Story 8 - Tribulation Trepidations (14 ?)

Story 8 - Tribulation Trepidations (14 ?)



I moved left to dodge an arrow, then sent a spiritual hand forward to block several more. Since the attacks were from Foundation Establishment cultivators, they easily pierced through my technique, but their trajectory had changed enough to avoid us.

Little Spring and Clear eyes dodge the few projectiles that avoided my technique. The assassins in the lead attacked while the archers took potshots at us.



Suddenly, the thunder from the middle of the forest grew louder as if it was getting closer. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

I grimaced when an arrow pierced my sleeve.

This was no time to become distracted by Nascent-Soul-level problems. I had to solve this issue or get us the fuck out of here; especially if, whatever that was, came near us.

I split my mind into so I could focus on the fight while simultaneously considering our options.

I immediately threw out the possibility of calling down my tribulation. While it was a classic Xianxia trope, it only happened when it was going to be a normal size. If I called down my overpowered one, it would see all these cultivators as people trying to interfere and turn from a near-deadly tribulation to a nuclear bomb that would flatten half this forest. I wasn’t the type of person to needlessly destroy the environment when there were easier ways.

We could hide in the space, but I decided against that. As much as I liked Clear Eyes, the space was not mine to expose to him. And I wouldn’t abandon him while we had other options.

I could ask the Neck Scar Guy to help us in exchange for the rhubarb... which would only work if he wasn’t battling for his life against a Core Formation expert. Sadly, his fight was still very much in progress.

Our best option was to call Shadow Gopher back over. Unfortunately, that would be embarrassing as fuck. I’d told him that he wouldn’t have to babysit our asses. It hadn’t been more than two hours since we left his side! But, I could deal with a little embarrassment if it kept us alive. Fortunately, he likely wasn’t too far away.

Even as I cut several arrows out of the sky, I sent a secret sound transmission to Gopher, “Are you busy?”

“Oh! Senior Lin! Everything is a mess over here. There are two massive Spiritual Tigers who have been fighting in the deep forest, but recently they’ve been heading toward the middle ring. If you’re still around there, please escape to the entrance as soon as you can.”

Goddam it! Shit just kept getting worse.Follow current novels on novelb((in).(com)

The loudest thunder we’d heard yet echoed through the air and the ground rumbled.

I stretched my divine sense out. A massive creature came tearing a path through the forest like a giant, unstoppable meteor.

Mother fucker!

“Run!” I yelled.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Several of the Foundation Establishment assassins made a run for it. Then all three red-robed cultivators took this distraction and ran away. Ah, there went my chance to offer Neck Scar Guy the Rhubarb. Whatever.

A few more arrows rained down on me while a leaf attack from a Foundation Establishment enemy aimed toward my face. These assholes really wanted us dead. With a special hand seal and a push gesture, I created a spiritual shield that blocked those strikes. Unfortunately, it destroyed my technique. My throat soured and I coughed up a mouthful of blood from the backlash. I stepped behind Clear Eyes, downed a bottle of spiritual spring water and a Qi Recovery pill, and returned to fighting.

Here we were being attacked, and now we had to deal with this massive beastly disaster!

I ducked under a Qi Condensation cultivator’s hidden dagger and sent a slash into his face. He fell and didn’t get back up.

The path I sensed the beast take through the forest looked familiar. Actually, I’d been to this forest a couple hundred years in the future. A long, unnatural depression twisted through the forest. I hadn’t thought much of it since it had been covered by trees and grasses. If it was the place I was thinking of then, I knew the path this monster would take.

If I estimated correctly, this was our chance to escape these fuckers!

Grinning, I punted away two leaf attacks from a Foundation Establishment cultivator who’d wrongfully assumed I was the weakest target. Then I grinned.



I sent Little Spring and Clear Eyes the updated map with the path where the beast would land.

::We’re going to use this monster as a distraction to get the fuck out of here.::

::Yes, Senior Lin!::

I swiftly slashed toward our enemies while using four consecutive Thousand Cuts to force the remaining assassins back. This drained a significant portion of my remaining energy, but it gave Little Spring and me enough time to turn and run. We put thick trees between us and them.

Clear Eyes Sent one final powerful slash at the Foundation Establishment cultivators he’d been fighting. His lips looked bloodless as he joined me. While he was mostly uninjured, his energy levels were significantly depleted.

::I don’t see—::

::Their fight won’t reach the water. If we want to have a chance at survival, fucking follow it!::

Apparently, he didn’t have to be told thrice and started running.

I needed a deeper look at the area to find a hiding spot. Since I was still stuck using a Golden Core level divine sense, that meant we’d have to move closer.

::Also, you should put me down. I can run on my own.::

::Well, you weren’t moving when Little Spring d—::

::—Don’t think that. He’s alive.:: I couldn’t blame him. If I didn’t know we lived in a Xianxia story, and that kid was the protagonist, I’d assume he was dead, too.

::Senior Lin... he’s only a Qi Condensation cultivator. That beast that hit him was at least a stage 5.::

::Actually, it’s probably a stage 3.::

He set me down. ::How can it possibly be that low?!::

::This is my first time seeing one, but I think that white tiger...:: I pointed to the massive fluffy tail, the only part visible from our location. ::...is an Ascendant beast.::

He sputtered. I grabbed his sleeve and forced him to start running.

::A stage 3 Ascendant beast is basically the same thing as a stage 5 or 6 spiritual beast!::

::It’s not. The only record of a pinnacle stage 3 Ascendant beast getting killed was by thirty Immortal Ascension practitioners. And after that fight, only a handful were still alive. Meanwhile, it would only take one to three Immortal Ascension masters to slaughter a peak stage 6 spiritual beast. They are not the same.::

“Are you serious?!”

::Save your breath for running. And of course, I am.::

While I could never get a spiritual or mystical beast to like me, I always hoped I could befriend a beyond-human-intelligent Ascendant beast. Or at least, I believed it wouldn’t kill me on sight. The only thing was — they were very powerful and impossible to find. This was my first time seeing one.

According to my research, Ascendant Beast babies started out at stage 1 — the equivalent of low Golden Core. Frankly, the records about these creatures weren’t clear.

Some said that they could shapeshift. I’d heard colleagues say that it wasn’t shapeshifting, but natural defenses that tricked people into seeing a different reality. From the fiction I read in my past-past life, I always suspected that they had the shifting ability but could only take on human form when they reached level 2.

Well, whatever. The kid wouldn’t suddenly bring one home. Not when his destined main contract beast was a nine-tailed fox Mystical beast. The one that joined Bloodsword’s harem. Wait. Maybe Little Spring would avoid that bitch since he was a different person with an unfucked soul.

Booms echoed through the forest like thunder. Spiritual energy blew around with the wind. The natural laws bent where the monsters fought.

We continued to run, reaching the river and going towards the mountains.

Finally, my divine sense picked something up. A shallow cave underneath a waterfall. Perfect! I sent directions to Mad Tongue.

***

After we entered the small damp stone cave, I had the teen keep watch on our surroundings while I quickly set up an obfuscation array. Next, I put together a defensive formation.

“Done!”

Mad Tongue immediately sat down and leaned against the wall. He covered his eyes with his hand.

By this point, I didn’t have the energy to use my cleaning technique, so I sat on a blanket to cultivate. I needed to replenish my energy so I could contact Little Spring and attempt to help him. Before I could get into the proper mindset, the grump interrupted me.

The teen lowered his arm. “Senior Lin. I tried to hold it in, but I can’t.”

I raised a brow at the sword cultivator. You were wrong. You were so very-very wrong.”

Okay, that was it. Once I reached Foundation Establishment, I would kick his ass. “How?”

He glared. “You said it wouldn't be like the crab mission!”