After a day of relaxation and planning, Karl returns from his journey out East with a grim face. He looks utterly exhausted and his favorite leather jacket smells like a mixture of human and Beast blood, though it looks freshly washed.
"Did things go that badly?"
"That and worse. The monsters have gathered between the Great Lakes and are moving as a herd to the southeast. They're being led by some sort of tentacle beast that nullifies everything short of Divine Energy. Without it, the cultivators are helpless, physical strength alone isn't enough for any Mortal Realm Cultivator to take out a category 4 monster one on one. Most of what used to be Michigan has fallen now, and everything north of that was theirs to begin with. I only found a few scattered outposts like the pack here in my entire trip across to the coast."
