Chapter 18 – The Burden of War! Emergence of Talents.
The Iron Root Forest was no longer quiet.
The trees groaned under invisible pressure. Branches cracked from the shifting wind. Even birds refused to sing.
Steward Gu exhaled sharply as he stepped beside Lady Chan-Chan, his sword crackling faintly with restrained lightning qi. Across from them, partially veiled by mist and shattered underbrush, the silver-striped black tiger beast crouched low, shoulders taut. Its claws glinted, and its tail flicked in short, agitated bursts.
Its gaze didn’t stray from them, especially not from him.
Lady Chan-Chan raised both hands slowly and cleared her throat. “Now, let’s not go throwing lightning bolts and void strikes again,” she said lightly, her voice warm but edged with nerves. “I know things got off to a… somewhat violent start, but we’ve all thrown a punch or two in our youth, haven’t we?”
The beast didn’t answer, but its fur bristled.
She continued anyway, pulling a carefully wrapped bundle from her pouch. “I brought a juicy azure rabbit. No poison, no cores, just a humble peace offering from a misunderstood girl who occasionally keeps yummy snacks in her spatial ring.”
She knelt and gently placed the bundle on a flat stone between them.
Steward Gu raised a brow. “What are you doing?”
“Maybe he’s hungry,” Lady Chan-Chan shrugged. “Even beasts need to eat. It’s not like we offered him tea and hospitality before lobbing a sword wave at his face.”
“Besides, whenever I was upset back at the clan, you would get me sweets, and I’d immediately feel better.” Lady Chan-Chan's eyes shone, remembering the amazing desserts at the clan.
The beast watched the azure rabbit meat, then her.
Then, its voice slithered into their minds, not in sharp words but in scattered pulses of instinct, memory, and fear.
Whispered. Trap. Humans break what they do not understand…
Steward Gu’s expression darkened.
Lady Chan-Chan blinked, brow furrowing. “Wait… is that what you think we’re doing? No, no, no, why would you do such a thing to such a cute fellow like you? That ‘capture’ talk earlier was… well, more of a contingency plan! Like storing medicine in case someone gets sick.”
The beast didn’t move. But the spatial energy around it began to shift, like threads being pulled from behind a veil.
Steward Gu’s grip tightened on his sword. “He doesn’t trust us. He’s acting on instinct.”
“You mean as any frightened cub would?” Lady Chan-Chan said softly. Her usual playful tone dimmed, replaced with something more thoughtful. “He’s scared. He just doesn’t know how to say it.”
Then, one pulse that was clearer than the rest:
I am protected. You take.
Lady Chan-Chan stiffened.
“He’s talking about Kong Tian…” she whispered.
But the moment was already fading. The beast’s form flickered, space warping unnaturally around its frame.
Without warning, it vanished.
Not through speed, but by tearing a fracture into the void itself. The world folded inward with a hollow snap, and in a blink, the glade was empty.
Only silence remained. That, and the rabbit jerky lying untouched on the stone.
“…Void-stepping sacred beasts,” Lady Chan-Chan muttered. “More elusive than a spirit deer in mating season.”
Steward Gu activated his divine sense, eyes glowing faintly as he scanned the surrounding terrain. “That wasn’t just void movement. That was panic. He’s young. Probably doesn’t even realize how much destruction he’s causing.”
Steward Gu Sighed.
“If we weren’t in the 7th heaven, I’d be able to use my divine sense at full power.”
Lady Chan-Chan shrugged and retrieved her rabbit, placing it into her spatial ring. “We scared him without meaning to. And now he’s gone.”
She floated into the air beside Gu, brushing a stray leaf from her shoulder. “He’s confused, not cruel. But if we keep chasing him like hunters, we’ll only corner him further.”
“If he unleashes another wave of beasts,” Gu said grimly, “we won’t have the luxury of hesitation.”
Lady Chan-Chan hesitated for a breath, then gave a crooked smile. “Just once, I’d like to make a friend without a misunderstanding between us.”
“I can tell from the fight earlier that the beast was never hostile, just defending itself. But since it can use void steps, it can teleport anywhere nearby.”
Steward Gu held his chin as he pondered.
“Let’s search the nearby mountains, it’s likely hiding not far from here.”
Then, to herself, she muttered, “Void users really are troublesome.”
The two vanished into the trees, chasing echoes through broken air.
_______________________
Elsewhere.
The earth trembled beneath Iron Root Town.
Low, thundering growls echoed from beyond the walls, each one shaking dust from the rafters. High on the battlements, clan banners snapped in the wind. Blades were drawn. War Drums banging to a rising tempo. Basic Formation arrays hummed as guards poured spiritual energy into the crystals lining the outer gates.
And above the chaos, from atop a wooden watchtower, a crimson signal flared.
The horde had arrived.
,
Near the center of town, after the town defense meeting.
In the shadow of a protective formation, Kong Tian sat quietly on the steps of the town shrine.
The cold morning breeze carried the faint tang of blood and beast musk from the outer forest, but here, behind layered barriers and protective wards, the chaos felt distant.
He exhaled.
His body still ached. The Meridian Cleansing Pills and recovery pills, had stabilized his core and soothed his damaged channels, but not fully. Not yet. Still, he sat upright, shoulders tense, gaze distant.
“Brooding doesn’t suit you.”
The voice came from his left.
Kong Tian turned to find Chen Kai leaning against a support beam, arms crossed, a sheen of sweat clinging to his brow. His Orange robes were scorched, his injuries wrapped in linen, and a bandage was tied tight around his left thigh.
“Didn’t expect to see you here, and you’re not looking your best either.” Kong Tian said, resting his chin on his palm.
Chen Kai scoffed. “I encountered a new struggle to temper myself.”
Chen Kai opened his arms to show his tattered robes and wounds. “And this was the result of me facing my weakness.” He said in an oddly proud tone.
Kong Tian cleared his throat.
“Thanks for speaking up about the Chen clans' scheme during the exam.”
Chen Kai stared at the gloomy sky.
“I didn’t do it for your sake; I just want to apply pressure to my clan.
“Their schemes are ruining the stage that’s set for me…
After this demon beast situation is settled, we will have a proper fight.”
Kong Tian scratched his head.
“This guy is a strange one..”
They both stared ahead for a moment. In the distance, horns sounded again, two long notes and a short one.
Signal of formation breach.
“They’re probing the southern gate,” Chen Kai murmured. “It won’t hold forever.”
Kong Tian opened his pouch and pulled out a small jade vial. Inside were shimmering golden pills, each glowing faintly with spiritual mist.
“How about we join the action?” he said. “Spirit-grade Recovery pills from Steward Gu. Higher grade than anything the school gives out.”
He held one out.
Chen Kai raised a brow. “ I don’t think those pills are spirit-grade. My clan's alchemist is a spirit-grade alchemist, and that pill's aura far surpasses them. They should be priceless treasures….You’re giving me one?”
Kong Tian didn’t flinch. “Just take the pills. If you can walk, you can fight.”
Chen Kai snorted. “You sure you want your ‘rival’ to recover faster?”
“A weak rival, isn’t a rival worth having.”
He said, tone resolute.
A pause.
Then Chen Kai took the pill and downed it without flair.
A moment passed.
Then his eyes widened as a wave of heat surged through his dantian. His damaged muscles tightened, bones knit faster. The soreness across his chest began to ease.
“…That was stronger than I thought,” he muttered.
Kong Tian smirked faintly. “Don’t die before you pay me back.”
“I’m not planning on dying at all,” Chen Kai replied coolly. “Not until I’ve defeated you.”
Kong Tian leaned back. “Good.”
Their gazes met, not as enemies, but as cultivators staring down the same abyss.
,
Across town, things were far less poetic.
“Please calm down! The inner formation is safe! You’ll be protected!” Kong Ming pleaded, arms outstretched, as a middle-aged man clutching a sobbing child shoved past him.
“I’m not leaving my house! This is a trick! This is all part of the Fang Clan’s plot!” the man wailed.
Kong Ming tried to reason with him. “Sir, if you stay here, you’ll die.”
“No! I see through your lies! You want to sell us to the beast horde, don’t you?!”
Kong Ming blinked. “…What?”
The man grabbed a broom from beside the door and flailed it at him. “Begone, deceiver!”
The broom whacked harmlessly against Kong Ming’s chest.
He sighed.
Then calmly raised his hand… and….Puchie!..delivered a light strike to the back of the man’s neck.
Plop!
The man crumpled like a sack of potatoes.
“Gu Bi,” Kong Ming called, already lifting the unconscious man onto his back. “Another one.”
Gu Bi, standing beside a wheelbarrow now filled with two unconscious aunties and a man who’d tried to hide inside his water well, raised an eyebrow.
“That’s the third one on this street. You’re racking up a body count.”
“It’s not my fault!” Kong Ming snapped. “They’re too panicked to listen! And Uncle Lao always said if people can’t think straight, knock them out and carry them to safety!”
Gu Bi nodded solemnly. “Wise man. Very hands-on. Very illegal.”
KRAAASH!
Another window shattered nearby as a child screamed inside.
Kong Ming rushed to the door. “Hold on! I’m here to help!”
The mother inside shrieked. “Don’t come in! Don’t touch my babies!”
“I’m a cultivator!” he insisted.
“I don’t care if you’re the Emperor’s son, STAY OUT!”
“You cultivators are always looking down on us, honest working people. If I had a spiritual root, I’d probably be a better cultivator than you!
HMPH!”
A flowerpot flew past his head.
He gritted his teeth. “Alright. Sorry in advance.”
Puchie!
Kong Ming looked at the kids hiding behind the table.
“Are you going to come out easily, or need some assistance relaxing like your mother?”
Moments later, Kong Ming exited the house with the unconscious mother over his shoulder and two small kids clinging to his sleeves.
Gu Bi held open the wheelbarrow. “Welcome aboard.”
One of the kids blinked up at Gu Bi. “Are you kidnappers?”
Gu Bi smiled gently. “Only part-time.”
A few houses over…
Xing Cai stood nervously in front of a grumpy elderly man seated on a pile of banana baskets.
“Sir, please,” she said timidly. “You need to evacuate to the town center. The barrier is secure there.”
The old man looked her up and down. “You look like a spoiled noble brat.”
Her face turned red. “I…I’m not.”
“Can you even fight?” he snorted. “Go away, girl.”
“I’m… I’m trying to help.”
He tossed a banana at her feet. “Then start by carrying something useful.”
Xing Cai bowed and shuffled away, defeated.
Gu Bi passed by moments later and patted her shoulder. “He yelled at me, too. Don’t take it personally.”
“People in this village have been abused by those in power for years, now they have trouble trusting strangers..”
Xing Cai nodded.
“…I’m not taking it personally!” she sniffed, wiping her eyes.
Back at the shrine, Kong Tian slowly rose to his feet, his energy stabilizing.
Chen Kai straightened beside him, stretching his shoulder with a quiet grimace.
“Feeling better?” Kong Tian asked.
“Enough to join the fight,” Chen Kai replied.
Outside the walls, the roars of beasts grew louder. The cries of battle reached the edge of town.
Both young men turned to the sound.
“Let’s go,” Kong Tian said.
Chen Kai gave a nod. “Try not to get in my way.”
Kong Tian smirked. “Don’t fall behind.”
And with that, they stepped into the storm.
?
Iron Root Town’s southern wall trembled as the demon beast horde surged forward like a flood of teeth and claws.
Arrows and spiritual qi techniques came to life along the outer battlements, and spiritual formations began to pulse as layers of defense activated, but it was clear to everyone watching from above: this would not be enough.
Two youths jumped onto the roof of a nearby building, then proceeded to jump high in the air, landing on top of the defensive wall of the town.
Beside him, Chen Kai leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed. Though still pale from his injuries, his posture was upright, dignified. He glanced toward the battlefield, gaze sweeping over the chaos.
“There are large hordes of mortal beasts pressing the lines on the left.”
A Spirit Warrior captain near the gate spotted them. “You two! This isn’t a place for children.”
Chen Kai gave the man a disinterested glance. “We’re not children. We’re cultivators of the Iron Root Martial School.”
“You’re barely past Body Tempering,” the guard said. “We’ve already lost twenty men this hour.”
“And you’ll lose more if you keep turning away help,” Chen Kai cut in, tone calm and cold. “I don’t need your permission to temper myself.”
Kong Tian nodded once, and without another word, the two vaulted over the edge of the wall, leaping down into the battlefield below.
The guard’s jaw dropped. “First it was Lady Bai… then that masked girl… Now these two? What’s with this generation? Are kids just tired of living?”
Below, the horde raged.
Dozens of demon beasts stormed toward the town. Snarling wolf-hounds, scale-plated tigers, and mutated gorillas carved bloody paths through the front lines. Soldiers screamed, formations wavered, but then, two new figures slammed into the dirt like meteors.
Kong Tian struck the ground first, his gloves flaring with physical qi.
The earth slightly cracked beneath him.
A horned boar lunged, he pivoted low, ducking under its tusks, and drove a glowing punch using the profound fist technique into its gut. The impact rippled through the beast’s body with a blood-boiling effect, sending it skidding backward into a group of lower-ranked beasts.
Kong Tian exhaled, stance solid. “Next.”
Chen Kai landed more gracefully, dusting off his robes. A massive beetle-beast charged toward him with a screech, mandibles gleaming.
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Chen Kai sighed.
“Predictable.”
He stepped forward, weaving around the beast’s charge with sharp footwork, and with a single precise blow to its exposed thorax, Boom!
The beetle crumpled, twitching, its internal organs crushed from the inside out by focused qi.
Nearby soldiers gawked as the two boys advanced.
“Are those students from the martial school?”
“They’re punching spirit beasts barehanded?!”
“One of their fist techniques is extremely powerful!”
“I thought we were doomed, but maybe not…”
Morale surged.
Kong Tian weaved between a pair of scaled lions, fists flowing like water. Every strike was purposeful, every dodge crisp. His gloves glowed as he redirected attacks with palm strikes and drove his fists with domineering force.
Chen Kai’s movements were tighter, more surgical. He didn’t waste motion. He shattered joints and pierced hides with pinpoint physical qi strikes, dismantling beast after beast with scholarly precision.
Their teamwork became instinctive.
Early-stage spirit beasts and mortal beasts were thoroughly suppressed in that region.
At one point, a serpent lunged at Kong Tian from behind, but Chen Kai intercepted it midair using his silent fist technique, dislocating its jaw.
Kong Tian nodded his thanks. “Appreciate it.”
“I’m not doing it for you,” Chen Kai muttered. “I’d rather not be buried under a pile of corpses.”
Overhead, arrows soared through the sky, missing some beast by a few inches. A trio of low-level flying beasts soared over the wall, breaking through the weakened formations.
Inside the town, chaos erupted.
Screams echoed from the central district as citizens fled toward the safe zone. One of the flying beasts, a winged crimson lizard, swooped toward a group of children.
Then,
Whack!
A frying pan crashed into its snout.
Gu Bi stood below, holding the pan as if it were a holy artifact. “No one threatens my town, unless they want to be cooked by this Bi!”
The lizard reeled, but before it could recover, a shadow zipped past.
Xing Cai darted forward, throwing a heavy aerial kick that crushed its wings and sent it crashing into the ground.
“I-I got it!” she stammered.
But the beast snarled and began to rise.
That’s when Kong Ming arrived.
He didn’t speak.
He just chopped the beast on the back of its neck with a concentrated physical qi strike.
Plop!
It collapsed.
Gu Bi blinked. “You’re going to develop a reputation for neck chops.”
“Efficient,” Kong Ming muttered, turning toward a second screech.
Another winged beast dove, but this time, Gu Bi and Xing Cai acted in sync, using her leg art and thrown pots to harass it while Kong Ming launched a series of quick, precise strikes to its underbelly, knocking it out of the air.
Cheers erupted from the civilians.
“Is that really the same kid who was a cripple
months ago?”
“Oh, wait, that is him!”
“I didn’t recognize him until now.”
Kong Ming turned his head to the remaining villagers who hadn't reached the barrier.
“Now you see the danger, hurry up and enter the formation before it’s too late.”
A lot of the reluctant villagers became more cooperative and expedited the rescue process.
Back on the outer battlefield, the tide shifted again.
Na Ran roared through a cluster of ape-beasts, her black leather armor and jade fishnet under armor bore tears from battle, but her daggers left her opponents unable to retaliate with a silent deadliness. Lady Bai moved beside her, her sword swan-foot work carving narrow paths of sword lights that froze advancing beasts mid-charge with fear. Together, they formed a deadly rhythm, dark and light in harmony.
The guards cheered as the Iron Root Martial School’s cultivators added pressure to the front line.
But hope was short-lived.
A rumble echoed.
Then six shapes emerged from the treeline, towering beasts with glowing eyes, each one radiating pressure that crushed the breath from nearby soldiers.
Beast Warriors, peak stage.
Just one minor level below a Beast Lord.
The six beasts immediately began a horrifying slaughter of the cultivators in the area.
The front line buckled.
Two Spirit Warrior elders dashed forward,
“If we let those high-level beasts rampage unchecked, our casualties will explode. Try to hold the area until we receive reinforcements!” Shouted one of the elders.
Due to them leaving their posts, to intercept the high-level threats.
Flanks began to crumble. Without their anchors, Spirit Apprentice beasts surged in.
Screams followed.
A girl was pinned as a wild beast chewed her arms off.
“No!..Wait….Oh God! Ah ah!” Her screams were soon echoed by another.
A young man screamed at the sight of his brother's lifeless corpse. Blood sprayed across the dirt as he held the mangled corpse of his lifeless sibling.
Kong Tian stumbled back, a gash across his shoulder.
The Carnage of his surroundings was slowly causing his blood to boil, fueling a battle frenzy deep within.
A shadow fell over him. This is what war is…
His blood began to heat up, and excitement began to surge in his heart.
A level 5 Spirit beast, called the four-armed flame lizard, gave off a menacing shriek as it charged in his direction.
With its frame nearly the size of a carriage, it began to snarl as it loomed over him, eyes glowing with malice.
Its limbs burst with fire spiritual energy.
Before it could strike.
BOOM!
Chen Kai kicked it from the side, a blast of physical qi erupting from his foot into its flank. The beast staggered, then roared and retaliated, striking Chen Kai across the chest with a flame-cloaked fist that hurled him into a crater.
The spiritual energy that enhanced the lizard's attacks made it capable of suppressing them with a single blow.
“Chen Kai!” Kong Tian shouted, surging forward.
“If only I were able to use Spiritual Energy, still I’d be able to stand a chance clashing with the flame lizard.” Kong Tian thought inwardly.
The beast swung again, but Kong Tian ducked under his fists, weaving, trying to find an opening.
It roared again, but he refused to back down.
Chen Kai rose slowly from the dirt, spitting blood. “This is… exactly what I needed.”
He charged in again, joining Kong Tian, fists glowing, their movements now perfectly synced. They weren’t just fighting, they were rising.
Together.
The lizard shrieked as the pressure grew.
Their physical qi surged.
Kong Tian’s eyes widened as he felt the limit of his realm crack.
So did Chen Kai.
They both roared.
BOOOOM!
A double explosion of qi blasted outward.
Their auras skyrocketed.
Spirit Apprentice Realm, achieved.
The flame lizard didn’t back down. Two brats at the 1st level of spirit apprentice weren’t enough to threaten a level 5 spirit beast.
Kong Tian clenched his fist, basking in the familiar power of the spirit apprentice realm.
“I need to think of what this beast's weak point is…”he thought inwardly
A brief memory of Kong Ming telling him a random fact about a flame lizard, appeared in his head as he concentrated. “Four-arm flame lizards are one of the apex beasts in the spirit realm, and they have few weaknesses.
Their only easily exploited weakness is when they breathe fire and expand their glands. Causing a blockage when it tries to breathe fire can cause an internal energy flow rupture, causing them to die from their own technique. These creatures are really troublesome, and I’d hate to encounter one without sufficient cultivation.” Kong Ming said, shuddering in fear.
Back to the present..
Chen Kai! Kong Tian shouted.
Chen Kai turned to Kong Tian, startled by the sudden outburst.
This lizard's weakness is the glands when it breathes fire. We need to make it breathe fire and strike that exact moment to clog their glands, before it releases its fire breath.
Chen Kai nodded in understanding as he danced between the lizard's strikes like an orange snake moving between bamboo trees.
The two geniuses split up and created distance from the lizard. Seeing its prey gain distance, the lizard instinctively began to prepare a fire blast technique. The beast's glands on its neck began to swell as it began its fire breath.
Now! Kong Tian Shouted.
Chen Kai quickly threw the throwing knife he held in his sleeve, creating an opening in the gland of the lizard.
Aaaach! The lizard bellowed a pained cry.
Just as it was about to breathe fire, Kong Tian launched a head-sized rock, clogging the gland using the opening Chen Kai’s knife created.
Boom!
The lizard's fire-breathing technique damaged the lizard's internal energy flow due to the clogging in its gland.
The beast's eyes began to bleed as it slowly collapsed on the ground, dying.
Their fists slammed into its core at the same time, and with a final shriek, the beast collapsed, its body twitching before fading into death.
The battlefield paused, for just a second, as nearby soldiers saw two bloodied students rise from the crater.
“They… they broke through.”
“They did it…”
Kong Tian stood tall.
Chen Kai dusted off his robe, blood smeared across his chin.
“Finally,” he muttered, adjusting his collar. “Now it’s getting interesting.”
Across the battlefield,
The three patriarchs reached the back of the horde.
Chen Wei’s flames clashed with the shadow of a massive serpent.
Bai Huang and the grand elder of the Bai Clan stood like a mountain before a steel-horned thunder ram.
Fang Zhen and a reluctant Fang Duan stood faced with a beast of bone and ash, its eyes burning with ancient rage.
Fang Duan sighed. “These are the kind of demon beasts I hate to fight the most. Physical attacks barely harm them.”
Each fight was monumental, and waves of spiritual energy cracked the sky.
But even as they fought the leading beast, the frontlines faced annihilation.
Morale faltered.
Bodies fell.
The warriors of Iron Root were bloodied.
And as the battle shifted from glory to survival…
…they refused to yield.
________________________
Iron Root’s walls shuddered under the weight of distant howls and cracking stones. Smoke curled upward as shattered shields and ruptured spiritual formations sparked among the dead. The sun bled across the sky like an open wound, casting long, flickering shadows across the corpses of both beast and man.
Amid the carnage, two figures stood tall.
Kong Tian’s fists shimmered with spiritual light, his newly awakened spiritual qi weaving around his knuckles like silver flames. At his side, Chen Kai’s presence had grown sharper, denser. Every strike of his reinforced fists moved with brutal precision, reinforced by the refined clarity of a Spirit Apprentice.
Together, they crashed into the horde like falling stars.
“Profound fist technique 4th move,” Kong Tian murmured, his fist slamming down with spiritual qi-infused force.
The ground ruptured beneath a charging ox-beast. Crack's webbed outward before his fist collided with the beast’s face, sending it skidding across the battlefield, skull shattered.
Chen Kai didn’t even glance over. He pivoted, intercepting a fang-raven leaping toward him. His palm rotated midair, coiling with spiritual energy.
“Silent Fist Art: Spiral Fang.”
He slammed his hand into its side, blowing a hole clean through its ribs, like a lethal drill piercing a tree.
“You’re wasting motion,” Chen Kai chided casually. “Tighten your stance before you counter.”
Kong Tian grinned despite the sweat. “You talk too much.”
“I talk just enough.”
Their backs touched briefly as they spun, then separated again, fighting in perfect rhythm. One would knock a beast into the air; the other would intercept it mid-flight and finish the job.
The frontline soldiers gaped.
“Are those… students?!”
“They’re fighting like veterans, no, like generals!”
“Monsters…”
From the watchtower, a tired instructor muttered, “Twin Dragons… of the Golden Generation…”
The legend was born.
?
But even twin dragons could be overwhelmed.
In the west, Bai Yuyin’s blade hummed as she danced through the enemy lines, her inherited technique blooming like moonlight with every strike.
“Moonpiercer Form, Fifth Petal!”
A crescent arc of sword light cut through a charging warthog, its tusks sheared in half as it crumpled in a heap.
Beside her, Na Ran was a ghost.
Her daggers flickered like twin shadows, carving vital arteries and slipping between ribs in fluid silence. Every time a beast turned to roar, it was already bleeding out.
A burly bear beast barreled toward a group of wounded soldiers, until Na Ran’s dagger flashed from its eye socket, twisting, then vanishing as she leapt to its spine and drove her blade downward.
“You're back,” she warned softly.
Bai Yuyin nodded and pivoted, slicing a leaping viper-beast that aimed for Na Ran’s blind spot.
They were back-to-back, blood-spattered, and unyielding.
Yet even their masterful synergy couldn’t halt the shift.
They made the fight between body tempering and mortal beast favorable, but the fights of the cultivators in the higher realms are taking a turn for the worse.
?
The morale began to fray.
Cries of pain echoed from the south as 8 spirit warrior captains and elders were overwhelmed by a group of six peak Warrior Realm beasts.
These beasts were only one step below becoming true lords, they convincingly suppressed the spirit warriors. Their rampaging forms tore through battle lines like paper.
A scaled gorilla ripped a cultivator in half, tossing the upper body aside.
A storm serpent coiled and devoured a Spirit Warrior whole.
The battlefield reeled. Cultivators began to panic.
“Elders can’t stop those monsters! Retreat!” Ahh!
Soldiers began deserting the fight in growing numbers.
Two more elite elders had to abandon their posts to confront the six rampaging beasts, leaving vast swaths of the battlefield vulnerable. Without their guidance, the spirit apprentice fighters began to falter.
Kong Tian panted, blood matting his robes. A massive Yin-Bear loomed in front of him, its black furry arms swirling with Earth Qi.
Chen Kai landed beside him, breathing heavily. “We can’t take it head-on; this one is at least at the 8th level of spirit beast.”
“Then we split it,” Kong Tian said.
They surged forward, fists shining with spiritual energy, their movements precise but desperate. Every clash left tremors in the ground. The Yin-Bear roared, its tail whipping like a dark scythe.
Chen Kai leapt over the strike, aiming for its eyes, only to be met with a burst of spiritual energy that injured his shoulder. Kong Tian tried to flank, but the creature stomped the ground, causing several earth spikes to rupture towards him. Both boys staggered back.
“4th Cloud Severing Paradise!” a voice drawled.
A shadow tore through the sky.
A streak of silver and blue light shot from above as a youth riding a sleek, flying beast plummeted like a meteor. With a roar, the youth leapt, sword drawn, a storm of pressure erupting behind him.
The blade screamed as it cleaved through the Yin-Bear’s arm, severing it clean. Leaving a 10-meter crater in his wake.
Fang Longwei landed in a crouch, his flying beast circling overhead.
“Need help, juniors?”
Kong Tian and Chen Kai stared, stunned.
Fang Longwei stood at 1.9 meters tall, he had a slender frame with compact muscles, and he had a charismatic face with sword-shaped eyebrows.
His sword, wrapped in a sharp sword aura, made each swing carry a cold sense of dread.
“Fang Duan’s son,” Chen Kai smiled. “So it seems you've been doing more than just sleeping since entering the cloud seeking sect.”
Fang Longwei’s grin didn’t fade. “Keep watching if you want to learn something.”
Chen Kai’s eyes narrowed, heat rising in his veins, not jealousy, but battle intent. “This is who I must surpass.” Chen Kai murmured to himself.
Fang Longwei didn’t hear him.
The Rank 8 Yin-Bear cried in pain from losing its arm. Its eyes red with fury and it began to charge towards Fang Longwei….
Chop!
The bear's head slid off its body without it knowing how it died.
A cold sweat appeared on Kong Tian’s back. I couldn’t even see his sword move before the bear's head was gone.
Kong Tian knew if he fought this mysterious young man, he wouldn’t fare much better than the bear.
“Senior Fang, your sword art isn’t bad.”Chen Kai said indifferently
“I have still not decided which martial Dao I want to specialize in, but I’m considering the sword Dao. I wonder which one of us will achieve higher attainments.”
Fang Longwei laughed. “Little Kai, you really haven’t changed.”
“I look forward to seeing what martial path you take.” He gave Chen Kai a warm, carefree smile.
?
Meanwhile, at the town center’s gates,
Kong Ming and the rest of the evacuation team finally completed their assignment and arrived at the city walls.
The civilians were safe, secured behind a basic defense-activated formation.
But the outer walls, especially the south, were buckling.
Panic and dread were seen clearly in the eyes of the city guards manning the wall.
Kong Ming’s sharp eyes surveyed the battlefield. It was a horrific scene of blood and death. The smells of burning flesh wafted towards the youth standing on top of the wall
Kong Ming took a deep breath, steadying his heart.
“There are six peak Warrior Beasts spread across three locations, tearing through Spirit Warriors like paper.”
His brow furrowed. “They’re the real threat. Not the numbers. If we don’t take them down soon, our battle lines will completely collapse. ”
“Blebubub.” Gu Bi stood shakily as he resisted the urge to vomit again.
“Brother Ming, this Gu has never seen something so horrific.” he sat down on the wall, looking away.
Kong Ming turned to the ranking guard captain nearby. “I need your best troops listening to me now.”
The man blinked. “You’re a student.”
“I’m also Iron Root’s top beast expert,” Kong Ming snapped. “If you don’t want to die, listen.”
The guard captain pondered. “None of the students from that school I met today seemed ordinary…
Perhaps, this student is another freak?” The captain thought inwardly.
Something in this kid's tone carried weight.
The captain relented.
“What’s your plan?”
Kong Ming’s mind raced. “Those beasts… They're tough, but not invincible. The scaled gorilla has a weak point in its knee joints and tends to favor punching and grabbing with its right arm, so be sure to fight the beast primarily on its left side and target the knees with long-range techniques.
He turned to a squad. “You. Go to the apothecaries. Bring crimson windleaf and frost spine vine. If we burn both, the pack of Yang flame-wolves’ internal fire will destabilize, and they will become sluggish.”
“Also, bring any spirit honey grass we have and boil it around the peak warrior demon beast. Spirit honey grass is a natural tranquilizer for demon beasts. Tell the cultivators fighting the beast to cover their faces with a saltwater cloth to negate the effects.”
“The beasts won’t be subdued completely by the tranquilizer, but their combat power should be reduced by fifty percent if we get enough of it.”
The silver-winged python at the peak of the beast warrior realm relies heavily on its wings.
The wings are as strong as hardened steel, but if we can use sticky berry tar to coat its wings, the beast's movement speed will fall greatly. The next time the beast attacks, throw jars of the sticky berry tar at it.
The Guard captain was silenced in astonishment.
Gu Bi raised a brow. “You memorized herbal beast counters?”
Kong Ming nodded.
Xing Cai, can you make a qi gathering formation behind the gate?
Xing Cai stepped forward. “I can, but it will take 10 minutes, and it’s only a basic formation.”
Kong Ming nodded. “That’s good enough. We will need it to help our cultivators recover energy.”
Kong Ming paused
“Position wind users against heavy beasts with thin hides. Fire cultivators flank the frost-beasts and insect beasts. Earth cultivators create a defensive wall in the areas that've been unstable from the captain's absence. We need to slow down the retreat. Those cultivators with movement arts and speed techniques, isolate the pack of storm serpents.”
The commanders looked at him with a dawning understanding.
Slowly, order returned.
Groups realigned.
Beasts began to falter.
One of the peak Warrior Beasts staggered, coughing black blood as a concoction-tainted arrow pierced its throat.
Another was paralyzed when its senses were overwhelmed by the smell of the spirit honey grass, and was swarmed by the soldiers.
Soldiers cheered as three of the six peak warrior beasts were slain.
The tides slowly began to turn.
?
Hope, once flickering, now burned anew.
Soldiers rallied behind the new formations.
Kong Tian and Chen Kai pushed forward again, stronger now with guidance and support.
While the morale of the forces defending the town rose, the composure of the black-haired, silver-eyed youth paled.
Kong Ming wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“I tried to keep a brave face, but I don’t think I can handle seeing so much bloodshed of people.” He thought inwardly.
This was the 12-year-old's first time witnessing so much human bloodshed. The screams and cries for help became a traumatic trigger for Kong Ming as the battle continued.
Smoke began to blot the sky.
The smell of rotting flesh perforated the nostrils of everyone in Iron Root Town.
The cries of people who lost their loved ones gave Kong Ming chills and took all of his energy not to break.
“I have to stay strong, it took a lot of confidence to convince the guard captains to trust my strategy. I can’t afford to show weakness here if I want to be useful to my brother.”
Kong Ming took a deep breath as he hardened his resolve. As the smoke of burning corpses continues to rise into the air.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, a cultivator can be seen struggling to fight off a Wolf-type Spirit beast that had pounced on them. Just as the sharp teeth of the wolf were about to reach the neck of the man….
Whack!
A punch to the wolf’s ribs landed and sent it flying several meters.
“The cultivator quickly got up and cupped his hands. Thank you for saving me!”
Kong Tian nodded his head. “No need for thanks, it's only natural to try and save as many as we can while fighting off this horde.” His tone was void of emotion, as if he were stating a simple, obvious fact.
“Only Natural?” The man murmured, smiling wryly.
Kong Tian didn’t know how rare his viewpoint was.
The world of cultivation centers on the ruthless pursuit of resources to take one step closer to immortality. Only by reaching a higher realm can someone extend their lifespan; fewer cultivators alive means less competition.
The man stared at Kong Tian's back as he watched the black-haired youth proceed to save the lives of many others while slaying demon beasts.
Just like that….
The legend of the Twin Dragons wasn’t just surviving; it was thriving.
And at the heart of it, guiding from behind the lines, stood the strategist:
Kong Ming.
His gaze locked on his brother’s silhouette.
“This is just the start.”
Kong Tian began a slaughter on the battle lines of mortal beasts. He looked back and saw a silver-eyed youth standing on top of the wall.
He smiled in the youth's direction.
Kong Ming made a subtle nod in response.
“I knew the change in battle was due to your influence. I can’t let my little brother have all the glory!”
The End of Chapter 18…
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