Having grasped my new horizons, I decided to test how much the power of my fireball had increased. I knew roughly how strong the standard technique was. I used my ordinary Qi, added a portion of my life force, created a fireball, and then applied five modifications in line with the newfound “instructions.” The result was a sphere filled with superheated plasma, tens of thousands of degrees in temperature. It shone like a crimson sun, striking awe into anyone who saw it. Then I launched this orb straight into the center of the enemy formation.
Even I was surprised by the result. The sphere shot forward at supersonic speed, plowed directly into the lead attacker, and detonated, creating a fireball over a hundred meters across. Everyone inside it was instantly incinerated, while those unlucky enough to be near it were blown away by the shockwave, torn to shreds in the process. That was the end of the enemy’s grandiose assault, nothing remained of their pompous “elite” squad.
When the roar of the explosion subsided and my eyes stopped dancing with spots from the glare, I bellowed with all my might:
“Bow before the power of this divine artifact!”
With those words, I displayed an oozing lump of melted gold I’d dug up in the Leaky Caverns. It radiated “ancient Qi” but was in fact utterly useless, not to mention entirely inexplicable in purpose. I had no desire to explain that any of my attacks could now pack such devastating punch.
My companions stared, eyes wide, practically worshipping this “holy relic.”
“Keep in mind, this thing’s single-use only” - I whispered to the leadership of our unit. Although I was ostensibly in charge, I’d entrusted the direct oversight of our troops to the local strategist.
After that, our group reached a prime location near the center of the cavern unimpeded. Here, no water would be pouring down on us when the portal opened, yet we were still close enough to keep it under our control.
“Now we need to let a small group of the enemy into the geyser” - I began outlining our policy - “then force the rest of their army back and exit ourselves.”
“Aren’t we staying to look for more treasures?” - one of the commanders asked in surprise.
“No. The most valuable treasure we’ve already gained is your increased cultivation levels. The geyser’s fourth eruption is the shortest. If we prevent the enemy from leaving now and stay ourselves, a big battle will break out during that fourth eruption, and we’ll suffer substantial losses. The enemy hasn’t yet realized the predicament they’re in, so they’ll be hoping to escape. We can hinder them from exiting the geyser during this eruption with minimal effort. At the same time, we’ll ensure that at least half of their forces fail to make it out and perish, while we’ll suffer no casualties.”
Everyone looked at me with newfound respect, recognizing my strategic acumen.
“All right, that’s what we’ll do” - our general agreed. - “But are you sure they won’t figure out our plan? It seems pretty obvious.”
“I just annihilated their elite troops. I’m certain all their top commanders were in that group. The ones who remain are mediocre at best. It’s unlikely they’ll remember how short the fourth geyser opening is. If we keep them busy with a few feints, they won’t have time to think about the future.”
“Yes, I think that’s the best we can do for now” - the squad commander agreed with me.
I was 100 percent confident in my plan for one simple reason: cultivators always think about themselves first and foremost. If a commander isn’t really a strategist, he won’t worry about “trivialities” like saving his army. He’ll be absolutely sure that he himself can get out safely no matter what. And what happens to the rest of the “cannon fodder” won’t concern him in the slightest.
Everything unfolded according to my plan. First, we flexed our muscles a bit, pretending we were about to attack, but once the portal began to form, we pulled back, gathering all our forces in one spot. The moment the portal opened, the enemy rushed toward it in a throng. The lucky ones at the very front managed to get inside the column of water, but those in the “second wave” ran into our united strike. Since more than half of our cultivators had already reached the Core Formation Stage, the results were devastating.
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The enemies staggered back, spitting out teeth and coughing up pieces of ribs, while we surrounded the geyser, blocking all access to it. We stood there for five minutes, fending off the feeble attempts of the enemy to push through; then, we began to file into the portal in an orderly manner.
At last, the Black Lotus Sect’s cultivators sensed that they might still have a chance to escape. Their army had long since devolved into a ragtag mob, every person for themselves, and now they were all pressing forward en masse, hoping our attacks would hit someone else instead of them.
“Go on, I’ll hold them off” - I commanded my allies in a commanding tone.
“But … ” - Second began, who was supposed to be my main bodyguard now.
“Go!” - I roared, activating my Malicious Gaze. - “Don’t dare defy me!”
At once, they felt the impending wrath of their superior and hurried to clear out. Seeing them leave, the enemy lost the last scraps of their fear, but their way was soon blocked by hundreds, no, thousands of simple yet highly effective shields. While they floundered, trying to navigate that maze, the portal closed again, and the water crashed downward, shattering on the granite floor.
“Youuuuu!!!” - roared the most brazen among the attackers. - “You’re trapped here with us now, you can’t escape retribution!”
“Wrong” - I sneered, looking to herd of sacrificial lambs. - “You’re the ones who are trapped here with me, and there’s nowhere for you to run.”
What followed could be described in one word: massacre. Thanks to my sudden “enlightenment” my techniques had risen to a level unattainable even at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Although I could still sense that higher-stage energy had a stronger “priority” I overcame that by wielding a massive amount of Qi and more efficient techniques. Like the Grim Reaper himself, I flew among my enemies, cutting off their heads with an artifact sword then immediately collecting them in a special “burial ring.”
Both the sword and the ring were trophies I’d picked up in the caves. The sword was just a high-quality blade that could chop off heads without damaging their “saleable condition” but the ring was more interesting. It practically radiated death energy. I had no desire to use such an artifact, so I planned to present it as a gift to Sun Wei Bonk. Inside the ring was some withered corpse, and I intended to dispose of that once I found a suitable place.
I expected the disciples to scatter like cockroaches, hiding in every crevice, but to my surprise, I found them literally throwing themselves in my path leaping onto the “embrasure” so to speak whenever I moved closer to one particular teenager who looked around seventeen. He was dressed in the richest clothes and looked everyone around him with an expression of disdain and loathing. He even stared at me like I was beneath him, though in reality, he was just another mediocre cultivator.
I figured such a “cheat” might come in handy, so I saved that upstart for last. Not a single one of his companions dared run off, and as a result, each and every one of them lost their heads… into my ring. Finally, I hovered in front of the last survivor, who still regarded me with haughty arrogance, even though I could see fear flickering in his eyes.
“I am Mu Ta Gen, son of Mu To Ta, head of the Black Lotus Sect” - this fool blurted out. - “If you kill me, my father will destroy you and your entire sect!”
“Dude, I just wiped out your sect’s entire younger generation” - I answered with a grim smirk. - “Think if I leave you alive, they’ll forgive me for that? You’d better put on a more serious face. When I show your head to your sect’s leader, it’ll be better if you look proudly self-sacrificing, rather than petrified or pathetically arrogant.”
Mu Ta Gen’s eyes widened, but he managed to compose himself and follow my order. The sword flashed one last time, and his severed head joined the others in the ring I’d reserved for this purpose. Then I pulled out the Qi extractor from my pocket, stuck it into the headless body’s abdomen, and drained its Qi Strand along with all the accumulated energy.
I glanced around the hall, which was littered with corpses, and got to work “cleaning up.” I didn’t want these bodies to be discovered outside during the next geyser eruption. So, over the course of an hour, I dragged them all into a sealed chamber with a narrow entrance, one from which they could only have escaped if they somehow turned into zombies. At the same time, I rifled through all the pockets, emptied every spatial ring, and confiscated every artifact.
Once I’d finished tidying up, I headed to the Leaky Caverns. There was still a huge amount of treasure there, and I could also absorb some of that aggressive Qi, which had proven so useful in battle. When I got to the Bone Graveyard, however, I found it submerged in dark water that completely blocked access to the treasure. I waited a few hours for the “tide to go out” and when it did, I managed to reach the “treasury”. This time, I held nothing back, clearing out everything down to the last piece of useless gold that no longer contained even a trace of Qi.