ARK SPIRIT

Hao Nhien did not dare remain beside the Mystic Sound Wolf’s corpse for long.

The battle had caused too much noise, and the blood of a second rank demonic beast was even more likely to attract both beasts and disciples active in the surrounding area. He had just placed the dark violet beast core into his storage pouch and was preparing to leave the ravine when a faint laugh sounded behind him.

“A seventh layer Qi Condensation cultivator who killed a Mystic Sound Wolf with his own hands. Not bad.”

Hao Nhien stopped.

A young man dressed in black stepped slowly from the shadows between the trees. Six others followed behind him, and Hao Nhien recognized five of their faces.

The Five Tigers of the Yang Family.

The remaining figure was a slender woman in black whose face was half covered. Her steps made almost no sound.

The scarred man who had stopped Hao Nhien several days earlier stood just behind the black robed young man. The moment he recognized Hao Nhien, the corner of his mouth lifted.

“Junior Brother. We meet again.”

Hao Nhien said nothing.

His gaze passed over the group.

Unlike the last time, the Yang Family members were neither scattered nor openly mocking. From the moment they appeared, they had deliberately maintained distance between one another. The man at the front controlled the direct approach, those on either side spread outward, and someone always remained far enough back to cut off a retreat.

The Mystic Sound Wolf’s corpse behind Hao Nhien had clearly changed their attitude.

A seventh layer Qi Condensation disciple capable of killing a second rank demonic beast alone, even after a difficult battle, was no longer prey they could casually crowd around.

Two people in the group were unfamiliar to him.

One was the black robed young man standing at the front. The other was the masked woman, who had quietly shifted toward the side without Hao Nhien noticing exactly when.

He could not determine their exact cultivation.

But judging from their auras and the caution shown by the others, neither seemed any weaker than the strongest member of the Five Tigers.

Even the scarred man no longer stood too close.

They were wary of him, and their positioning showed clear coordination.

Hao Nhien understood that this encounter was completely different from the last.

If he were at full strength, he might have tried to stretch their formation, create an opening, and deal with them one at a time. But he had only just finished fighting the Mystic Sound Wolf. His true qi had fallen dangerously low, blood was still seeping from the wound along his left side, and his blood and qi had not fully settled.

The black robed young man glanced at the blood on Hao Nhien’s side, then at the Mystic Sound Wolf behind him.

“Hand over the second rank beast core. I’ll let you leave.”

Hao Nhien lowered his head. His breathing was still heavy, making him appear as though he were hesitating.

The scarred man gave a cold laugh.

“You knew how to behave last time. Don’t make things difficult for yourself now.”

Hao Nhien remained silent.

The black robed young man frowned slightly.

No one around him relaxed. The distance between them remained just wide enough for each person to support the others.

Hao Nhien lowered his head as if weighing his options, then slowly reached inside his robe.

His fingers closed around a small pouch he had prepared earlier. It contained nothing dangerous, only dry ash, powdered leaves, and fine dirt. He had deliberately weakened one edge of the thin pouch so that a strong squeeze or sudden impact would tear it open.

Then he tossed it toward the scarred man.

“If you want it, take it.”

The scarred man smiled and reached out.

The instant the pouch landed in his palm, his fingers closed around it.

The weakened seam split.

A cloud of gray yellow dust burst directly in front of his face.

The scarred man had clearly expected a beast core. Startled, he turned his head away and stepped back while throwing the pouch aside. The motion only tore the thin fabric farther, allowing the wind to scatter the remaining powder across the people nearest him.

Hao Nhien had never expected a pouch of dust to injure anyone.

It only needed to interfere with their vision for a few breaths.

Tieu Dao Footwork erupted beneath him.

He lowered his body and shot straight through the narrow opening that appeared between the scarred man and the person beside him.

“Stop him!”

A fist swept in from the left.

Hao Nhien did not turn to counterattack. He twisted his shoulder away from the main force of the strike, allowing the edge of the blow to brush past his sleeve as he slipped through the opening and plunged into the forest.

An angry shout erupted behind him.

“Chase him!”

The scarred man coughed as he threw the torn pouch to the ground.

“Don’t let him get away!”

The black robed young man gave the order, and the rest of the group rushed after Hao Nhien almost at once.

Hao Nhien moved through the forest at high speed. Branches scraped across his shoulders and arms, while every burst of strength pulled painfully at the wound along his side. The Hemostatic Powder had stopped most of the bleeding, but droplets of blood still occasionally fell onto the grass.

The sounds of pursuit did not grow more distant.

The black robed young man was faster than Hao Nhien had expected. The thin man carrying a long whip used it to hook branches ahead and pull himself forward, greatly increasing his speed through the dense forest. The masked woman did not remain directly behind the group. Instead, she moved in a wide arc to the side, clearly trying to cut off Hao Nhien’s route ahead.

Hao Nhien did not panic, nor was he running blindly.

He crossed a sloping ridge, pushed through a patch of thorny brush, then moved onto a stretch of wet, slippery rock. He deliberately chose narrow paths filled with obstacles, making it harder for the larger group behind him to fully exploit their numbers.

But the blood he left behind still revealed his route.

“Ahead!”

The black robed young man’s voice came from behind.

“He’s injured. He can’t run much farther.”

Hao Nhien did not look back.

The forest to the north was too dense. If he were forced deeper in that direction, finding enough open space for his next move would become difficult.

Ahead...

A cold current of air suddenly blew back through the trees.

It did not feel like ordinary forest wind.

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It came from a vast open space.

Hao Nhien passed the final line of trees.

The view opened abruptly.

A deep abyss appeared beneath the moonlight.

The cliff dropped almost vertically for hundreds of meters. Far below lay a dark blue lake, its surface smooth as a massive mirror. Cold wind rose from the depths carrying damp air that chilled the skin.

Hao Nhien stopped at the very edge.

Blood dripped from his left side onto the stone.

The Yang Family group emerged from the forest behind him moments later.

The black robed young man stopped at a distance while the other six spread into a semicircle, completely sealing the path back into the trees.

The scarred man looked toward the abyss and laughed.

“Go on. Keep running. That lake is hundreds of meters below us. A seventh layer Qi Condensation cultivator jumping from here in your condition will lose half his life even if he survives.”

The black robed young man extended a hand.

“Give me the core. I’ll keep my word.”

Hao Nhien slowly steadied his breathing as the wind from below whipped his hair behind him.

He looked down at the lake.

Deep.

Cold.

Then he looked back at the group behind him.

“If you want to follow me, go ahead.”

He leaned backward.

The scarred man’s expression changed.

“He’s really jumping?”

Hao Nhien left the edge of the cliff and fell into the darkness.

Wind roared around his ears. The cliff walls seemed to race upward on either side, while the moon above grew more distant with every moment.

Hao Nhien did not panic.

He waited until the distance was great enough that the people above could no longer clearly see him.

Then his thought moved.

The Cosmic Ark appeared.

A point of blue light opened in front of him and rapidly formed the entrance to the Cave Dwelling. Hao Nhien followed the momentum of his fall and passed straight through.

The entrance closed the moment he entered.

The Cosmic Ark shrank into a point of blue light and continued falling through the darkness before disappearing into the lake below. Only a small column of water rose from the surface. Before long, the ripples faded beneath the moonlight.

The Yang Family group remained at the cliff edge.

The scarred man swallowed.

“He’s dead, right?”

The black robed young man did not answer at once.

He stared at the dark lake far below.

“Not necessarily.”

The scarred man turned toward him.

“From this height...”

“I said not necessarily.”

The young man frowned.

“Someone willing to jump on his own isn’t always trying to die.”

He stepped closer to the edge, but even after watching for some time, he could see nothing beyond the mist and the black surface of the lake.

The masked woman spoke.

“Should we go down and check?”

The young man did not answer immediately.

The cliff was nearly vertical, the night was dark, and no one knew what kind of demonic beasts lived in the deep lake below. Sending people down there for a single second rank beast core might not be worth the risk.

“Wait for a while.”

He finally spoke.

“If he survived, he’ll have to return to the outer sect sooner or later.”

Inside the Cave Dwelling of the Cosmic Ark, Hao Nhien had barely found his footing before all the strength seemed to drain from his body.

The tension from the Mystic Sound Wolf battle and the pursuit afterward came crashing down at once.

He treated the wound along his side as best he could.

The Yang Family might still be waiting outside.

He had no idea what lived in the lake below either.

But all of that remained within the range of what he had considered beforehand. For now, the Cosmic Ark concealed him well enough that he did not need to deal with anything else immediately.

The first thing he needed was rest.

Hao Nhien lay flat on the floor.

No breathing cultivation.

No thinking.

Within a few breaths, he had fallen asleep.

When he woke, the light inside the Cave Dwelling remained as gentle and unchanged as before, making it impossible to judge the time outside by the sun. After checking the condition of his body, Hao Nhien estimated that at least one night had passed.

The wound along his side had stopped bleeding, though it still hurt clearly whenever he twisted his body. The lingering disturbance in his meridians from the Mystic Sound Wolf’s sonic attacks had not completely disappeared either.

Hao Nhien did not rush to leave.

He took out the medicine Tieu Lan had prepared and treated the wound again. Then he placed several mid grade spirit stones around his cushion and began breathing cultivation.

Spiritual qi slowly flowed from the stones.

Together with the already dense qi inside the Cave Dwelling, the pure energy entered his body under Hao Nhien’s guidance, restoring his depleted true qi and gradually stabilizing his meridians.

When he opened his eyes again, Hao Nhien circulated true qi through a complete cycle and checked his condition.

Roughly sixty to seventy percent of his true qi had recovered.

The external wound had begun to close, though his left side still hurt whenever he exerted too much force. His blood and qi had stabilized considerably, and the lingering disturbance in his meridians had nearly disappeared.

He was still far from full strength, but it was enough to deal with most ordinary situations.

Hao Nhien looked at the mid grade spirit stones, whose light had noticeably faded, then glanced toward the medicinal garden.

“This place really is well suited for recovery.”

He stood, rolled his shoulders and waist a few times, then checked his storage pouch.

Six first rank beast cores.

One second rank core from the Black Cloud Leopard.

One second rank core from the Mystic Sound Wolf.

Together, those cores alone would be worth one hundred and twenty contribution points if submitted under the proper missions.

He had already crossed the one hundred point threshold required to qualify for the inner sect examination token.

But the Tieu Dao Encyclopedia cost two hundred points.

And he still wanted more combat experience, medicinal materials, and familiarity with the surrounding region.

Hao Nhien put everything away and walked toward the entrance of the Cave Dwelling.

The bottom of the lake waited outside.

He did not know whether the Yang Family group was still above the cliff or had already left, but he could not remain hidden there forever. More importantly, if they truly found a way down, staying in one place for too long would become the greater risk.

Hao Nhien adjusted his breathing.

True qi circulated close to his skin and through his meridians, helping preserve body heat and reduce some of the pressure from the cold water.

A thought passed to the Cosmic Ark.

The Cave Dwelling opened a narrow gap.

Freezing lake water rushed in.

Hao Nhien filled his lungs and slipped outside.

The moment he cleared the entrance, the Cosmic Ark shrank into a point of light, returned between his brows, and settled deep within his Divine Soul.

Dark blue black water surrounded him at once.

The cold pressed through his clothes and against his skin. The true qi circulating through his body helped resist it, but the water made every movement far heavier than it would have been on land.

Hao Nhien had not even determined the direction of the surface when a sudden sense of danger tightened his entire body.

Less than ten zhang ahead, a pair of green eyes watched him silently from the darkness.

They did not blink.

They did not approach.

They simply watched.

Behind them, he could just make out the faint outline of a long body covered in dark blue scales.

Hao Nhien did not attack.

His hand settled on the Tieu Dao Sword.

The creature ahead remained still.

That silence only made him more cautious.

Then a strong current suddenly surged behind him.

Hao Nhien turned.

A long mouth filled with sharp teeth was already rushing toward him.

A second one.

Its body stretched more than one zhang long, covered in dark blue scales. Four short but powerful limbs clung close to its body while a thick tail drove it through the water at astonishing speed.

Hao Nhien recognized the shape.

A Coldwater Crocodile.

A first rank demonic beast.

On land, a single first rank beast would not be enough to make him particularly cautious at his current level.

But this was underwater.

Here, first rank did not mean weak.

A chilling possibility entered his mind.

The Coldwater Crocodile ahead might never have intended to attack him immediately. Perhaps it had only been holding his attention while the second circled behind him.

It might have been coincidence.

But judging from how the two moved, Hao Nhien had no intention of betting on that possibility.

The Tieu Dao Sword left its sheath.

Underwater, resistance slowed the blade far more than it would on land.

The Coldwater Crocodile opened its jaws.

Hao Nhien did not attempt to cut through the hard jawbone. Instead, he turned his wrist and drove the blade diagonally toward the soft edge inside the open mouth.

The sword sliced through the gums.

Dark blood spread through the water.

The wound was not deep, but the pain twisted the beast’s head aside, creating just enough room for Hao Nhien to escape the bite.

Before he could create more distance, the other Coldwater Crocodile came in from the side.

Its heavy tail swept across him.

Hao Nhien barely managed to bring his sword back to protect his body. Even through the water, the impact knocked him sideways. The wound along his side, which had only just begun to close, flared with pain, and his blood and qi churned in his chest.

Hao Nhien had no intention of continuing the fight.

Tieu Dao Footwork was nearly useless here. The water slowed his sword, weakened his fists, and limited his breath. His true qi also had to keep circulating to preserve body heat and resist the pressure around him.

The Coldwater Crocodiles, on the other hand, were born to fight here.

The longer the battle continued, the greater their advantage would become.

Hao Nhien turned upward.

He kicked hard through the water and circulated true qi through his legs to increase the force of each movement.

His body shot toward the surface.

Both Coldwater Crocodiles followed.

The distance between them rapidly narrowed.

Moonlight began to appear above, broken into trembling silver fragments by the water.

The two dark shapes remained close behind.

Hao Nhien could no longer afford to conserve strength. He drove more true qi into each kick, exchanging energy for distance. The method consumed a great deal, but he only needed to reach the surface.

A cold current swept across his ankle.

Sharp teeth nearly closed around it.

Hao Nhien pulled his leg away and forced out another burst of strength.

The surface was directly overhead.

He broke through.

Water exploded beneath the moonlight.

Cold air rushed into his lungs, and Hao Nhien drew in a deep breath almost greedily.

The nearest rocky shore was around twenty zhang away.

On land, such a distance would mean little.

In the middle of the lake, it was another matter entirely.

Hao Nhien began swimming toward the shore, occasionally forcing true qi through his arms and legs for brief bursts of speed. At his current realm, he could not truly stand or run across the surface, and repeatedly forcing that kind of acceleration would consume far too much energy.

Behind him, the surface of the lake suddenly bulged.

The two Coldwater Crocodiles had arrived.

Hao Nhien tore off his soaked outer robe.

The fabric still carried blood from the wound along his side.

He bundled it up and threw it behind him and slightly to the right.

The waterlogged robe struck the surface, creating a clear disturbance while the scent of blood spread through the surrounding water.

The two Coldwater Crocodiles slowed for an instant. One shifted slightly toward the disturbance before both quickly realized that the cloth was not prey.

But Hao Nhien had only needed that instant.

He forced true qi through his legs and drove himself farther toward the shore.

Fifteen zhang.

Ten.

Water burst behind him.

The two Coldwater Crocodiles had resumed the chase at full speed.

Hao Nhien could already make out the rocks along the shore.

Only a little farther.

Then large ripples suddenly spread across the water ahead.

Hao Nhien slowed.

A black head gradually rose from the lake.

The aura coming from it was anything but weak.

Hao Nhien could not judge exactly how powerful the creature was, but the sense of danger it gave him was no less than the two Coldwater Crocodiles approaching from behind.

His grip tightened around the Tieu Dao Sword.

“Another one?”