"Soul Records"
Tian Long called out those words within his mind. Following his utterance, strange blue characters began to arrange themselves in an orderly fashion in his line of sight.
These letters weren't written in human English language but rather, a language of the Martial continent called Kibara.
[Tian Long
Status: Heavily Injured, Heavily Exhausted, Lifespan Declining, Potential Declining
Cultivation: Second Level Qi Spirit realm
(Elementary Gene Essence: 0.2%)
Race: Human
Bloodline Potential: Elementary (66%) [Declining]
Soul Orbs: 345
"... Not enough!" Tian Longs expression finally changed. A bitter feeling swept over him as the holographic words stared right at his face.
His earlier forced calmness was crumbling at a steady pace.
Yang Cai who was observing his every move would definitely not miss the change in his expression.
He sneered visibly while joy clouded his heart. Taking two steps forward with his hands placed behind his back, his look turned frosty as he glared at him.
Presently, he tried to put on a cold and aloof aura that made it seem as if he were looking down on him.
"Tian Long, you have always escaped from my hands every time you went against me in the past. Alas, the heavens have decided that today, your slippery legs will finally cause you to slip up.
I, Yang Cai can finally repay you for all the humiliation you have put me through in the last few months".
With eyes filled with glaring madness, he signalled one of his bodyguards with a snap of his fingers.
The figure clothed in black held a bow in hand as he drew an arrow from the quiver on his back. He stood at Yang Cai's right, and he was the one who had sneak attacked Tian Long earlier with an arrow.
Drawing the weapon in his possession, he aimed and waited for his young master's order.
Rage burned in Tian long's eyes. The surrounding air seemed to change as the Mana Qi in the surroundings moved.
The energy surged as white most appeared above his head. Instantly, the obscure silhouette of two ancient Mastodons appeared in the space above his head for a split second.
Yang Cai's face paled slightly as he hurriedly retreated behind his bodyguards. However, the energy phenomenon only faintly appeared and quickly dissipated back to nothingness.
Tian Long felt all strength leave his body. He couldn't even grasp his sword as the treasured weapon fell from his hands.
The last bit of Mana Qi within his body dissipated as vertigo assaulted him. This was a common case of Mana Qi Exhaustion.
Meanwhile, Yang Cai who had retreated quickly composed himself upon seeing this scene.
His face felt a little hot as he sensed the mocking gazes coming from all around. Even the two bodyguards in front of him were no exception.
His embarrassment quickly turned to anger, yet he couldn't be blamed for his reaction. He had been watching from afar, and Tian Long's incredibly combat prowess was fresh in his mind.
His trauma of being defeated so easily that it looked like a one-sided spanking still haunted his dreams until this very day.
When he had mobilized his energy just now, it had instinctively caused him to feel fear. Yet at least he was completely sure now that Tian Long was a hundred percent defenseless.
Yes, currently, Tian Long was completely spent. His current state was so terrible that an ordinary mortal would be able to kill him with a rock.
"Hmph! Just a little longer. I will torture this brat from now till he dies of pain".
Yang Cai swore inwardly. His gaze drifted to Mei Ling and the other female companion of Tian Long. His hate filled glare quickly switched to blazing heat of desire and lust.
Even his nether regions had a slight twitch in anticipation as his lips pulled up lustfully.
Both females grew paler, the distress clearly visible within their eyes. They knew that things had come to an end, as the tragedy of being weaklings as well as women filled their minds.
"Mei Ling, Rou'er, quickly leave. I won't let you be defiled by this lowlife". With a thought, a small pill appeared out of thin air in Tian Long's hand.
He forced himself to move and threw the pill into his mouth and quickly swallowed.
As soon as he did, a burst occurred in his body as a small stream of warm energy slowly spread. A second later, his arm twitched as he finally managed to regain feeling in his limbs.
He struggled to stand up appropriately with the newfound energy yet discovered it difficult to do so.
"A storage object?" Yang Cai exclaimed with an expression of exaggerated shock. His eyes quickly morphed to show utmost greediness as he stared at him while using his gaze to sweep almost every part of his body searching for something.
It wasn't just Yang Cai. Everyone present had shocked faces, which were quickly overcome by greed.
A Legendary storage object? One that had a separate space suitable for storing items. It was nearly impossible to find in this area and was a godly item all cultivators longed for.
After all, who would want to carry their swords, spears, gloves, weapons in general on their backs when they could store them for convenience.
Won't a man feel more secure if they could carry their entire fortune with them whenever they wanted and wherever they went to?
Maybe or perhaps not depending on the man himself, but the point being, it was a rare yet highly sought after treasure.
A pill had suddenly appeared in Tian Long's hand. Unless he had a storage object, it would be impossible for such a thing to happen.
In the blink of an eye, Tian Long had already been labeled as 'in possession of a treasure'. It wasn't a matter of 'if' anymore, what mattered now was what type of storage object it was.
"Nobody moves! This brat's treasure will be the property of I, young master Yang Cai from now on". He shouted out to the surroundings as a vigilant expression appeared on his face.
He had sensed that the gazes of his 'bodyguards' had changed. Not just his bodyguards present, the ones hidden in the shadows had suddenly become agitated. He quickly discovered the reason.
The allure of a storage treasure was too great. It was something these cultivators and lowly guards couldn't even think of obtaining in their lives.
Even if they didn't use it themselves, the price when sold in monetary value was ten times more than the entire Yang family's net worth.
So, he explicitly drew his stance and used the name of the Yang family to instill the well-trained discipline back into these lackeys.
With the threat of the Yang family, these usually obedient lackeys should behave themselves. And sure enough, he was half right.
The two at his side immediately revealed conflicted expressions. Their eyes shifted multiple times as if trying to make a tough decision, while the agitation of the hidden ones became more apparent.
Yang Cai's face sank.
His warning had failed to give out the desired result. Although they were hesitating, that was it, they were only hesitating.
He knew that the allure was too great to resist, and there would always be that one among the many who decided to take the risk.
Mei Ling's expression sank as well.
Things had gone from bad to worse.
Initially, she had suspected that they had already been surrounded. Sure enough, her earlier conjecture was spot on.
The Yang clan had already sealed off the area, it was so tight that not even a fly would be able to pass by without their knowledge.
"Mn, a storage treasure? I didn't think my luck would be so good that I would stumble across such a thing on a simple raid. The heavens really are helping my Yang family. Hahaha".
Just when Mei Ling's face had turned grim, a sound of wild, arrogant laughter resounded. All gazes instantly turned to a single direction and everyone froze.
The figure of a middle-aged man approaching his late years quickly came to everyone's view.
He wore a tight fitted green robe and a sheathed long sword was attached to his waist. His dark hairs already had traces of gray and white, and he looked to be in his late fifties or early sixties.
His calm expression portrayed a hint of arrogance, and his uplifted chin and steady and firm footsteps gave him the feel of a man of authority.
Everyone's pupils constricted.
Yang Bowen, Yang clan patriarch!
The Yang family bodyguards had their eyes dim. Their expressions returned to normal, and they stood in place with silence and gloom as their companions.
It was obvious that with the arrival of the patriarch, any thoughts they might have had were wiped away instantly.
"Father!" Yang Cai called out excitedly.
Yang Bowen walked towards them with his eyes set on the trio of Tian Long's team. Hidden within his eyes as an imperceptible trace of greed as well. He didn't even bother to look at his son at the moment and said calmly.
"Tia Rong, is it? ... or was it Tian Long? ..... Doesn't matter anyway, the dead won't mind anyway?"
The middle-aged man smiled.
"We meet again. The last time I saw you was when you took the title of first place in the entire town. I never expected that you would grow to such an extent".
Tian Long's face was horribly unsightly. The appearance of Yang Bowen had driven the final nail through the coffin and caused him to fall to the pits of despair.
If the chances of escaping before were almost nil, now it was impossible. As for the whole matter about the storage treasure, what nonsense storage treasure?
He didn't have a single thing of such sort on him.
The only reason why he could bring out a pill from thin air was solely because of the Soul Records space. Yet no one would believe his explanation at the moment.
Seeing Tian Long keep silent, the middle-aged man grinned.
"Hehehe, won't say anything? In fact, even I am very surprised about how far you have developed. So, I did some investigations and discovered something".
"Tian Long, an utter nobody, orphaned at young and up to a year ago, lived at the outskirts of Moon wind town as a mortal. I say, your origins are rather humble".
Yang Bowen's smile turned indifferent, but his words only stopped for 2 seconds before picking up where he left off.
"And here you are, with a Second stage Qi Spirit realm cultivation at the age of 24. A storage treasure and a beast weapon that is definitely above Ordinary grade. Probably an Intermediate grade beast weapon, all within the period of a year while my son is still within dantian establishment and yet to induce Qi.
The result of the comparison is somewhat astounding for your so-called humble origins, wouldn't you agree?"
As soon as he stopped, everyone was shocked, except for Tian Long and Rou'er.
Of course, they weren't shocked at the other details, but the fact that this kid had an Intermediate Beast weapon on him.
Intermediate grade beast weapon?
Even Yang Bowen was still using mortal swords, while the clan's only Ordinary grade Weapon was for emergencies only.
Numerous eyes lit up in greed once again, but only for a moment.
Although valuable, there was nothing in this universe that held more value to them than their lives, and they knew that they weren't a match for this patriarch.
Yang Bowen clearly noticed the reactions, but didn't say anything.
His indifference on the outside was his only expression. Despite not being as valuable as the storage object, such a powerful tool was something even he himself couldn't dream of having.
It was only normal that the greed of others will be aroused. If not, he would be quite surprised if everyone remained calm, but those words had a more profound meaning to imply.
Anyone with a bit of brainpower would be able to look ahead of the shock brought about by the beast weapon and look at the more shocking fact within.
A storage treasure, a beast weapon, an astounding increase in cultivation. What sort of fortuitous encounter could an ordinary person have chanced upon to possess such things.
Was it the legacy of a hidden expert?
Or an inheritance from an ancient powerhouse above the Qi Spirit realm?
Or did some venerable senior happen to be passing by and decided to take this kid as his disciple?
Numerous thoughts flashed past everyone's mind.
As for the possibility that all these three things had been chanced upon separately, such nonsense didn't even bother to cross their minds.
What a joke, if that were possible, then wouldn't this brat's luck be ridiculous?
However, Yang Bowen's thoughts were simpler. This Tian Long must have chanced upon the inheritance of a mighty cultivator.
With his inheritance, the treasures stored within his storage object must have been placed in the lower realm to find a suitable successor.
Unlike the others who wanted the weapon or object, this was the reason for Patriarch Bowen's greed.
The inheritance of an expert who could use a storage treasure was invaluable. Such a person was either at the peak of Qi Spirit realm or had already surpassed it. Their inheritance contained not only beast weapons but also precious medicinal pills, high grade martial arts, cultivation techniques, realm insights as well as natural resources.
For a mere patriarch at the Third Level Qi Spirit realm, his strength would increase drastically with such resources.
Not just him, the strength of his entire clan would take a massive leap forward in a small timeframe. Yang Bowen examined Tian Long, yet he didn't see a storage ring on his finger.
Storage objects mainly came in the form of Rings, however not all of them were this way.
As for Tian Long, he reserved the right to remain silent as his brain cells spun furiously while trying to come up with a way out of this predicament.
"I have to say, your luck truly is enviable. However, a man possessing a treasure he has no strength to protect will be the cause of his downfall. looks like your luck has run out".
How could he not sense Tian Long's thoughts? The only reason he had not attacked yet was to test if Tian Long had any life-saving treasures to use against him.
However, it seems he had been worrying too much. His previous feat of fighting against eight cultivators at once must have been him using his ultimate trump card.
A deadly glint flashed through his eyes as killing intent tainted his aura.
Tian Long's face was filled with fear.
"Soul Records! Help me!" He screamed inwardly yet received no response.
He involuntarily took a step back as he saw Yang Bowen place his hand on his sword hilt.
Boom!
At that moment, a loud boom went off in the distance.
Time seemed to freeze. Even patriarch Bowen stopped for a second as the tense atmosphere quickly lost its effects.
What they saw in the distance was what looked like a mushroom cloud of dust. Rocks and stones flew into the distance due to the explosion.
Everyone tensed up in vigilance.
"What's that?"
Yang Cai asked. From the slowly dissipating dust cloud, a black silhouette could be seen rushing forward.
At first, it was just a dot, until it gradually increased in size in a matter of seconds as it got closer to the group.
As the silhouette came into view, what they could see was a massive beast three times the size of your average human being rushing in their direction with frightening speed.
It looked like a jungle cat, but its whole body was covered in an armored shell instead of fur.
From afar, a wave of blood hit their nostrils and a deadly chill went down their spines.
Everyone's pupils constricted to the size of needles. They didn't know what type of beast they had encountered, nor it's level of strength. Nevertheless, they all shared something in common at this moment.
A feeling seemed to spread through their nervous system, screaming something they could only mean one word.
RUN!!!
The speed of the beast only reaffirmed their feelings, as it moved from hundreds of meters afar to less than a ninety meters in less than five seconds.
Tian Long's fear multiplied at a rapid rate. He tried to escape, but ultimately plunged to his knees as weakness overtook him.
Numerous elites of the Yang family who were hidden in the surroundings had their auras disappear. If one looked at a distance away, they would see a bunch of middle-aged men and women fleeing for their lives.
Yang Cai was rooted to the ground as his senses had been overloaded with fear. Yang Bowen on the other hand still had his quick reactions as a Second stage Qi Spirit cultivator.
With one hand on his son's shoulder, he quickly took off at full speed. What storage treasure? What hidden expert inheritance? In the face of life and death, Yang Bowen completely forgot about Tian Long or his family guards as his dread filled legs moved at speeds he had never gone before.
Yet, it seemed like the heavens were working against him.
"Where do you think you are going?"
Everyone heard a voice speak from above. The voice had a teasing tone mixed within it, as if it were playing with someone.
Meanwhile, the spirit beast that was dashing forward let out a loud roar. It seemed to have gone berserk as a red glow formed on its body, and its speed increased explosively.
"Humph!" A cold snort sounded from above. Following the snort, a ripple seemed to emerge from the sky followed by a flashing light. Two blazing beams of dazzling blue light shot downwards in a straight line towards the escaping beast.
Its speed was almost instantaneous, and it sliced through the spirit beast from its rear end to the head in a horizontal line with zero resistance.
The poor beast didn't even have the time to let out another roar as its body was sliced in half. Both halves crashed to the ground while the blue beams impacted the hard dirt. Still, it showed no signs of stopping its horizontal movement.
If not for the absence of raging dark clouds, one would have thought that these beams were a form of Heavenly tribulations
Everything in its path, be it shrubs, trees or rocks were destroyed with two lines etched on the floor, and it quickly caught up to the Yang father and son fleeing figure.
Before they could realize what happened, they both suffered the same fate as the spirit beast as their bodies were sliced cleanly in two as if with a laser.
Yang Bowen's vision turned dark. Even in the afterlife, he probably wouldn't be able to figure out how he died.
After which, the attack disappeared as if it never appeared in the first place, with nothing but the etched lines and the corpses to show its existence.
Meanwhile, Tian Long, Mei Ling and Rou'er were frozen in shock. Looking at the body of the beast that lay not far from them and the Yang father and son duo corpses in the distance, the trio couldn't help but gulp down their saliva.
What were those two horrifying beams of light? Despite being no larger than the size of eyeballs, they had such speed and destructive power.
Their bodies shivered.
Tian Long looked at one half of the beast's corpse only a few meters away from him. What stood out the most was its eye.
Despite this, half only having one eye, Tian Long could make out the emotion held within it. Fear! Absolute fear.
This sight caused his scalp to go numb. Such a terrifying beast was actually being hunted?
Judging by the way it was running and the fear in its eyes, that seemed to be the case.
Rou'er on the other hand had her fear materialized as she fell on her butt and a yellowish liquid flowed from between her legs. The scene had scared the living daylights out of her.
"Oh! There are still people here? Well, I'll be".
The same voice sounded again. The one they heard before the two beams of light descended. The voice sounded like a male's, yet it wasn't burly or rough.
Instead, it gave off a soothing feeling, clear and calm yet indifferent as well.
The trio's gaze turned upward when a black shadow descended from the sky.