Awakening in his uphill burrow, Tyler immediately realized something unusual: it was raining for the first time since his arrival in this world. Not just a light shower but a torrential downpour. The sound of the heavy rain had penetrated his usually passive divine sense, jolting him awake.

Initially disoriented and somewhat bewildered, Tyler processed that he hadn't encountered rain during his months in this world. But the reality he faced was more severe than a simple rainstorm. He was on the outskirts of the Twelve Ghosts Ridge, a region where the presence of formidable creatures influenced the environment so profoundly that it caused near-daily rainfall. This was a detail Tyler would remain oblivious to for many years, yet to possess the strength to grapple with such environmental anomalies.

Fortunately, Tyler's body was well-prepared for such conditions. His blood, infused with trace amounts of fire-qi, naturally maintained his body temperature, making him resilient to the challenges of cold weather and the approaching autumn and winter. He had noticed this a few days earlier when the chill winds had only caused him momentary discomfort before a wave of warmth radiated from within his body.

After confirming his location on the map, Tyler set off southward. His westward journey had successfully bypassed the main road, positioning him to skirt the edges of the Twelve Ghosts Ridge. This route would lead him above the narrow mountain pass between this zone and another perilous area known as the Blood-Stained Mountain. His journey was strategic and carefully planned to avoid the most dangerous paths while still advancing towards his intended destination.

If he was being honest with himself though, he knew he was mostly guessing. He had no idea if this plan even made sense or if he'd survive to begin with, but honestly, who risked nothing, gained nothing, and unless he wanted to have a target on his back for the rest of his life, he had to do something.

Navigating through the dense forest, Tyler encountered numerous challenges. He repeatedly had to sidestep encounters with various tier 3 monsters while eliminating several tier 2 beasts that crossed his path. Each time Tyler had to kill, he used a fragment of his qi to manifest the Ten Direction Sword. Subsequently, he transferred their carcasses into his inner world.

The frequency of these encounters led Tyler to humorously consider the need to construct a dedicated warehouse solely for storing the remains of tier 2 monsters. Alternatively, he mused, Annie wouldn't need to worry about provisions for a considerable time. However, Tyler soon observed a problem: some of the stored beasts were beginning to show signs of decomposition.

To address this issue, Tyler multitasked while traveling. He harnessed his extraordinary powers within his inner world to skillfully skin the beasts, extracting their valuable pelts. The unwanted remains of the carcasses were then discarded back into the world, ensuring that only the valuable components were retained.

As Tyler delved deeper into the forest, he noticed a stark decrease in the presence of animals. Eventually, he found himself in an area completely devoid of any life at all. Sensing this unusual silence, he paused and extended his divine sense to its fullest capacity, seeking to understand the nature of this eerie stillness.

The scene that unfolded before his heightened senses was unnerving. The forest, which should have been teeming with the vibrant flow of qi through its trees and flora, appeared lifeless. The trees stood like silent sentinels, their usual energetic essence replaced by a palpable void. They seemed to have transformed into mere inert matter, completely stripped of their natural vitality.

But a more disturbing revelation awaited him. The mystery of the missing forest animals was gruesomely solved—they were all buried underground. Their skeletons lay in a macabre tableau, strangely active despite their deceased state. These bones were accumulating the energies of the surrounding environment, channeling them into a process that was gradually strengthening them, essentially stealing the very essence of the flora across this entire stretch of land.

What in the fuck is going on here. Thought Tyler. Is there some sort of necromancer ghost faction on this mountain or something?

With each step, the oddities of the environment became more pronounced and unsettling. The air grew thicker, charged with a palpable tension that made even breathing laborious. The trees, once vibrant and full of life, now stood twisted and gnarled, their branches reaching out like the arms of specters, devoid of leaves and vitality.

The forest's silence was occasionally broken by distant, unidentifiable whispers as if the wind carried secrets of a long-forgotten past. Shadows seemed to move and shift at the edges of Tyler's divine sense, never revealing their source, adding an element of paranoia to his journey.

As he ventured further, the ground beneath his feet became increasingly uneven. Usually rich and nourishing, the soil was now a strange, ashen color, devoid of the usual forest undergrowth. Small sinkholes appeared sporadically, revealing hints of bone and remnants of unknown creatures, further evidence of the unnatural occurrences in the area.

The most unsettling aspect was the gradual appearance of ghostly apparitions. Faint, almost imperceptible at first, these spectral figures seemed to be reliving moments of their past lives, unaware of Tyler's presence. Their actions were repetitive, like echoes of a time long gone, contributing to an atmosphere of desolation and sorrow.

Tyler's journey along the mountain's edge became a careful balancing act between curiosity and caution as he navigated through this landscape of increasing abnormalities and spectral phenomena. The further he went, the more he felt the weight of unseen eyes upon him and the more urgent his need to understand the sinister forces at play in this once-living forest.

Tyler was confronted with a horrifying spectacle as he ventured deeper into the foreboding landscape.

An army of the undead, consisting of beast skeletons, human remains, and a variety of other creatures, emerged from the ground. This grotesque legion advanced towards him with a relentless determination, their empty eye sockets and gaping mouths creating a scene straight out of a nightmare.

Initially, Tyler tried employing his Ten Direction Sword technique but soon realized its futility against these soulless foes. These were creatures beyond the reach of life and death, impervious to such methods. He quickly adapted his strategy.

Using the One Finger One Sword technique was also impractical, as it would drain his qi reserves too rapidly. Thus, Tyler had no choice but to fall back on his martial arts training, the Radiant Waves Stances.

Surrounded and outnumbered, Tyler swiftly found himself in the eye of a storm of combat. Each undead adversary was no more than a mid-level Qi Transformation puppet, lacking any real skill or technique. Their strategy was simple yet effective: overwhelm with sheer numbers.

Tyler's response was a fine display of martial prowess, honed under the tutelage of Master Tanaka. While he was far from reaching his teacher's level of mastery, he was still far above the average student due to his incredible learning speed aided by his divine sense. Channeling his cultivation through his body, he dove headfirst into the fray, hoping to create an opening to escape the encirclement.

His Iron Fist technique shattered skeletons upon impact, turning their bones into lethal shrapnel and sending them flying backward with the following gust of wind. These were not mere punches but devastating blows, each resonating with the power to obliterate bone and the shrapnel, deadly projectiles.

The Whispering Palm, his hands moved with deceptive softness, causing the bones to disintegrate upon contact. The gentle taps hid a destructive force capable of turning skeletal warriors to dust as the bones reverberated under the precise strike, shattering from within.

Soaring Crane Kick displayed his acrobatic skill and control over his cultivation method. He leaped and spun, his kicks sending skeletons flying as he created small tornados of qi, sending their body parts flying in all directions. Their fragile forms were unable to withstand the force of such a kick.

Flowing River Sweep had Tyler sweeping at the legs of the undead, his movements creating gusts of wind that tripped and shattered them. This technique cleared swathes of attackers, toppling them and their weapons in a domino effect.

Flowing Tides Blow saw Tyler moving like the ocean's waves, pushing forward and pulling back, his strikes accompanied by roaring winds, dismantling the undead rhythmically and making numerous swords and spears narrowly miss his body.

With the Dam-breaking Strike, Tyler unleashed bursts of fiery wind energy, each attack more potent than the last, devastating the skeletal ranks. However, he exercised caution with this attack due to its high qi consumption.

Every blow Tyler landed against the advancing skeletons, accompanied by powerful gusts of wind, disrupted the natural order in a spectacular display. The raindrops, steadily falling, were suddenly arrested mid-air, encapsulated by the turbulent energy radiating from his martial arts moves.

This extraordinary occurrence brought to Tyler's mind the iconic final battle in a film, where the hero and villain’s clash seemingly froze time, the rain halting mid-fall due to the shockwaves caused by their fight.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The scene around Tyler transformed into something otherworldly, paying homage to the immense strength Qi Transformation cultivators possessed. The raindrops, suspended in a delicate balance with gravity, formed a spellbinding scene, starkly contrasting the ferocity of the battle unfolding on these plains.

However, this defiance of nature was fleeting. As the energy from Tyler's attacks ebbed away, the raindrops once again succumbed to gravity, continuing their descent to the ground, and at this rate, he'd run out of qi long before the army in front of him was defeated.

Tyler, in his lone stand, was a spectacle of strength and skill, breaking through an army of the undead. However, amidst the chaos, an unforeseen danger emerged.

The sudden grip of a bony hand on Tyler's ankle, unnoticed by his keen divine sense, anchored him firmly to the spot. Its icy strength was alarming, hinting at a more profound, more malevolent force orchestrating the movements of the skeletal army.

The realization that these undead were not just aimlessly attacking but were possibly being manipulated by a darker, unseen power brought an added dimension of danger to the already fraught situation.

Amid this realization, Tyler faced a new, more immediate threat. For the first time since the onset of the battle, a skeleton managed to breach his defenses. Its sword, slicing through his typically impenetrable skin, drew blood—something that had yet to happen since the ambush by the Azure Viper Gang.

The wound, however, was not just a simple cut. Tyler sensed something more sinister at work; the blade was imbued with a corrosive energy that began to seep into his bloodstream.

Evil and potent foreign energy started coursing through his veins, attacking him from within. It was a type of assault Tyler was unaccustomed to, one that not only physically wounded him but also threatened to compromise his internal energy circulation.

The realization that these skeletons wielded weapons enhanced with such destructive powers significantly escalated the threat level, turning what was already a challenging battle into a fight for survival against an enemy with unknown capabilities.

Tyler channeled his cultivation into a critical technique in a desperate bid for freedom. Compelled by the urgent need to escape the tightening encirclement and the skeletal hand that had ensnared him, he invoked the Finger Sword technique.

Sacrificing a significant tenth of his qi reserves, Tyler executed a powerful slash. The energy released from this action cut through the air, forming a deadly arc that mowed down rows of skeletal beasts in its path. The sheer force of the attack was enough to create a small clearing around him, momentarily pushing back the relentless tide of undead.

With a focused and precise movement, Tyler then targeted the base of the skeletal hand gripping his ankle. His strike was imbued with such power that it shattered the hand, breaking its hold and granting him a much-needed moment of respite.

As he regained his footing, Tyler extended his divine sense to its limits, sensing something unsettling at the periphery of his awareness. Ghostly presences seemed to be observing his struggle, their spectral laughter echoing through the metaphysical plane.

This eerie sensation of being watched and mocked by unseen entities added a chilling psychological aspect to this battle. His predicament was a source of amusement to these ghostly onlookers and Tyler was having none of it.

Seizing his actions' brief opportunity, Tyler swiftly decided to escape the increasingly dangerous situation. Knowing that brute force would not suffice to penetrate this wall, he channeled a significant surge of qi into his legs, preparing for takeoff. With the immense energy concentrated in his lower body, Tyler executed a mighty leap, propelling himself high into the air.

As he ascended, he manipulated the winds around him, using them to extend his leap into a short flight. This aerial maneuver cost him another considerable portion of his qi, depleting parts of his reserves but granting him a vital advantage.

As Tyler soared above the ground, the view below provided a stark perspective on the battle he had been immersed in. While his divine sense had given him an awareness of the scale and intensity of the undead army, witnessing it with his own eyes was a different experience altogether.

The sight of countless skeletal figures spread across the landscape, some still converging towards where he had been standing moments ago, was startling and sobering.

From his elevated position, Tyler gained a brief escape from the relentless onslaught and a revealing perspective on the sheer scale of danger these zones harbored. The view below him laid bare the daunting reality of the threats lurking within, even at the periphery of these perilous areas.

I'm barely at the edges of this zone and I could already have died if I was any other Qi Transformation cultivators. Thought Tyler. I may have underestimated these danger zones and the powers of my divine sense... I completely missed that hand amidst the chaos, and if I couldn't have broken through it with the sword, I would've died here for sure.

As Tyler's descent brought him closer to the ground, an unforeseen threat soon appeared.

A branch from what appeared to be a lifeless tree shot toward him, its movements defying the tree's dormant facade. Caught in mid-air, Tyler's body couldn't react swiftly enough, and he could only perceive his impending capture through his divine sense.

His usually reliable agility and reflexes were useless against this sudden attack. The branch, moving as quickly and accurately as the wind snatched his ankle in a vice-like grip. He was powerless to avoid or counter this unforeseen assault.

With no time to react or defend himself, the tree demonstrated a surprising and formidable strength. It yanked Tyler down from his airborne trajectory, forcefully slamming him into the ground. The impact was severe, sending a painful shockwave through his entire body as copious amounts of blood also leaked from his nose and ears.

As Tyler lay on the ground, battered and bloody, he was momentarily stunned and disoriented by this unexpected assault. Realizing the full extent of his peril, he vowed never to underestimate danger zones again. The forest was not just a battleground against undead foes; it was a place where even the trees could turn into dangerous adversaries at a moment's notice.

Gathering his wits, Tyler knew he had to quickly recover and brace himself for whatever other surprises this mysterious and treacherous environment had in store for him.

Fortuitously, the tree that had so aggressively targeted Tyler seemed to revert to its dormant state after its forceful attack, giving him a much-needed respite. From within his inner world, he crushed a few healing pills as the pain and shock of the impact diminished ever so slightly. While this was happening, a realization dawned on him. He noticed that his cultivation had momentarily stalled, its flow interrupted by the tree's assault.

This observation led Tyler to an intriguing hypothesis. He began to wonder if the environment was responding to his presence, energy, or cultivation. The thought sparked a new line of reasoning in his mind. What if I completely hide my presence? He pondered. This idea suggested a potential strategy to navigate this dangerous landscape more safely.

If the presence of Qi was indeed triggering the forest's defensive mechanisms, then becoming undetectable might allow him to traverse the area without inciting further attacks from the environment or its inhabitants.

This line of thinking marked a shift in his approach as he barely got off the ground, still nursing his newly acquired injuries. Rather than relying solely on combat prowess and strength, Tyler took the stealth and subtlety approach.

Drawing upon the teachings of Lin Jian about divine sense, Tyler began to employ a technique to harmonize his energy with his surroundings. This method involved using his divine sense to subtly manipulate the environment around him, blending his presence with the natural energies of the world.

As he moved cautiously towards the southeast, he aimed to reach the furthest edge of this danger zone while deliberately circumventing the outpost.

Each meter was a careful calculation, a delicate balance of blending in. Despite his limping gait from the recent attack, Tyler persevered, focusing intensely on his task. Hours ticked by, and during this time, his heightened state of concentration paid off—no further attacks occurred.

However, this method of concealment came with a significant drawback. To mask his presence effectively, Tyler had to dampen his divine sense significantly. This left him with a drastically reduced awareness of his surroundings, limiting his detection capabilities to a mere dozen meters around the area where he manipulated the environment.

As the cloak of night began to envelop the landscape, Tyler found himself at a significant landmark in his journey. He reached the midpoint of the mountain pass, positioned atop a high cliff that offered a commanding view of the road below and the distant danger zone, the Blood Stained Mountain.

Taking a cautious position, Tyler crouched down at the edge of the cliff. He decided it was time to release the concealment technique he had been employing, a decision not made lightly given the dangers he had already encountered.

But before he'd allow his presence to be known again, he used his eyes as any other mortal or cultivator would. He meticulously surveyed the vicinity for any signs of the unusual trees, plants, or other bizarre creatures that had previously ambushed him.

Confident that he was safe, he allowed his energy to resurface and become detectable once again. He simultaneously extended his divine sense outward.

Throughout the night, Tyler remained concealed atop the cliff, his senses fixed on the cultivators below. He took advantage of the quiet of the night to eavesdrop on their conversations, gleaning information from their casual chatter.

This passive surveillance gave him valuable insights into the identities and intentions of those likely to be part of the conspiracy against him. Tyler recognized several presences among the dozen cultivators as he listened, each bringing a wave of concern and realization.

Lo Xin, Hung Jeok, and Shin Seok — all were members of the Sword Sect, an affiliation that made their involvement all the more troubling, and going by the outfits alone, there were at least three more sect members in that group that he had never met.

The presence of Lo Xin was particularly disconcerting. He was the younger brother of Tyler's friend.

Tyler reflected on his interactions with Lo Xin, particularly recalling the sect's admission tests. He had disciplined the young man then, hoping to instill some sense into him.

But now, Tyler realized that his actions might have inadvertently contributed to Lo Xin's current path. The fact that Lo Xin and others from the sect had gone to such extremes was a troubling revelation.

This knowledge weighed heavily on Tyler as he contemplated his next course of action.

Still battered and bruised from the beating he took at the hands of the hordes of undead and that spectral tree, Tyler lay there and quietly settled into sleep.

He was exhausted.