Sun was in zenith, and the clouds were like colossal cotton balls of white.
A countryside road full of dirt and rocks had two rows of carriages packed with people and items.
"Felix, do you ever feel like this world is much more beautiful than Ximen Star?" Fatty was lying on the roof of a carriage while biting a small grass leaf.
"I can feel the harmony of nature here is much more prominent. The life energy is in tune with all the darkness and death. I can also feel weird energies I never noticed in Ximen Star Domain." Felix was sitting in the carriage in the lotus position.
"Sigh! I can't understand what you are trying to say. I just said it's more beautiful, and you babble about the energies or whatnot."
Felix was already used to fatty bickering all the time.
"We traveled for so long. It's already a second month! There was no trouble. Why did they even order mercenary assistance?"
"Haha! Fatty, you are enjoying this life of eating and sleeping! You live like a pig. Now shut up for a while. I think I am close to comprehending a new God Rune!"
Felix studied all the time while they escorted the carriages. This mission was very straightforward, and they only exchanged names with the clients.
"I can feel my Life Law Rune resonate with this world naturally!"
Felix took a deep breath and enjoyed the vitality coursing through the air.
Time seemed to stop, and all the light in the sky fused with the greenery on the ground.
This momentary epiphany and sacred feeling brought so much joy to Felix, as it felt like his Soul entered a warm waterbed and relaxed without any interruptions.
Outside the carriage, everyone felt the strange lights and beautiful scenery enhance.
Even birds and butterflies appeared around the carriages, as the grass emitted green light all around their
"Whoah!" Fatty jumped off the rooftop and looked around with a dumbfounded face.
"Sir Marcus, what is going on here?" A young gentleman walked out of the second carriage.
"You don't have to worry! My friend is having a breakthrough!" Marcus smiled happily.
"Well, isn't this a beautiful place to be buried?"
Everyone in the traveling group heard a voice behind their caravan.
Marcus looked back and saw about twenty individuals standing menacingly in black masks and clothes.
"Sir Marcus, they wear the insignia of Dorn Mountain Bandits! They are famous around here, as one of the peskiest robbers ever!"
The gentleman explained with a frown on his face as he felt more than five third-stage bandits.
"I will take care of them! Please be careful, Mister Owen!"
Marcus focused as much as he could and charged at the enemies.
He quickly smashed three skulls, and the formation of black men went into disarray.
"Not so easy, fatty!" Marcus heard a voice behind his back, and a sharp pain hit his back as he flew out of the group of bandits like a cannonball.
"Fucking hell! Fourth stage!" Marcus squealed like a pig as his all back bled with wounds.
He tried to fight back, but it was out of his league to fight against higher stage opponents and protect the carriages.
"FELIX! A LITTLE HELP!" Fatty screamed as one bandit stabbed his left leg with a saber.
"What now?!" Felix was so close to reconstructing his Life Law Rune to a Life God Rune as he heard fatty's interruption.
Everyone around the carriages felt an enormous pressure crush them to the ground like meat patties.
"Fuck, I can't believe this shit!" Felix cursed inside as he saw his Life Rune return to the previous state.
His anger influenced all surroundings, and quickly clouds covered the sun, and a strong gale blew with furious rage.
"So this trash were responsible for my breakthrough failing!"
Everyone felt nature's rage as this young voice sounded from the carriage. Winds stormed, and even shadows rolled like angry demons on the ground.
Felix already had Mind Rune, so his mental energy aura was beyond what a simple Titled God could endure, so for these weak cultivators, it felt like a Grim Reaper was waiting to cut them down.
"Felix! I can't move for dumb goat's sake!" Fatty stuttered in fear as this mental aura crushed his fat lump of a body like everyone else.
"What is this?! You reported that only fatty in the third peak stage was protecting this caravan!"
Felix turned to look at the speaker, a fourth-stage body cultivator.
"Fourth stage, huh? Then I will forgive you, Marcus. It seems it just wasn't meant to be today..." Felix released his suppression from his allies and harumphed.
"Let's see what this Ice God Rune's limits!" Felix muttered, and a small light blue magic circle appeared above and below the bandits.
Fatty felt a chilling cold emanate from these lights and soon saw how the fourth stage expert began shaking from this iciness.
The contractors saw how the ice appeared on the bandit's clothes, and soon they stopped breathing. However, the ice had no intention of stopping.
Everyone heard an eery creaking noise, and one of the bodies cracked right in the face mask.
Felix saw the face mask shatter, and a bearded face was revealed, full of horror.
Marcus looked with interest as their bodies were creaking, and soon everyone exploded into snow dust.
"Let's continue. I will heal everyone one by one in my carriage." Felix calmly turned around.
Marcus stood there with a weird expression and used some time to soothe the people.
"Felix, are you all right?" Fatty got into the carriage with some difficulty.
"Of course, I'm not all right! I'm pissed! They reduced all my hard work to nothing! Sigh..." Felix felt agitated for such an inconvenience.
Fatty nodded and stayed silent for a while. Sometimes no words can help in such situations. Only time will let Felix calm down.
Felix used this time to mend Marcus's body, full of flesh injuries.
"You are lucky, fatty! I see no vital damage to bones or organs. That bastard only blasted your fat to shreds! Hahaha!" Felix examined Marcus thoroughly while he used the third-star healing spell.
"What luck?! I trained my Titan's physique to a fifth transformation! My fat is like armor, and my bones are like treasure jade! Monk Riago even said that the fifth transformation makes you unkillable in the fourth stage of cultivation!" Fatty cackled proudly.
Felix raised an eyebrow and used a mellow blue light from the magic circle to heal the ripped flesh.
"Fatty, I will heal you in several sessions. Otherwise, you will have lumps of strange flesh reattached. Then, you will have to grow back your fat! Hahaha!" Felix said, as he but bandages all over the fatty.
"It's okay! I will invite others to get a healing from you!" Fatty rumbled out through the door.
Felix used almost two hours to heal all people, as some had broken bones or even deep stab wounds.
"Sigh! I was too lax in my judgment. As we didn't encounter any trouble for months." Felix felt a bit stupid for his negligence.
"Well, at least I experienced the initial transformation. I don't believe my comprehension will stop here." Felix tried to regain his confidence and continued to meditate.
The travel was tranquil for two whole weeks, and Felix stayed in his carriage all the time. Then, however, fatty entered with some dire news.
"Felix, we are getting closer to the Sart Mountain Range! Usually, it is just random beasts attacking, but I gathered news that a small beast wave is coming soon! What should we do?" Fatty was stumped with such a stroke of bad luck.
"Let's go investigate first. We only need to pass these mountains to reach our destination! Let's set up a secure camp and go check out the situation at night." Felix frowned as he thought about beast waves.
"It is a pain in the ass to survive even the most minor beast wave. I should be careful." Felix thought.
Soon, they created an underground camp with some earth and metal magic. They had some light crystals for convenience, so it is better to stay safe, as both mercenaries will temporarily leave.
"I will leave my small magic circle here! If there is trouble, tap on it, and I will know." Felix said after some deliberation.
The caravan leaders just nodded and stayed quietly underground.
"Marcus, I need you to protect me for a while when we reach the outer edge of the mountains. Then, I will cast some investigation spells. however, it takes about thirty minutes if I want to cover such a huge distance."
Fatty nodded with understanding, and they quickly rushed into the forest.
This mountain range had weird short, mushroom-like trees. Even their leaves looked like marshmallows.
Felix used a lot of shadow energy to stay hidden.
About half an hour later, they finally reached a first higher peak, and Felix stopped.
"I can use the altitude to spread mental aura spell. Protect me, fatty. I will begin now."
Felix sat down in a lotus position and started muttering incantations.
Soon, a small magic circle surrounded Felix, and a blue bubble formed.
Fatty saw how the energy became almost invisible and imperceptible.
A vast amount of mental energy surged from Felix into his Primordial Star Chart, as he used one of the most complex spells he learned recently.
"Peak five-star spell: Spiritual Aura Detection. I need to construct mental energy formation inside my Innate Spell so that the aura would disperse and become almost unnoticeable. Then the more mental energy I use, the bigger the distance I can cover. " Felix recalled the spell he got from Marquess Liron.
"The Mind Rune also enhances this spell, so I should be able to cover up several thousand miles with full power." Felix deduced his limits as he soon received the first details from the spell.
Inside his mind, it seemed like he was looking at the mountain range from a bird's view and flew extremely fast.
He soon saw a horde of beasts gathering from the deepest parts of the mountain range.
"Oh great! This number of beasts is not a small wave but a full-out calamity! What horseshit luck is this?!! I saw such a calamity wave in history books. Now it is happening to me at the first quest I take?"
Felix wanted to curse the God of Misfortune as he continued to spy further and further into the mountain range.
"What is this effing amount of beasts?! There are millions of them here! I feel third stage beasts in hundreds of thousands!!!" Felix felt fear now.
Even with his incredible magic energy, he would first dry up then kill them.
"Let's continue deeper!" Felix felt his Mind Rune revolve in joy, as his mental energy nourished it.
He narrowed his detection range, and in a small few kilometers line, he focused his detection towards the depths of the mountains.
Soon, he saw fourth and fifth-stage beasts appearing. Unfortunately, as soon as he passed a few Titled God stage beasts, he felt excellent killing intent spread from the deeper parts of the mountain range.
"What is this deadly killing intent?!" Felix almost lost control of his spell formation.
"I felt something similar in the war from that evil God-King." Felix frowned as he silently continued his investigation.
"With this number of beasts, there is no way the humans will survive. The closest cities near this mountain range have only a few Titled Gods! Also, if that killing intent belongs to a beast, we are all fucked!" Felix was exasperated.
He recently read about the most substantial powers near Phantar city and its regions. He learned that only a few Principle Gods existed in this vast territory.
Felix's mental aura rushed quickly, and soon he felt the killing intent intensify.
Felix saw a small black aura surge from a pit. It looked to be around a few hundred meters of depth. However, the black gas was coming from beneath the earth.
"HMM?!" A rumbling sound reached Felix's head, and the pain forced him to break the spell.
"Let's go, Marcus. We must hurry!" Felix opened his eyes, and fatty could see blood flowing from his nose.
"Hey, are you feeling okay?!" Fatty looked with some worry.
"Let's rush back. I will explain everything in the camp." Felix said and began running towards the caravan.
Soon, they reached the hidden camp, untouched.
They entered the underground cave they made and found everyone safe and sound.
"Everyone gather. I got some news to share!" Felix ordered with a harsh voice.
Nobody from the caravan had any wish to oppose this youth after they saw his power in the bandit's accident.
"There is an unprecedented number of beasts gathering in the mountain range! I felt some weird killing intent, which is probably responsible for the beast's evacuation, or it might even control them! I saw millions of beasts, so we can't go through mountains." Felix reported and saw fear in the eyes of the merchants.
"Mister Felix, what do you think we should do?" The gentleman asked after some silence.
"Sir, Drarfem City is behind the mountains. It will take a few years if we go around, and I know you do not have so much time. The best course of action is to report this calamity and hope some experts will help. When the beast wave attacks, it will only take a few days for the victor to emergy, then we will either pass the mountains or abort the mission!"
When everyone heard Felix's deduction, they sighed in their misfortune.
"Mister Felix, where is the closest place we can report?" The gentleman asked after frowning.
"Well, we are close to the central trade city Bolota, there is a branch of Mercenary Guild. I will report it there and also will leave you for safety. The answer from the headquarters should be fast, and we only have about a few days until the beasts have no more room to gather."
Felix decided his course of action quickly, and they began their fast travel to the Bolota.
Felix saw on the map that this city is the hub near the mountain range. After all, many people gathered here for hunting, treasures, and other events.
They used a few hours to reach the enormous defensive city walls.
After passing inside, Felix ensured the merchants were safe in the inn and protected their belongings by some experts.
"Fatty, stay here with them, just in case. I will report to the Mercenary Guild and see the best course of action" Felix patted fatty on the shoulder and left with haste.
He quickly found a familiar five-story building with a red shield above the entrance.
He went inside and found a registry, like in Panthar City.
"Hello, I want to report information about this beast wave to higher-ups!" Felix said and passed his badge to the receptionist.
"Kid, what is there to report? It is just a small wave! Only several beast sightings were seen near the edge, as it is a migration period."
A blonde man was sitting behind a desk and responded with some annoyance.
"More than a million beasts are gathering near the inner mountain range. I have come to report because we have no other choice. Do you think I like to look like a fool?" Felix frowned and just took back his badge.
"Kid, are you joking? This number of beasts can only come from the depths of these mountains! How could we miss them?" The receptionist asked with a weird expression.
"Hah! What if they gathered only in a few days, driven by fear? Look, I have no time to chit-chat. Let's go!"
Felix dropped all etiquette and just poured some magical energy inside his palm to make the receptionist float. The blonde man was just a fourth-stage cultivator and had no way to resist.
"Hey, that is not nice!! I will walk, okay?!" The blonde stuttered when he saw he couldn't even resist.
Felix quickly passed a few floors and reached the fourth floor, where the guild branch administrator operated.
"Gold? What are you doing here? Hmm? Who is this?" The administrator was a man in his forties. He wore leather armor, and a battle sword was near his desk.
"Guildmaster, this mercenary said he saw a million beasts in the inner mountains! I thought it was hogwash! But he insisted." The receptionist showed his dissatisfaction.
Felix felt a Titled God aura gush from this administrator, but he just snickered disdainfully.
"Administrator, I am not joking with you. Send some people to look. I will even show you the coordinates. But, we must report, or we will be all die in a few days." Felix said as he released some of his pressure, and the guild master felt colossal pressure.
"Oh? What is your name?" Guildmaster stood up, put his sword on the belt, and began fixing his armor.
"I am Felix."
"Nice to meet you. I am Warren Xaris. We will go together. I will also bring some Titled God mercenaries who are staying here today."
They quickly went to the meeting hall, where many mercenaries mingled. And the crown instantly hushed all noise when they saw guild master Warren.
"Horacius, Wanda, come with me, we got some intel that there is calamity wave! We must hurry." Warren looked at a young woman with several daggers on her body and a man who had a massive battle-ax.
"Only three Titled Gods?" Felix frowned as he recalled several hundred Titled God beasts in the depths of the mountains.
They quickly left the city and rushed towards the forest.
"Warred, who is this kid?" Horacius asked after a long pause.
"He is Felix, he reported the information, and his power is above mine," Warren said with some deliberation.
"What?! I can feel he is only a fifth stage!" Wanda screamed with disbelief.
"Well, his pressure was insane, and he is a mage." Nevertheless, Warren felt no shame to admit his defeat and continued following Felix.
They ran for almost an hour when Felix indicated stopping and staying quiet. He waved his hand, and a small barrier of wind appeared.
"This will stop sound from leaking," Felix said and pointed at the far mountains.
The trio of Titled Gods looked with focus and soon saw many beasts. They almost covered all the horizon.
"Dear Goddess Fortuna! What is this madness?!" Wanda looked with a pale face as her hands began shaking with fear.
"We must report to the Western Continent's main headquarters! They will come with haste, but we have no chance to evade this wave..." Warren sighed as he looked at this calamity.
"Felix, how did you notice them?" Horacius had a hoarse voice as he took out a binocular to observe.
"I am a mage! Of course, I used a spell. My quest was to pass the mountains, but we heard intel that a small beast wave came. You can understand the rest." Felix felt it was not surprising for a mage to have means for spying.
"Felix, did you see clearly how far this beast horde stretched?" Warred asked with some worry.
"Guildmaster, I didn't reach the end of it! When I saw the Titled God Beasts, some kind of killing intent disrupted my spell." Felix showed some fear in his voice.
"What?! Even you didn't reach the end?" Warren felt that this child magus had an aura of someone who could fight Titled Gods like slaughtering chickens.
"Guildmaster, if I could spy, I would tell, now even my mental energy is below that killing intent. We need to hurry and report. I will use earth magic to create some traps and ditches, but it will only slow them down for a few hours." Felix told them his plan, and they quickly rushed back to the city.
The warning bells sounded, and the city entered a preparation period.
Felix got the authority over all mages in the city. But unfortunately, there were only seven fourth-stage mages.
Felix used them to create long trapholes, spikes, and ditches.
"Mister Felix!" Felix heard a voice as he finished a deep fifty-meter hole trap.
"Hmm?" Felix turned around to see a group of thirty men wearing official robes with weird badges.
"We are the best Formation Masters in this city! I am Jir Mantor, the branch leader and Titled God Formation Master! Guildmaster Warren asked us to help you with the defensive preparations. Also, he said to pass the information, that the help will arrive in three days!"
Felix frowned when he heard the three days.
"Sir Mantor, The beasts will attack in a few hours... We will be fine for a day because the first wave will be first to third stage beasts. However, tomorrow the third and fourth stages will charge. So we need to make preparations. Do you have any suggestions?"
The formation masters went pale when they heard that they had so little time.
"Sir Felix, I know a formation called Four Elements Array. It can cover the whole city and a vast area around it. The Fire element will work like a weapon, earth like a shield, wind as support, and water will heal! It is easy to create, and it will also set up defensive formation on the city walls! Here look." Jir gave Felix a golden scroll.
Felix opened it and saw several diagrams and the formation initiation method.
They needed to bury four treasures in cardinal directions and put the control sphere in the center. It indeed was secure for a defense of a city.
"Fire qi, wind qi, earth qi, water qi?" Felix frowned as he saw such terms for the first time and asked the formation masters.
"Haha! Sir Felix spirit qi is just dirty energy in the world. It is the energy cultivators purify in cultivation." Jim explained with a smile.
Felix showed understanding and quickly looked at the diagrams. But, unfortunately, he only understood a little.
"Sir Mantor, I see that the treasures must be secure and of equal strength. Do we have them?"
"Sir Felix, we got Cosmic Sand from the Runde Family, Star Water, and Dark Oil Fire from the formation guild. Unfortunately, we only lack the Wind Element treasure."
"I will send someone to find it in the city, but we need to secure the treasures for the formation not to break!" Jir said with some worry.
"Don't worry about that! I will form magical barriers around them and make sure they are hard to disrupt, even for Titled God!" Felix smiled and showed his palm, where four elements revolved quietly.
Jim's eyes lit up as he saw this magic.
"Sir Felix! If you could flood your elemental control inside the formation, it would achieve qualitative change!"
Felix saw the man take out a drawing board with excitement and paint diagrams with schemes.
"If I engrave the control power source with these inscriptions, and you become the master of the formation, then your mental energy would flow inside and have total power over four elements inside the formation!" Jir was excited to have such an epiphany.
"What do you need to complete it?" Felix asked with some interest.
"I only need your one drop of blood and nothing else!" Jir said with a confident smile.
"Fine, I hope you won't use it for a weird purpose!" Felix took out a small bottle and dropped some blood inside.
"I learned about some cursing methods using blood, but Liron already gave me protection talismans..." Felix thought.
"Jir, will beast core of wind element beast do for the wind treasure?" Felix asked suddenly.
"Hoh? Well, yes, but it must be Titled God Beasts core. As the other treasures are of this grade." Jir said after some thought.
"Fine, I will go kill some birds then." Felix smiled and vanished in a space jump.