The next morning, the trio scrambled to inform their mentors of their abrupt trip. When they were done, they regrouped in front of the inn where Sima Xue awaited. She was lazily sitting in the driver’s seat of a Skyrunner.

The exterior of her Skyrunner was painted pitch black in color, while the interior was a dull orange.

“You guys all set?” she asked.

“Y-yes. I got the innkeeper to k-keep our Skyrunner in their s-storage shed, along with our b-belongings,” Wei Ping replied.

“Good. Then get on. We’re setting off.”

The three young men kept quiet despite feeling like they were herded around like sheep. With all said and done, Sima Xue was still a bona fide Foundation Establishment cultivator. It stood to reason that they listened to her.

It wasn’t that there were no advantages to having her come along. As a powerful expert from a wealthy background, Sima Xue’s Skyrunner could travel much faster than the trio’s. Despite all three of them reaching the late stages of Energy Gathering, their Skyrunner was still an entry-level vehicle made by an apprentice. The imposing black Skyrunner, on the other hand, was evidently made by a master woodsmith.

As their ride took off to the skies of the underground city, Li Lang brought their issue up with the only woodsmith among them.

“Wei Ping, do you think you can build us a Skyrunner similar to this? Or anything better than our current one, for that matter.”

“Not y-yet. It takes a l-long time to grow something without h-heavenly resources to accelerate the p-process. By the time I c-create one for us, we’d be l-looking into getting an Earth-grade one.”

“Why don’t you guys just buy a new one? You earned a fortune with the betting, didn’t you?”

The last part was directed at Li Lang. He knew his betting wasn’t anything confidential, but it didn’t feel comfortable that the news of his wealth was out there. The only solace he had was that the same knowledge would deter those from official organizations from robbing him.

While some unsavory characters may still appear, none who valued their position in the Luminescent Domain would want to offend Nightmoon Valley.

With the safety of knowing that in mind, the group nonchalantly soared out from the underground city of Emberglow, and into the blazing sun once more. Skyrunner traffic was moderate. Unlike roads, there was so much more space around. Thanks to the third dimension, it was especially uncommon to see traffic jams.

The dark Skyrunner took to the skies, flying straight for the clouds. As their altitude and speed rose, the winds grew sharper. In response, each of the cultivators had a thin layer of Qi defending them from the elements.

Like this, their flight began to pick up speed.

“So,” Li Lang said, breaking the silence, “I remember Senior Jian being worried about traveling this route. Particularly during the evening. Are you sure everything is okay?”

Sima Xue took a brief look around before glancing back at the window that connected the driver’s seat to the inside of the vehicle.

“This area is approaching the border. Rogue demonic cultivators like to congregate around here. They usually only operate under the cover of night.”

“Rogue cultivators just hanging around here? Why don’t they head elsewhere or you guys send someone to root them out?”

“They’re like cockroaches. They have dozens of holes to hide in,” Sima Xue explained, her face souring upon thinking of the hideous pest. “When things don’t go too well for them, they jump across the border to provoke those simple-minded righteous sects to distract us. They do the same after hunting down orthodox cultivators on the other side, using us as shields against the sects.”

“Hmm, sounds like you’ll need to work on both sides to snuff them out.”

“You know that’s not happening,” Sima Xue immediately quipped. “This place is just too perfect for them. They are close enough to prey on cultivators in neighboring territories and know how to stay out of sight enough to not provoke a large response from the official organizations. Not even my Nightmoon Valley can extinguish their presence here indefinitely.”

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

It’s good to know as strong as cultivators can be that they’re not omnipotent and omniscient.

A few moments went by as the helpless mood took over the group. That was until Li Lang resumed firing off questions to sate his curiosity.

“We’ve been around long enough to learn a few things, but just to confirm, the rogue cultivators usually don’t prey on other demonic cultivators, right?”

“Yeah. Rogue cultivators, by default, mostly comprise Qi pilfering users,” Sima Xue thoughtfully explained. “And most Qi pilfering techniques do not work well against those who practice possession-type demonic cultivation. The spiritual contamination is known to get too messy, and even those who lost themselves to greed are averse to using them as cultivation resources. It’s smarter to target orthodox cultivators that don’t come with any extra drawbacks. Even then, it’s dangerous enough, trying to keep one’s sanity and emotions in check.”

“Aren’t you and your organization Qi pilfering users, too?” Long Yi interjected.

“Yes, but we’ve been through a strict selection process to find those who are strong of the mind. The strict requirements are why the majority of organizations that practice Qi pilfering are powerhouses. With proper screening and training, groups like my Nightmoon Valley are the role models of how to do it right,” the young girl proudly proclaimed. “The typical rogue cultivator is another story. They aren’t vetted and are likely unprepared to step onto such an arduous path. It may have the potential to great power, but there are always equal drawbacks.”

“I don’t think possession techniques are any weaker, though,” Li Lang commented as he thought back to his fight with Bai Yuchen.

Bai Yuchen had taken snake-like characteristics. It even allowed him to use a sharp sense of smell and vibration detection. Li Lang could imagine an expert who could stay rational while benefiting from these boons.

“They’re not, but it does take more time to achieve the same heights. Overhunting a certain type of Qi beast is an issue. As they progress, their rationality also becomes more beast-like, making their thinking abilities weaker if they’re not careful. In contrast, Qi-pilfering techniques only have the possibilities of rejection and increase in violent tendencies.”

As the group was merrily chatting, Sima Xue suddenly stopped talking and narrowed her eyes. An ear-piercing screech swiftly followed, alerting everyone to a bird of some sort.

It didn’t take long for Li Lang and his companions to spot the new intruder. It was a colossal bird of some sort, with a wingspan the length of a bus. It had metallic grey feathers and a yellow crown around its head. It was obvious from its demeanor that it wasn’t happy to see the young cultivators.

“Well, rogue cultivators may know to stay away from Nightmoon Valley-marked vehicles like mine, but Qi beasts don’t have the same intelligence. These dumb aerial Qi beasts truly live up to their reputation if they are dumb enough to attack me with their measly strength.”

Despite the sudden appearance of a foe, no one in the Skyrunner panicked. From the aura the beast let out, they all knew they were only dealing with a beast with strength equivalent to a peak Energy Gatherer. With a Foundational Establishment expert around, the bird didn’t pose a threat.

Sima Xue materialized a sword from thin air, and just when she was about to act, a voice called out from behind her.

“Wait, Lady Sima! Please allow me to fight it!”

The entire group turned to the speaker, Long Yi, with a questioning look.

“Long Yi, a-are you serious? We’re i-in the air right now. I don’t t-think you can fight t-this bird without being able to f-fly yourself.”

“Umm, let me give it a try. The kind lady here wouldn’t stand by and watch if I fail, right?”

Sima Xue blinked blankly at the sudden proposal thrust upon her. She slowly nodded after some time. She may have been newly ascended, but she knew the power difference between her and the bird was enormous. Taking responsibility for their lives against an opponent of such a level was a piece of cake for her.

“That’s still a bit risky,” Li Lang interrupted. “If you’re going to do it, let the three of us work together. We should be able to put up a better fight if we worked together.”

Long Yi simply wanted to test out his new strength. After having cultivated diligently for years, he was itching to put himself to the test. He didn’t mind his friends joining at all.

“All right. Let’s do it then.”

The trio then prepared their weapons. They had yet to obtain an artifact, so their weapons were still mundane weapons. It was one of their weaknesses and something Li Lang planned to address during this trip.

He was carrying around a lot of cash, and he couldn’t bring his Skyrunner around like most people did. Now that he would be taking some time off from his training, he fully intended to go on a shopping spree. After all, even Jian Beiyun had advised him to purchase a space ring.

Li Lang shook off his idle thoughts as he moved to match Long Yi’s movements. While none of them could fly, as late-stage Energy Gatherers, they were all capable of range attacks. The three leaped up to the roof of the Skyrunner and took up their stances.

As if to answer the trio’s challenge, the large grey bird screeched and was soon upon them. It didn’t attack them immediately and instead circled around them. It flew right below them, entering their blind spot before unleashing a tackle on the hull.

Sima Xue didn’t let that happen, though. She adjusted their course to match the bird. With her superior cultivation, the beast’s movements were in the palm of her hand. Their Skyrunner easily got right next to the aggressive bird. Immediately, the three began channeling their Qi arts.

It was time to unleash their honed techniques out in the real world.