elders were those at the Spirit Core realm.

Anyway, anyone could see that a core sect disciple was considered more valuable than an Innate Qi Realm elder. Even towards a child such as Yaan, these elders would act with respect, despite the difference in both age and strength.

Yaan and Elia were by far the youngest disciples in the core sect, but nobody dared to look down on them for this. On the contrary, any Qi Gathering Realm child capable of entering the core sect must be a heaven defying genius that the sect was carefully nurturing…these lesser elders could not afford to offend such children!

The core disciples mostly kept to themselves, not mixing with the inner sect disciples. Many of the core disciples wore prideful expressions when they noticed the attention and reverence that they were receiving from the others.

Elia also felt extremely proud as she overheard the awe and praise directed towards her. She and Yaan would always attract this sort attention as the youngest core sect members, no matter where in the sect they went. She glanced over towards Yaan secretly, wondering if he felt the same way.

Yaan looked totally indifferent, as if he hadn't even noticed the countless reverent gazes. Elia's heart sank, feeling again that she was inferior to Yaan.

Really though, Yaan was just more focussed on the surrounding inner sect. He had never actually been to this place before, so he was quite curious to see how the conditions differed compared to the core and outer sects.

As expected, it was a moderate midway point between the two extremes of the sect that he had experienced until now. The atmosphere inner sect's Spiritual Energy density was between that of the outer sect and the core sect, whilst the architecture and scenery also seemed more tame. The conditions here were much better compared to any mortal settlement, but it obviously couldn't compare to the beauty of the core sect.

A serene atmosphere, an abundance of bright flowers, fruit trees and well-kept grass, properly designed housing that was obviously properly maintained by the servants…this was basically what Yaan had been expecting from the Heavenly Path Sect prior to his arrival.

The further down the mountain they descended, the less luxurious the conditions became. The crowd was steadily growing, until there were thousands of disciples and elders making their way downwards, towards the bottom of the mountain.

Yaan quickly noticed that the Spiritual Energy density in was steadily decreasing. He had spent so long in the core sect and never actually stepped foot outside since reaching the Qi Gathering Realm. This was the first time that Yaan had ever felt such a low Spiritual Energy density.

"Is this the normal Spiritual Energy density throughout the world…?" He muttered to himself, not really asking this question to anyone in particular.

"Spiritual Energy density varies massively between places. Even moving between countries on the same planet, or between provinces within the country, will lead to a big change in the surrounding Spiritual Energy." Rui chimed in.

'What's a planet?' Yaan thought to himself, but he didn't continue speaking in this crowded place.

Down the mountain the group travelled, now five thousand strong and counting. The beautiful scenery faded away, replaced by ordinary trees and grass like that found within the surrounding mortal villages. Upon reaching the outer sect, even the grass and trees thinned out.

Seeing so many prestigious cultivators passing by their village caused the mortal outer sect disciples to feel terrified. However, they were mostly ignored, the elders walked straight past their village and stopped at the other side.

The mountain was surrounded by forests on all sides. The dark forest to the South, the Northern wilderness to the North, and the forests segregating them from the adjacent mountains to the East and West.

The Sect Lord turned around to address the now slightly anxious crowd.

"We will establish more sturdy borders and station points throughout the Northern outer sect. Each village will be renovated and transformed into a station point, where groups can return to rest and receive their merit points."

It seemed that Sect Lord Shin had already conceived a clear strategy for resisting the beast tide's first wave. Strengthen the border, reinforce the outer sect and tempt everyone with rewards and glory.

"He is somewhat capable, at least he satisfies the minimum requirements to maintain a sect." Rui commented plainly.

The efficiency of a group run by an absolute power was displayed in all its splendour in this moment. The outer sect disciples were put to work, doing manual labour and assisting with the reinforcement of the borders and villages, whilst the inner and core sect resistance groups were organised and assigned to their own posts.

Yaan's group was sent to Hun Village, an outer sect village located Northwest of the mountain. His group would not be assisting with the renovations, instead immediately embarking into the Northern forest. For now, they were instructed to search the Southern border of the Northern wilderness, which could also be considered the Northernmost territory of the Heavenly Path Sect.

The scouts finally retuned with vital information. According to their reports, the first wave of the beast tide was heading towards the outer sect rapidly. The number of beasts in this first wave made up only a tiny fraction of the total, whilst their average strength was just Rank 1 to Rank 2.

With this preliminary information to reassure them, the various groups, Yaan's included, headed out.

Even though he knew that the danger should be minimal, Yaan kept up his guard. His eyes darted about as he tried to maintain his maximum alertness, wary of any potential dangers.

He had never actually seen a true demonic beast. The closest he had encountered was that strange black fish in the dark forest, but that monstrous thing was only the new-born baby of an actual demonic beast.

He had encountered a few tamed spirit beasts used as mounts by some of the great elders in the sect, but those beasts alone were enough to make him feel quite wary. Demonic beasts and wild spirit beasts would have very different temperaments compared to tamed spirit beasts, though…

Towards this unknown threat, he naturally felt apprehensive.

"Don't worry so much, Elia, Yaan." Boln smiled back at them. "Rank 1 and 2 beasts aren't all that powerful, I can even deal with Peak Rank 2 beasts alone."

His bragging wasn't for nothing, Boln was indeed capable of this. Learning this comforting fact allowed Elia to relax slightly.

"He's right Yaan, you need to relax. If you are always tense, you will exhaust yourself rapidly. When travelling alone in the outside world, it is essential to remain both aware and relaxed at all times. This is a skill that can only be developed through experience."

Yaan nodded his head when he heard Rui's advice. Boln mistook this as Yaan accepting his words of comfort, so he returned his attention to the path ahead.

There were some differences in this Northern forest compared to the dark forest to the South. This forest was much brighter, whilst the trees were larger and spaced further apart. The plants displayed a variety of bright green and blue colours which reflected the midday sun, creating the feeling of an exotic rainforest, rather than a gloomy and suppressive wilderness like in the South.

The high humidity added to this feeling…it was as if they had entered an entirely different world.

This sort of unfamiliar climate left Yaan and Elia feeling even more uncomfortable. The other three in their group were slightly better off, since they had all explored the Northern wilderness once or twice in the past.

Yaan tried his best to calm himself and adjust. Rui had drilled it into him that he could not rely on the sect, he could not assume that he would always have a safe place to live on Heavenly Path Mountain.

In this world, he could only rely on himself. Yaan could only obtain revenge for himself, and he knew that if he really killed Elder Sun, he would have betrayed the sect…at that point, he would no longer have a place to call home.


章 23: Demonic Beasts

The expedition into the Northern wilderness continued. For some time, they did not encounter anything out of the ordinary, but this peace could not last forever.

"Grrr…"

The group suddenly tensed up. Everyone looked ahead and narrowed their eyes. Boln stroked his hand across a red ring on his left hand, causing it to flash with a red light. A spear appeared in his hands, which he quickly pointed at their first foe.

It was a wolf. Yaan stayed back and examined this wolf. The beast was far more intimidating than any wild animal he had seen before. Its body was coated with dark grey fur, but its eyes and claws were crimson, giving it a savage appearance.

The wolf growled at them whilst baring its teeth. Elia instinctively stepped back and grabbed ahold of Yaan's robe. He turned to her in surprise, but couldn't bring himself to say anything after catching sight of her fearful expression.

Yaan sighed, realising again that their experiences of the cultivation world had simply been too different. Elia had been treated well, not encountering any danger or suffering, whilst Yaan was continually forced by circumstance to fight for his own survival and progress.

Returning his gaze forwards, Yaan waited and watched on expectantly. He felt a bit of anticipation as he wondered how Boln would handle this encounter.

"Eh, what are you doing, Boln?" Kaila asked in confusion, seeing that he had actually pulled back casually.

Boln turned back towards Yaan and flashed a smile.

"Little Yaan, this is just a weak Rank 1 dire wolf, how about you show us your skills? Since you've never fought a beast since becoming a cultivator, this is a good opportunity for you. After all, who knows when we will next find a lone weak beast."

Yaan blinked in surprise. He pondered for a moment, before nodding in agreement. Boln was right, this was indeed a good opportunity. He gently pushed away Elia's hand from his robe, then made his way towards the beast calmly.

He made eye contact with the wolf, which started staring at him as soon as he made a move towards it. Yaan continued to stare directly into the wolf's eyes as he walked forwards, step by step...

Elia was left feeling stunned, not understanding how Yaan was able to remain so calm in the face of a monster like this!

'He…is he really going to fight it alone?' Elia thought, feeling some disbelief and worry.

Yaan saw the beast's killing intent, but also its fear. This wolf could tell that these humans were strong, so it ended up baring its fangs defensively. It relaxed slightly when the strongest of the humans stepped back, but its aggression was rekindled upon making eye contact with Yaan.

Dangerous! This child actually caused the wolf to feel a powerful sense of danger!

The closer Yaan walked towards the wolf, the more killing intent he revealed. With each step he took, it felt as if his entire demeanour was straying further and further from its usual state. Whilst he was entirely focussed on this battle, his intent to kill spread out openly and without restraint.

Kaila, Elia and Findi all felt shocked as they felt Yaan's aura develop into something overwhelmingly bloodthirsty, but Boln, who had already witnessed Yaan's aura before, only watched on in anticipation.

"Is this really the aura of a child…?" Kaila muttered. She felt slightly shaken that Yaan, this boy she had known for a couple of years now, was actually hiding such an intense killing intent!

Yaan was unaware of his group's gazes, he was fully focussed on the coming battle. He had grown accustomed to placing the entirety of his focus on his enemy, as he had always fought against lone prisoners, with no outside interferences. Rui made a mental note…she needed to remind him that he should always remain aware of his surroundings, even in situations such as this.

Yaan drew his sword right as he arrived before the wolf. He didn't stop walking, continuing forwards calmly. This unusual calmness sent powerful warning signals through the wolf's mind, causing it to hesitate and take a step back. Yaan took one more step and raised his sword above his head in a single smooth motion.

As the sense of danger shooting through the beast's mind reached its peak, it leapt forwards, opening its mouth and aiming for Yaan's throat. The image of such a large beast pouncing towards a child would send shivers down any mother's spine, but the outcome was not what they would expect to see.

To Yaan, this wolf was simply too slow. Its moments were plain and simple, he had already predicted that it would aim for his throat before it even left the ground.

He didn't step back, but instead swiftly slid forwards and to the left. His sword flashed as he injected his Innate Qi and filled the blade with an additional sharp power. The blade was already sharper than any ordinary sword, but this injection of Innate Qi created a powerful effect where the sword was coated in a layer of sharp red Qi.

Combined with Yaan's barbaric physical strength, the wolf simply stood no chance.

Chi!

The blade slashed through the wolf's throat cleanly, beheading it in a single, barely visible slash. This scene made Findi's jaw drop to the floor. He, like Yaan, was also at the Peak Qi Gathering Realm. Since he was able to enter the core sect even though his cultivation was only at the Qi Gathering Realm, he was obviously not ordinary, despite his appearance.

He had assumed that whilst they were both at the same realm, he would certainly be stronger than Yaan due to his age, his size and his experience. However, this single blow of Yaan's let him know that his judgement was completely wrong; Yaan was most definitely more powerful than him!

Thud!

The wolf's body hit the floor, its head rolling slightly to the side. Its blood gushed out and drenched the turquoise grass with a crimson red, making Elia's face turn a shade paler. She took a step back and swallowed, staring at the beheaded beast in shock.

"Hah…"

Yaan exhaled and the tension rapidly dispersed from his body.

"Haha, that was amazing Yaan! I knew that you would win, but didn't expect it to be so easy. Your constitution sure is something, I feel like your physical strength alone could match that wolf!" Boln praised Yaan whilst laughing cheerfully.

"Senior disciple is too kind, I still have much to learn." Yaan replied with a forced smile.

"Too humble, really!" Boln grinned.

Yaan sighed internally, he wasn't just being modest…

"You wasted far too much energy dealing with such a weak thing. Why would you use your full strength on a weak Rank 1 beast? You need to learn to exert your strength appropriately if you want to survive."

Yaan's eye twitched at the stark contrast between his group's praise and Rui's criticism.

The group retrieved the wolf's eyes as proof of their victory. They needed to bring back something identifiable like this if they wanted to earn their merit points back at the Hun Village station point.

The group continued on, everyone feeling in high spirits after witnessing Yaan's impressive display. It was obvious that not only did he possess unusual strength for someone at the Qi Gathering Realm, but his battle experience was nothing to scoff at either! This additional pillar of support was naturally welcomed by everyone in the group.

As they travelled deeper into the forest, Yaan realised something that made him feel startled.

"Wait, I can actually absorb Slaughter Aura from killing beasts?" He muttered.

"Huh, what did you say Yaan?" Boln asked, looking back at him and smiling again.

"Ah, nothing." Yaan realised that he mistakenly spoke aloud and quickly covered for himself. Luckily he had only muttered quietly and was hanging back a dozen feet behind Boln, so he wasn't overheard.

"Well of course you can, life is life after all. You probably misunderstood owing to the initial requirement of killing 100 of your own race." Rui explained as if this was obvious.

Yaan wanted to scream at her, 'then why have I been killing so many humans?!', but he managed to keep his cool.

Thinking about it, he understood her perspective. Rui just wanted him to grow stronger, and killing prisoners was the safest way for him to do so right now. Venturing into the wilderness and hunting beasts was accompanied by an additional layer of danger compared to slaughtering weakened prisoners.

Of course, eventually, Yaan needed to venture out into the world. He would never reach the height that Rui needed him to reach if he remained within that sect forever…

Yaan silently refined the Slaughter Aura from the Rank 1 beast and quickly replenished his Innate Qi. The Slaughter Aura released by the dire wolf was similar in strength to that of a Mid Qi Gathering Realm human cultivator, but he was easily able to deal with this without needing to stop. This level of Slaughter Aura was no longer too much for his mind to handle, as he had become adept at resisting the bloodthirsty desires brought on by the absorption of Slaughter Aura.

They didn't delve too far into the wilderness, staying within a couple of miles of Hun Village.

They encountered beasts more frequently as time went on. For now, they were simply testing each member's abilities whilst working on their teamwork. After all, a large-scale beast tide was something that could drag out for many months, they would be working together for quite some time.

Findi was able to deal with a Rank 1 boar with a little more effort than Yaan, whilst Boln and Kaila's abilities were obviously top tier. With Boln's Peak Innate Qi Realm cultivation, it wasn't even a problem when they came across a Rank 2 red wing eagle. Boln completely decimated the bird with three successive jabs of his spear, destroying its sharp feathers and ending its life swiftly.

Elia was the only member of their group who ran into some troubles. She had a Late Qi Gathering Realm cultivation and she trained in a type of sword arts, so logically, she should be capable of dealing with weaker Rank 1 beasts. Unfortunately, her battle experience was completely lacking.

"Don't panic Elia, remember your training!" Boln shouted out words of encouragement whilst keeping a close eye on the battle.

Elia was facing off against a Rank 1 dire wolf, the most common beast in this area of the woods. This wolf was even weaker than the beasts that Yaan and Findi had faced, it was just an Early Rank 1 beast.

Her hands trembled slightly as she faced the vicious looking beast. She tightened her grip and clenched her teeth, but her anxiety was still obvious to the wolf, giving it a burst of courage.

The wolf leapt forwards suddenly, aiming to tear out her neck. Clearly, this was a common tactic employed by canine beasts.

"Ah!" Elia cried out and stepped backwards, closing her eyes and stabbing out randomly with her sword.

Whoosh!

The expected impact never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Boln had stepped in, piercing through the beast's throat with his spear.

"I, I'm sorry…" She apologised in embarrassment, flushing red and looking down at the ground.

"Don't worry Elia, it's only because your combat experience is lacking. After spending some more time in the wilderness, you'll definitely improve quickly." Boln comforted her. He smiled and patted her head, doing his best to make her feel like she wasn't causing them any troubles. Yaan couldn't help but think that Boln was well-suited towards being a group leader.

Boln had more or less expected Elia's performance to be lacking. It was common that a pampered prodigal child would only become capable in combat after leaving the comfort of the sect and experiencing the real world for the first time.

Despite everyone's words of encouragement, Elia couldn't help but feel down as they continued onwards.

'No, I can always make up for it next time!' Her eyes brightened and she resolved herself. There was no time for self-pity. If she wanted to change people's opinions of her, then she just needed to do better in the future!

After a few hours flew by, the situation became increasingly dangerous. Lone beasts were now showing up in groups every few minutes. With her weak abilities, Elia was forced to watch whilst everyone else did battle and protected her. Seeing their teamwork improving with every battle, she began to feel left out.

From her first battle until dark, Elia didn't get to fight again. The group returned to Hun Village in good spirits that evening, though Elia felt a little bit depressed that she was never presented with the chance to redeem herself. Regardless, they all felt happy to have survived the first day of the beast tide. They even started to feel that overcoming this entire calamity might not be as difficult as they had imagined.

It wasn't long before this naive notion was torn to shreds.


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  • テキストの品質
  • アップデートの安定性
  • ストーリー展開
  • キャラクターデザイン
  • 世界の背景

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