The haunting chorus of wolves pierced the stillness of the night, rousing Luo Pang and the striders from their slumber with a jolt. Instinctively, Luo Pang’s body tensed, priming itself for the inevitable clash that seemed to loom just beyond the veil of darkness.
Yet, as he looked up, Tyler remained an unwavering statue amidst the chaos, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, appearing utterly unfazed.
Illuminated by the dying embers of their campfire, his tall, muscular silhouette cast a formidable shadow. His attire, a dark blue kimono paired with black hakama pants, melded seamlessly with the nocturnal canvas, making him appear like an extension of the night itself.
Before Pang could muster a word or question the situation, a palpable wave of oppressive aura swept through everything around him. It was an invisible tide, forceful and daunting, sending shivers down his spine.
As if in response to this unseen force, the cacophony of howls dwindled into silence. The wolves' voices were extinguished by the weight of the aura that now enveloped them all.
The night had fallen silent, a blanket of stillness enveloping the woods. It was in this hush that Tyler's voice sliced through the stillness. "There's a Tier 3 wolf in there. I'll need your help to finish it off."
With those words hanging in the air, he saw the man launch skyward with a solid vertical jump, buoyed by gusts of wind that seemed to keep him floating.
He can fly?! Luo Pang was stunned. This was a freshly broken through Qi Transformation outer sect disciple!!
Luo Pang's muscles coiled in anticipation, his mind racing with concern simultaneously as his stupefaction with Tyler’s abilities... A Tier 3 monster this close to the merchant roads? If it's beyond the 22nd level, we may be facing a dire situation, he pondered anxiously.
As Tyler ascended, Luo Pang followed suit, only to be met with a gruesome tableau below.
Dozens of wolves lay motionless, eerily devoid of any visible wounds. But his gaze couldn't linger, for a larger beast was on the move, propelling itself from a tree, its jaws gaping wide, a missile aimed squarely at Tyler.
Pang surged forward with adrenaline coursing through his veins, a sword materializing from his storage ring. He was the Sea Formation cultivator here. He was the shield against looming danger for the Breakthrough mission of a Qi Transformation youth. Considering his role here, he was prepared to lay down his life in fulfillment of his duty.
Yet, before his technique could fully manifest, Tyler's hands became the source of a breathtaking spectacle.
A sword, shining with a myriad of colors, materialized. With swiftness rivaling Pang's own, Tyler unleashed a trio of sword qi slashes, each a blinding cascade of light in the enveloping darkness, each propelled by fiery winds and bordered in bright crimson hues.
Luo Pang was momentarily spellbound by the sight, the shifting hues of the blade captivating him. It dawned on him in a flash of realization — this was not a mere weapon but a technique, an artful display of one at that!
Determined not to be overshadowed by a mere outer sect Qi Transformation disciple, Luo Pang tapped into the esteemed heritage of the Sword Sect.
With focused intent, he executed the Clear Lake Sword technique, channeling his True Essence into an invisible, forceful wave that shot forth from his sword, merging with Tyler's colorful assault and slamming into the encroaching wolf.
Their combined might inflicted a grievous wound upon the creature, but it was not enough for a kill. Though injured, the beast cunningly altered its trajectory midair to avoid a fatal blow and swipe at Tyler's lower extremities.
Luo Pang's warning to Tyler was lost in the heat of the moment. Instead, with an air of casual mastery, Tyler dispelled his sword technique and greeted the wolf with a ferocious descending kick to its skull, sending it spiraling earthward with torrents of winds pushing it down even faster.
Crash!
The impact of the wolf hitting the ground was met with a pitiful yelp as it carved a shallow crater in the earth, a testament to the force of Tyler's strike. The commotion was enough to spook their Striders, sending them galloping into the night's shadowy embrace now that the howling had disappeared.
Luo Pang was momentarily taken aback by the sheer physical prowess displayed by a Qi Transformation cultivator like Tyler. However, years of rigorous training swiftly kicked in, propelling him back into the fray.
Sword poised, he surged downwards, carving through the air with a series of rapid slashes humming with true essence as he aimed a decisive, downward strike at the wolf's neck, intending to cleave head from body and end the threat once and for all.
The stunned beast disoriented from the brutal impact, was defenseless against Luo Pang's blade. It met its demise instantly, the finality of its life's end marked by the slump of its once-mighty form.
Although adorned with the grim artwork of the battle's residue, Luo Pang couldn't suppress a grin as he sensed the wolf's death. Yet, before he could revel in their victory or probe Tyler about his astonishing display of power, the man's voice boomed as he yelled out. "If that's all you have, you better run before I end your lives as well!"
A jolt of realization struck Luo Pang; they were not alone. His seasoned instincts snapped him back to combat readiness, yet moments trickled by with no further assault.
Probing the formation disk he had prepared in such cases, he couldn't find a single energy signature in a 500-meter range.
Tyler's flight ceased as he returned to the earth, his landing softened by a controlled gust of wind. "They fled in all four directions," he announced, his voice carrying an undercurrent of disappointment—or was it relief?
The silence that followed seemed to hang in the air, thick with the tension of what had transpired and the uncertainty of what might lurk beyond their sight in the enveloping darkness.
Tyler's gaze met Luo Pang's, a silent understanding passing between them. "We'll discuss this later," he said, his voice carrying a tinge of exhaustion. "I used a lot of Qi, and I need to rest. I'll be up there." His finger indicated a towering tree nearby.
With a powerful kick against the ground, Tyler began to ascend the rugged bark, his movements agile and swift. Luo Pang watched, his eyes tracing the silhouette as Tyler situated himself tens of meters above the ground, assuming a lotus position on a sturdy branch.
Something remarkable occurred as Tyler settled into meditation; his presence seemed to dissolve into the nocturnal tapestry. Enshrouded by the cloak of night, he became nearly invisible, his existence blending seamlessly with the surrounding darkness, leaving no trace for unwary eyes to follow.
Probing his formation disk again, he noted that even it couldn't detect a trace of Tyler.
In the silent embrace of the night, Luo Pang stood alone, the blood of the vanquished tier 3 wolf, a macabre accessory to his clothes. Rest had filled his reserves, and time was a luxury he could not afford to waste at the moment with the threat of another ambush lurking about.
With practiced movements, he exchanged his blood-stained attire for fresh garments, placing the soiled ones within a formation disk designed to eradicate the stains. He couldn't help but recall that Tyler's clothes were pristine, without a single drop of blood.
Dutifully, he set to work, clearing the battlefield of the corpses. The carcasses, if left to the whims of nature, would soon beckon another wave of predators, and as much as he'd love to see how Tyler would handle those, he wasn't stupid either.
Meanwhile, Tyler, nestled within the cradle of the towering tree, was a picture of meditative focus. A Silver Condensate lay within the grasp of his soul avatar, hard at work to restore his spent qi.
His divine sense stretched out to its utmost limit. He remained vigilant, poised for any unforeseen threats that might emerge from the shroud of night.
Tyler's senses pierced the shadows from his lofty perch, observing Luo Pang's meticulous collection of the 38 tier 2 wolf carcasses. The furrow of confusion on Luo Pang's brow was visible—a testament to the baffling scene below.
Tyler understood the reason behind Luo Pang's confusion; the Ten Direction Sword technique was a formidable force against weaker foes capable of striking directly at their souls. All but the alpha, feeble before the might of his skill, had died a silent death, their souls shattered.
Luo Pang, faced with this gruesome display, grappled with the revelation of what these bodies represented. Tyler's prowess, seemingly effortless in its execution, was an anomaly for one who had just breached the threshold of Qi Transformation and rivaled even himself as a Sea Formation cultivator.
The pack leader had probably broken through recently as it exuded an unstable aura, a detail Tyler had gleaned through his divine sense. In a duel, he might have triumphed by unleashing the full breadth of his power in a relentless assault to the death.
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However, prudence dictated his actions. Tyler's divine sense had detected several presences lurking a full kilometer away, each in the Qi Transformation Stage, each unknown to him.
With this in mind, he had restrained his power, expending only a fraction of his Qi and entrusting the finishing blow to Luo Pang. The wolf horde had not stumbled upon them by mere chance; they had been directed, sent with purpose. But the questions lingered in Tyler's mind.
Why? And by whom?
***
Amid the densely woven forest, where the moon's feeble attempts to penetrate the thick canopy atop the nearby mountain yielded only fleeting glimpses of light, the chaotic band of cultivators regrouped near the entrance to a cave marked with their group's distinctive rune.
Their breaths remained ragged, and their hearts raced, still under the thrall of adrenaline from their unexpected retreat. An hour had elapsed since their hasty scramble through the dense undergrowth and the labyrinthine maze of trees, leading them to the designated rendezvous point.
Within the cramped confines of the small cave, tension hung heavily in the air. Torn cloaks, muddied boots, and dirt-smeared faces bore witness to their frantic escape. The forest surrounding them seemed to whisper the tale of their panicked flight, with the sounds of snapped branches and crushed leaves still resonating in the night's tranquil atmosphere.
A cultivator bearing a scar that slashed across his cheek broke the silence with an exclamation that resonated with a volatile mixture of anger and bewilderment. "What in the fuck happened back there?" he demanded, his voice quivering with emotions.
"We had the advantage of surprise and numbers! This was supposed to be an easy mission, eliminating a solitary Qi Transformation youth and his Level 22 escort. How did that kid find us so effortlessly?!"
Their companions exchanged uneasy glances, acutely aware of the gravity of the situation. The insinuation behind the scarred man's words hung like a shadow over them all—a whisper of betrayal. It was evident that he suspected treachery within their ranks.
Stepping forward, a silver-haired woman gazed upon her fellow cultivators, her voice measured and resolute despite the turmoil. "We underestimated our target," she declared. "This was no ordinary Qi Transformation cultivator. His strength was... shocking."
A collective murmur of agreement reverberated through the group, each member having keenly sensed the overwhelming power that had radiated from their target. In an instant, it had shattered their meticulously crafted plans by decimating the entire pack of Lunar Wolves.
This pack had been supplied by their client, who had gone to great lengths to ensure their actions left no trace, enlisting the services of a skilled beast tamer to make it appear as a typical wolf pack's hunting endeavor.
The scarred man's fists clenched. "We must report this to the Boss," he asserted. "This changes everything. The boss cannot remain uninvolved if we hope to secure the promised rewards from the client."
Nods of assent followed, the weight of the situation bearing down upon them. They understood that their nocturnal encounter had unveiled an enigmatic cultivator whose intentions and capabilities they could not understand. In the world of cultivation, such an unpredictable variable was deadly.
As they ventured forth from the clearing, their steps grew more cautious, their eyes ceaselessly scanning the foreboding darkness of the forest. They had arrived as hunters, self-assured and ready. They departed as survivors, their senses on high alert, the night's shadows creeping around them.
The dawn break brought disconcerting tidings to their employer, delivered straight from the chieftain of the Mountain Bandits—their endeavor had proven unsuccessful, and they were unwilling to extend their services further.
The rationale behind the Chief's decision was straightforward.
Upon being briefed about the events of the previous night, the boss of the Mountain Bandits had sensed that something was amiss.
It also became apparent that they had unknowingly engaged with disciples of the Sword Sect, a crucial detail that had been withheld from them. From the looks of it, the client was also from the Sword Sect.
Being the middleman between two rivals within the Sword Sect who stooped so low as to hire outside help, the Chief annulled their arrangement. He didn't seek his own demise.
***
As the first rays of dawn stretched across the sky, Tyler descended from his nocturnal vigil in the tree and went to where Luo Pang was comfortably sitting in a wicker chair, consulting his detection formation disk.
Throughout the night, Pang had been industrious, disposing of every last wolf carcass, eradicating any trace of the skirmish, and even retrieving the two striders that had bolted when the battle had broken out. Tyler's divine sense picked up on another detail: Luo Pang had fully replenished his True Essence.
"You hungry?" Tyler inquired.
"No, not particularly," Pang responded.
Acknowledging the reply with a nod, Tyler procured some dried meat for himself and the striders from the depths of his inner world. "As you wish, but I'm starving." He summoned a comfortable seat and settled in, contentedly gnawing on the tier 2 meat.
"What do you propose we do next?" Luo Pang ventured.
Swallowing the mouthful of meat, Tyler responded, "I'll finish eating, cultivate for an hour to refine my lungs a bit, and then we can resume our journey."
"That's all? Aren't you curious to uncover who targeted us and their motives?" Pang queried, his forehead creasing with concern.
"If they dare to cross paths with us again, they'll die with a mere flick of my wrists. Why should I concern myself with them?" Tyler replied, his tone heavy with laziness.
"Aren't you worried about another ambush, perhaps with greater numbers or stronger cultivators and beasts?" Pang pressed on.
"That's a worry for another day. One, I can't be fucked to search this entire continent for a gaggle of Qi Transformation cultivators. Two, I'd rather enjoy the challenge if they dare try their luck again with stronger numbers. It might even push me to test my limits," Tyler said with a sly grin.
Pang was still grappling with the bewildering reality that Tyler had single-handedly decimated all 38 Lunar Wolves without seemingly breaking a sweat—a puzzle he was determined to unravel before the day's end.
With his snack concluded, Tyler rose to his feet and began to enact the motions of the Thundering Winds and Sword Clouds Method. The technique was rarely seen among cultivators, its movements as mesmerizing as they were enigmatic, leaving Luo Pang unable to decipher its origins or purpose.
Only a handful of elders had witnessed its display during the Mountain Ascension trial, and even they were bound by an oath of silence, a mandate from Lo Shen, acting under orders of the Sword King.
Their discretion had been secured with the promise of precious treasure pills, potent enough to aid them in surmounting their cultivation bottlenecks.
Throughout the hour, Tyler dedicated himself to the meticulous task of circulating his cultivation through his body. He channeled the robust Qi from his inner world, flooding his body with it to meticulously refine his lungs.
Through relentless effort, he gradually transformed a small section of his lungs into an organ adept at generating metal-qi. Occupying an important position among the five organs, the lungs were crucial in absorbing ambient qi.
In the post-Shattering world, diseases were less rampant, yet with tempered lungs, one's resistance to technique-induced ailments, airborne poisons, and other inhalable substances would be significantly bolstered.
Another bonus of strengthening his lungs was that they would help him make strong wind gusts, perfectly complementing his manipulation of Qi. Once his lungs were fully tempered, he could breathe much harder and take in more air and energy to achieve that goal.
With his cultivation finished, Tyler and Luo Pang resumed their journey southward, and after getting on the road once more, conversation struck once more.
"Here, I believe this is rightfully yours." Luo Pang tossed a storage bag to Tyler.
Catching the bag, Tyler focused intently, trying to access its contents without damaging the valuable Storage Item. With a bit of fiddling, he managed to transfer all 38 corpses of the Tier 2 beasts into his inner world without destroying it for once.
He then realized that the corpse of the Tier 3 beast was also included. After a brief moment of consideration regarding the division of the loot, Tyler decided to keep the head of the Tier 3 Wolf and 20 of the Tier 2 carcasses.
The remaining spoils were returned to the storage bag, which he handed to Luo Pang.
"Take these back. You handled all the gritty work, and you were the one to take down that tier 3 beast. It seems only fair you get its corpse," Tyler stated.
"That's surprisingly generous of you. Most would claim the lion's share for themselves, especially since you did virtually all of the hard work. I just dealt the final blow and landed a few hits," Pang remarked.
Tyler dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. "Don't mention it. I have a hunch that this journey will be quite fruitful for both of us. A few tier 2 carcasses are trivial in the grand scheme of things," he said, his voice laced with a hint of amusement.
Ironically, just as he mentioned it, Tyler signaled Pang to halt and dismounted his Strider. "Are you skilled in herb gathering?" he inquired.
Pang, taken aback by the sudden question, nodded. After all, he was an alchemist.
With a knowing smile, Tyler beckoned Pang to follow. "Follow me. The breeze seems to be carrying the subtle scent of a cluster of tier 2 herbs." Of course, his divine sense, not the breeze, had detected the potent energy emanating from a cluster of plants. However, both were one and the same in the face of such a powerful ability.
They made their way through dense underbrush, and just as Tyler had predicted, they found a dozen Tier 2 Earth-Grade Sunfire Petunias thriving amidst the thick vegetation.
With each passing moment, Pang's amazement at the outer sect disciple's diverse and seemingly endless skills grew.
After collecting the flowers, they decided that if Pang used them to craft any pills, Tyler would receive one or two as a courtesy. As they returned to the road, their dialogue resumed.
"Aren't you going to ask?" Tyler prodded.
Feeling slightly sheepish at being so transparent, Pang sighed before posing his question. "How did you manage it? I mean, defeating those 38 Lunar Wolves. And then there's your ability to fly, the mighty sword you conjured, and your almost supernatural senses... I can't shake the feeling that I'm the junior here, and you're the Senior of the Inner Sect."
Tyler answered with a chuckle. "For the wolves, I created that technique a short while ago; it attacks the soul directly, and well, anything below the 18 or 19 levels is pretty much incapable of resisting, from what I can tell."
He paused before continuing. "As for the sword, that would be a variant of the Mortal-Grade technique, One Finger, One Sword. But don't worry, that singular display of power was extremely short-lived. Had I produced a handful more of those sword-qi strikes, I would've depleted my Qi reserves, making flight untenable, and injuries would have been inevitable."
Tyler deliberately omitted any mention of his heightened senses as he and Luo Pang journeyed southward. The revelation of Tyler's creating a technique that targeted the soul shocked Luo Pang enough for a lifetime.
They paused every few hours, allowing their mounts to quench their thirst and nibble on some dried meat.
As dusk settled in, the pair were inclined to halt for the night, but they had arrived at a clearing and spotted a lone village in the distance. Eager to rest comfortably, they headed towards a modest inn on the village's fringe, hoping to secure accommodations.
To Tyler's astonishment, he sensed a familiar presence within the village, specifically emanating from someone inside the inn. While the man's name eluded him, his aura was unmistakable.
It was the same cultivator Tyler had reprimanded at the beach, Hung Jeok's cousin, Shin Seok!