Beast Attacks, Valley in Crisis

I stared at the figure carrying a sword, my hand resting on Flowing Abyss's hilt. He walked into the valley step by step, unhurried but steady with every footfall. I did not move, merely lowered my breathing. Spiritual power still circulated within me, with more than seventy percent remaining.

The moment he raised his hand to grip his sword hilt, the ground suddenly shook.

It was not his doing. The tremor came from the valley entrance, as though something was ramming against the mountain wall. Then a shriek rang out from deep within the forest. It sounded neither human nor like an ordinary beast—sharp and murky enough to make my eardrums ache.

I immediately withdrew my hand and sheathed Flowing Abyss across my back. The spirit beast had been lying down, but it abruptly sprang to its feet, the fur on its tail puffing up. It sniffed toward the outside twice, a low growl rolling from its throat.

I knew something was wrong.

There was movement in every direction. Pebbles tumbled from a crack in the rocks to the left, trees toppled one after another deep in the dense forest to the right, and dust rose at the valley entrance ahead as shadows shifted. These auras were chaotic, yet filled with ferocity. There was no intelligence in them, only killing intent.

I glanced at the sword-bearing man. He had already stopped and was frowning at his surroundings, one hand still on his sword, but he did not advance any further. The other man with a cane had also retreated to the edge of the woods, hesitating over whether to enter.

I had no time to care about them.

The first ferocious beast to charge out resembled a giant lizard, half its body coated in black mud. Its mouth split all the way to its ears, green liquid dripping from within. The instant it landed, it opened its jaws and spewed out a cloud of mist. The stench hit me in the face.

It was poisonous mist, capable of corroding skin and rotting flesh.

"Stop it!" I shouted at the spirit beast.

The spirit beast immediately darted out, charging straight into the toxic mist. It rolled through the air to avoid the front of the attack, then slammed into the giant lizard's hind leg from the flank. The lizard staggered, and its second blast of poisonous mist was interrupted.

I drew Flowing Abyss and pushed off the ground, lunging toward an Iron Horn Barbarian Bull that had emerged from a pile of rocks. It was even larger than a giant ape, with two curved horns on its head as black as iron. When it charged, it directly smashed apart the stone house I used for cultivation.

That was my cultivation residence.

Bricks and stones flew everywhere as the roof crashed down. Several jade slips were buried beneath the rubble, and a medicine case rolled out. One bottle of Calming Heart Pills cracked open, scattering powder all over the ground.

My heart tightened.

I had guarded this place for so long. I had built every inch of it myself.

And now it had collapsed from a single charge.

Without another thought, I leaped up and swung my blade. Flowing Abyss carved an arc of light through the air, slashing the bull's front leg tendon. It let out a howl and dropped to its knees. The moment I landed, I spun around and raised my blade again, striking at a Shadow Wolf that pounced from behind a tree.

Three streaks of blade light fell in succession. The front claws of two ferocious beasts were severed, and they cried out as they shrank back. The Shadow Wolf was the quickest, but I still sliced off half an ear. It retreated into the forest, dragging an injured leg behind it.

I did not pursue it.

I turned back toward the ruins, hurried over, and pushed aside the rubble to retrieve the remaining jade slips and medicine bottles. Some of the jade slips had cracked, but the cultivation technique records were still intact and could be restored. The medicine case still held three bottles of Pulse Protecting Powder and two bottles of Spirit Condensing Dew. None had been damaged.

Just as I finished putting everything away, the sound of flapping wings came from the distant cliff.

Looking up, I saw seven or eight ferocious birds diving from the cliff top. Their wingspans were longer than a man was tall, and they carried red-hot stones in their claws. They released the rocks in midair, sending them crashing into the grass. Sparks scattered everywhere, and the dry grass quickly began to smoke and burn.

The flames spread rapidly.

Gritting my teeth, I rushed to the house foundation and stuffed all the remaining medicinal herbs into my clothes. The spirit beast ran back with the cracked bottle of Calming Heart Pills in its mouth and set it by my feet.

"Are you all right?" I asked, stroking its head.

It shook its ears, indicating that it could still fight.

I nodded and looked toward the cliff top. Those ferocious birds were still circling, preparing for a second round of bombardment. I had to stop them.

I pulled out a talisman from my sleeve. It was a temporary formation diagram I had won in the previous quiz. It could only be used once. I could not afford to save it now.

I slapped the talisman onto the ground and traced spiritual power patterns with my fingertips. Blue light flared from the talisman, and a ring of light rose up, shrouding the area. The flames were blocked outside. The herbs and jade slips were all within the barrier.

"You guard this place," I told the spirit beast.

It lay down and stared outside.

I gripped my blade and ran toward higher ground. There were several protrusions in the cliff face that I could use as footholds. Halfway up, I spotted a wolf-shaped ferocious beast standing by the cliff edge, directing the others. A dark talismanic mark was carved into its forehead, darker in color than those on the other beasts.

It was controlling this pack.

I sped up and vaulted onto the cliff top. The wolf beast noticed the movement and turned toward me, its eyes blood-red as a low growl escaped its mouth. It did not flee. Instead, it charged at me.

This was exactly what I had been waiting for.

Flowing Abyss left its sheath, and I sent my spiritual sense along its blade. This was no ordinary attack—it was the Spiritual Sense Attachment I had comprehended over the past few days. The blade became an extension of myself, and I could feel the tremors of its muscles and the transmission through its nerves.

I aimed at the connection point beneath the talismanic mark on its forehead and thrust my blade in.

The blade pierced its skin, and my spiritual sense surged inside, tracing the talismanic energy in reverse. The black aura shook violently. The wolf beast convulsed all over, then its head burst with a bang, blood and brain matter splattering across the ground.

The other ferocious beasts all stopped at once. Some spun in circles where they stood, while others tore at each other. Chaos erupted everywhere.

I caught my breath and looked down at the valley.

The fire was still burning, but the barrier held. The spirit beast paced back and forth inside the circle, watching outside vigilantly. The remaining ferocious beasts began to retreat. Some slipped back into the forest, while others leaped down into the ravine.

They had withdrawn for now.

But I did not let my guard down. In that instant, I had seen a mass of black aura flash through the distant mountain shadows. It moved so fast it did not seem like a living thing. Someone was controlling these ferocious beasts—and they could leave while I was not paying attention.

I stood at the cliff edge and tightened my grip on Flowing Abyss.

My left arm hurt a little. A flying stone had grazed it while I was dodging earlier, tearing open the flesh, and the bleeding had not stopped. I tore off a strip of cloth and wrapped it around the wound. There was no time to treat it properly.

Night had already fallen. Only the light within the barrier remained in the valley. Outside lay scorched earth and corpses. I closed my eyes and spread out my spirit stones, carefully scanning every inch of land within ten miles.

I found no more large clusters of auras.

But I could not sleep.

I walked down from the cliff and returned to the edge of the barrier. The spirit beast came over and nudged my hand with its nose. I fed it the remaining Calming Heart Pills to prevent lingering poisonous mist from affecting its condition.

Then I cleared out a patch of level ground beside the ruins and used the remaining bricks and stones to build a low wall, treating it as a new stronghold. I sorted the jade slips again, arranged the medicine bottles, and laid Flowing Abyss across my knees.

I sat down with my knees slightly bent, my hand never leaving the blade.

The night wind swept across the scorched ground, carrying the smell of charred earth. Deep in the distant forest, something softly snapped a dead branch underfoot.

I opened my eyes and stared in that direction.

Flowing Abyss's blade reflected the barrier's faint glow, cold as ice.