Chapter 868: Waiting to Fight You
The second round of the Great Hunt was destined to be soaked with blood. Things were on a completely different level than they had been in previous Great Hunts. For example, the dramatic events in the Mountain and Sea Region were totally unprecedented.
Although the three god shrines had ultimately come to suppress the heart of the Ninedawns Forbidden Lands, before that happened, the fluctuations of the spider god had caused all the beasts in the region to be filled with bloodlust. The Mountain and Sea Region, which had already been filled with fierce beasts, became even more brutal. There were even some areas where the beasts stampeded out of control.
The result was that the cultivators participating in the Great Hunt had to become even more ruthless. On a nearly daily basis, there were Firemoon cultivators who died in the region, lending their flesh and blood to the soil as nutrients. Some people took advantage of the chaos to achieve successes that normally wouldn’t have been possible. Some of them won very precious mounts. But overall, the Mountain and Sea Region was doomed to descend into chaos.
Xu Qing sensed it immediately once he left his session of secluded meditation in the mountains.
The first thing he saw was a large group of beasts stampeding by. They looked like horses, except they had six legs and the heads of snakes. They were called firetreaders. The reason for the name was that when they galloped, green flames would appear beneath their hooves. Wherever they went, green fire abounded, and it could even immolate souls. In the fire that surrounded them, it was possible to see the souls of both beasts and cultivators, trapped and shrieking in agony.
As Xu Qing floated up into the air, the firetreaders exhaled green smoke and rushed in his direction.
But then Xu Qing released a bit of the aura of Ninedawns. It was just a bit, but it caused the raging firetreaders to suddenly shiver, stop in place, then prostrate toward the canopy of heaven while howling in anguish. Those howls weren’t because of any injury they were sustaining, but rather, because of the bitterness and sorrow they felt in their souls. It was an instinct that came from their blood.
The blood of Antemage Ninedawns was paramount in these lands. And most of the beasts in the Mountain and Sea Region descended from Ninedawns’s archmage subordinates. When they sensed Ninedawns’ aura, it drew out memories from their blood.
Xu Qing stopped and looked at the prostrating firetreaders, then shot off into the dome of heaven.
As he traveled, similar scenes played out repeatedly. For example, at one point, a flock of birds that normally didn’t hesitate to unleash a storm of violence all stopped in place when Xu Qing neared. Trembling, they bowed and let loose cries of anguish.
It really emphasized to Xu Qing how sorrowful the beasts were, as well as the status Ninedawns commanded. In fact, he gradually started to feel as if this entire area belonged to him. But that feeling was really the result of Ninedawns’ emotion. Xu Qing didn’t like being affected in that way, so he blotted out all of Ninedawns’ emotions.
He picked up speed. A few hours later, his eyes gleamed as he found what he had been looking for.
It was a middle-aged Saia cultivator being chased by mountain sparrows. He clearly had some skills, because despite being chased by multiple mountain sparrows, he was about to make his escape. But then a calm voice slammed into his mind like a bolt of heavenly lightning.
“Be sealed.”
It was a sealing magic bolstered by Ninedawns’ tiger-dragon, which was unusually exceptional, and locked down the entire area surrounding the Saia cultivator. In the blink of an eye, he shivered, then stopped in place. He was unable to move, with his fleshly body and his soul both completely immobilized.
The pursuing mountain sparrows shivered as if they had just been given new orders. Turning in place, they flew off into the distance.
The Saia remained, completely immobile in midair, his heart raging with astonishment. Then a figure appeared, strolling toward him, surrounded by black fire. The moment the Saia cultivator saw his face, a tempest erupted within him. He recognized Xu Qing! Based on the information he’d been given, Xu Qing was supposed to have been killed by Master Stillwinter! But here was Xu Qing right in front of him!
The shock caused the Saia cultivator’s body to instinctively want to tremble, except he was sealed so tightly he couldn’t even do that. His eyes were absolutely pulsing with astonishment and terror. What was more, as Xu Qing neared and flames built up around the Saia cultivator, intense pain swept through his fleshly body. But what was most terrifying to him was the pressure radiating off Xu Qing. The pressure alone caused cracks to start spreading out on his skin. It felt like facing a Smoldering God!
“Where’s Master Stillwinter?” Xu Qing asked coolly.
The seal binding the Saia loosened slightly, but at first, the only thing that came out was a sharp gasp of shock. And he finally was able to tremble thanks to the sensation of imminent death. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything to get rid of that deathly sensation. All he could do was shake his head, because he had no idea where Master Stillwinter was.
“Don’t know?” Xu Qing asked, his expression placid. He waved his hand, and a soul thread spread out, wrapped around the Saia, and then viciously dragged him behind Xu Qing.
Xu Qing had only bound the Saia’s cultivation base, not his ability to speak. What was more, the sealing was so incredible that it allowed Xu Qing to open his bag of holding and check what was inside. All he had was a transmission jade slip. Xu Qing didn’t plan to kill him right away. After all, it seemed a lot more convenient to get Master Stillwinter to come to him rather than try to track him down. That said, he needed the cooperation of the Saia cultivator.
Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior flew out and started circling around the Saia, occasionally flying close enough to slice open wounds on his flesh. The sensation of frigid cold caused the Saia cultivator to tremble.
A projection of the patriarch appeared, seated cross-legged atop the iron skewer. Looking at the Saia, he said, “Are you going to save yourself? Or would you like me to help you? Just pick a spot and I can poke some holes there. You’d better hope people like you, or else.... heh heh.”
When the Saia cultivator saw the look in the patriarch’s eyes, he unhesitatingly did as requested and sent some messages to fellow members of his species asking for them to save him.
Xu Qing flew along, dragging the Saia behind him with soul threads.
The Saia’s messages included some devious tricks, but Xu Qing didn’t care. The more people who came, the better. Unfortunately, whether it was because Xu Qing’s reputation was too ferocious, or the Saia wasn’t very popular, after several hours passed, not one member of his species showed up to save him.
Xu Qing, starting to get impatient, accelerated.
A few days passed.
During that time, the Saia’s pleas for help grew weaker and weaker. It didn’t matter how Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior threatened him; the Saia was helpless to do anything other than moan. Thankfully, the more people he contacted, the more word spread.
As the days passed, Xu Qing occasionally encountered Whitemarshes or Saias, and he would immediately attack them, bind them, and start dragging them behind him. He now had dozens of them....
All of them were overwhelmed with despair. With Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior tormenting and threatening them, they kept sending out messages for help. At the same time, their cries grew increasingly hoarse.
The very first Saia cultivator Xu Qing had captured saw more and more captives being gathered, and it only caused his terror to grow. Over the days that had passed, he hadn’t just witnessed Xu Qing’s ferocity. He saw with his own eyes how unusual the Mountain and Sea Region beasts were behaving! He saw numerous instances in which beasts that he would have personally fled from actually prostrated to Xu Qing. It didn’t matter if they were alone or in groups. They always did the same thing.
It was like government officials encountering a monarch or king! It was both astonishing and confusing.
He had never heard of anything like this happening, not in any of the ancient records he had read. His understanding was that the beasts in the Mountain and Sea Region were ferocious and cruel. Taming them required both strength and destined opportunities. Normally speaking, once you tamed one, taming a second was even more difficult.
But right now... he had personally seen numerous beasts prostrating to Xu Qing, and many of them were the high-ranking variety that people longed to have as mounts. Regardless of their ranking, they bowed to Xu Qing, and some even ran over with the hopes of being able to follow him.
Th-this... this.... The mere thought of it caused the Saia cultivator to tremble.
Six days went by. By that point, Xu Qing had captured well over a hundred Saias and Whitemarshes that he was dragging behind him. It was truly a shocking sight. All of them were sending voice messages asking for help.
A huge commotion had struck the Mountain and Sea Region. By now, everyone was talking about the fact that Xu Qing wasn’t dead. Word was also spreading rapidly that he was looking for Master Stillwinter. Whether it was Firemoon cultivators or those from other species, when they saw the scene from a distance, they were struck to the core.
As a result, Xu Qing’s name became even more deeply fixed into the hearts of the other participants. By his actions, Xu Qing was sending a clear message to Master Stillwinter.
“I’m waiting for you!”