The two figures were a blur against the landscape, racing toward Ghost Fiend Mountain. As they moved, their conversation was clipped and urgent.
"Fifth Brother," the old man in the white robe began, "we've got a situation up at the mountain."
"What is it?"
"A few days back, some massive golden snake stormed the peak and killed the old master, Ghost Head Tiger. That snake runs the place now." The old man's voice dropped, laced with a gravity that demanded attention. "Ghost Head Tiger was no pushover. I'm not even sure I could have taken him, and yet he's gone. This golden snake is not to be underestimated."
He locked eyes with his companion. "So, we need to be smart about this. No screw-ups."
"Right, Second Brother, you've got a point," the man in black conceded with a nod. "But let's be real. We're both masters of the Sky Profound Realm. Some overgrown lizard, no matter how strange, is hardly a threat." He smirked, cracking his knuckles. "If we go all out, even if we take a few hits, we can put it in the ground. Guaranteed."
"Perhaps," the old man replied, his tone still heavy with caution. "But we play it safe."
The man in black just scoffed. "You're too cautious, Second Brother. Always have been. What's there to be afraid of? It's just a snake. I swear, it's no wonder your cultivation technique is built entirely around speed—you're always ready to run."
Luo Zhen was drifting, caught in that lazy, sun-drenched space between sleep and awareness as he lounged on a massive boulder. He had no idea how much time had passed before two powerful auras pricked at the edge of his senses. They were at the foot of the mountain.
Both signatures were heavy, potent. Both were at the Sky Profound level.
Demon beasts? Or human cultivators? Luo Zhen's eyes slid open. He pulled up the system map for a quick scan. A moment later, he closed it.
Two human cultivators, he thought, his forked tongue flicking through the air. And it looks like they're here for me. Still, they're just standard Sky Profound practitioners. They're not a threat.
The thought had barely faded when a gale-force wind swept over the peak. Riding the current, two figures materialized before him: an old man in a white robe and a younger man cloaked entirely in black.
The elder eyed Luo Zhen, his nose twitching. "So, Ghost Fiend Mountain really has a new master. I can't sense a trace of Ghost Head Tiger."
"State your names," Luo Zhen's voice rumbled, slow and unhurried. "What business brings you to my mountain uninvited?"
"You don't need to know who we are," the old man said. With a sharp clang, a flexible sword appeared in his hand. "I'll give you two choices. Option one: you crawl away from Ghost Fiend Mountain and promise to never set foot in our Eastern Yue Kingdom again."
He paused, letting the threat hang in the air.
"Option two: you die here."
Beside him, the man in black had slipped on a pair of jet-black gauntlets, his body coiled and ready to spring.
Seeing the display, Luo Zhen let out a low, rumbling laugh.
"You two have some nerve," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. "I don't know you from Adam, and you show up on my doorstep, making threats." He flicked his tongue again. "Fine. I'll make you a deal. You each get one shot. Land a single scratch on me, and this Snake Lord will leave Ghost Fiend Mountain for good."
"Arrogant beast!" the old man snarled. "You asked for this! Here it comes!"
He snapped his sword forward, and a fifteen-meter blade of pure azure energy erupted from its tip, screaming through the air as it slashed down at Luo Zhen. At the same instant, the man in black moved, his fists a blur as he unleashed a torrential storm of black-energy punches that hammered toward their target.
BOOM!
The world exploded in a cacophony. The sword qi and the barrage of fists slammed into Luo Zhen, and the entire peak was instantly shrouded in a thick curtain of dust and debris.
"Hah! Cocky bastard," the man in black sneered, lowering his fists. "Just stood there and took it head-on. What an idiot."
But the old man beside him was frowning, his eyes narrowed.
"Don't get cocky, Fifth Brother," he warned. "If it was confident enough to take that attack without moving, it's stronger than we thought. Stay sharp."
"You worry too much, Second Brother. We didn't hold anything back. There's no way it could have…" The man's voice trailed off, his jaw hanging open as he stared at the impossible sight before him.
As the dust settled, Luo Zhen was revealed, completely untouched.
Not a scratch. Not a single scale out of place. His palm-sized golden armor drank in the sunlight, glowing with an otherworldly brilliance.
"I gave you a chance," Luo Zhen said, his voice now cold as ice. "And you failed to deliver."
He opened his mouth, and a concentrated orb of crackling blue energy shot out—the Blue Light Flashing Thunder Drill.
"Fifth Brother, look out!" the old man screamed, but it was already too late. Luo Zhen's target had been the man in black from the start.
The speed of lightning is absolute. One moment, a flicker of blue in Luo Zhen's mouth. Next, it was tearing through the man's chest.
BOOM!
A perfect, gaping hole was punched straight through him.
An instant kill.
"Second Brother… I…" The man looked down at the bloody crater where his heart used to be. Before another word could escape his lips, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, dead.
"FIFTH BROTHER!" the old man shrieked, a cry of pure anguish and horror. He never imagined this snake was so powerful. A single blast of energy, and a Sky Profound master was dead. A master, not some common thug!
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Terror and regret crashed over the old man in waves. If they had known a monster like this was coiled on Ghost Fiend Mountain, their Li family would never have dared to come. But it was too late now. His brother was dead, slaughtered like an animal the moment he arrived.
His hand tightened on his sword, his eyes wide with a fear he hadn't felt in years. Luo Zhen had killed his brother in a single move. What chance did he have?
I can't fight him. I have to run.
The old man's greatest strength wasn't the fight; it was the flight. His entire cultivation was built for speed, and when he ran, he was almost impossible to catch.
Luo Zhen's forked tongue tasted the air. "Old man, tell me who sent you. Do that, and I might consider letting you live."
"Let me live?" the elder cried out, a manic edge to his voice. "You'll have to catch me first!" With a twist of his body, he became one with the wind, rocketing down the mountainside.
"Trying to run?!" Luo Zhen roared in fury. His tail slammed against the ground, propelling him forward in hot pursuit. As he chased, he fired off another Thunder Drill and a stream of spectral Skull Ghost Fire.
Fifteen minutes later, Luo Zhen returned to the summit, his mood sour.
The old bastard had gotten away. He'd managed to wound him badly during the chase, but the man's speed was unnatural. He was gone.
Worse, he'd never gotten the man's name. In the heat of the moment, he'd completely forgotten to use the system's scan function to get their info.
"Dammit," Luo Zhen muttered to himself. "That old man could actually ride the wind. Insanely fast." He sighed. "Well, at least he's seriously injured. Unless he comes back with an army, he won't be showing his face on Ghost Fiend Mountain ever again."
Host, the two men who attacked you were from the royal family of the Eastern Yue Kingdom.
Right on cue, the System's voice echoed in his mind.
Luo Zhen's head snapped up. System? You're awake?
Yes. I woke up during your fight, the System replied. I didn't want to interrupt while you were engaged.
Good to have you back. Sounds like you've recovered well, Luo Zhen thought with a flash of relief. Wait, what did you say? They were from the Eastern Yue royal family?
Correct, the System confirmed. I ran a scan during the battle. They are both from the Li family, the ruling clan of Eastern Yue.
That makes no sense, Luo Zhen mused. I have no history with them. Why would they come after me?
Most likely for this mountain, the System explained. Eastern Yue is a small, resource-poor kingdom. Your Ghost Fiend Mountain is the only place in the entire country that produces the Yin Fiend Qi necessary for Earth Profound cultivators to advance.
I see. Luo Zhen nodded slowly, a grim smile spreading across his face. Well, they severely underestimated me. One dead, one lucky to escape with his life, and even then, he's in pieces.
Do not become complacent, "the System warned. The cultivators of Eastern Yue may be weak, but they can call on the Kingdom of Wu for aid.
The Kingdom of Wu?
A nation far larger and more powerful than Eastern Yue. Their cultivators are on another level. Wu has several experts who have reached the Origin Core Realm.
The human Origin Core Realm was the equivalent of a demon beast's Demon Core—the level of a Demon General.
Furthermore, the System continued, any cultivator who reaches the Origin Core Realm typically forges their own unique magical artifact. You cannot afford to be careless.
Understood, Luo Zhen affirmed, his mind flashing back to General Salamander's blood sword at Blackwater Lake. That artifact had been devastatingly powerful; it had almost killed him.
Host, I recommend you acquire some speed-enhancing talismans, the System advised. Your offense and defense are formidable, but your speed is a critical weakness. You struggle with both pursuit and escape.
You're telling me! Luo Zhen thought of the frustration of the old man's escape still fresh. It's the whole reason he got away.
Your current point balance is insufficient. I suggest you find some cultivation items for me to recycle, the System said. For example, the gauntlets left by the man in black would be a good start.
Luo Zhen immediately retrieved the gauntlets and converted them, earning a quick 100 points for the shop. He'd already converted a stockpile of spirit stones and herbs a few days ago, bringing his balance to 900. With this new addition, he now had a clean 1,000 points.
He pulled up the shop and navigated to the talisman section.
The screen flooded with options, a dizzying array of symbols and categories. There were talismans for every element—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Wind, Ice—and for every purpose imaginable: attack, defense, speed, invisibility, illusion. It was overwhelming.
System, which one should I get? Luo Zhen asked, feeling lost in the options.
Select the Wind Element, Speed Type, the System replied instantly.
Luo Zhen filtered the results. Even then, there were dozens of choices: Divine Travel Talisman, Howling Wind Talisman, Swift Wind Talisman, Wind Escape Talisman. Each was tiered by power and cost. The Howling Wind Talisman, for the Demon Core Realm, was 600 points. The Swift Wind Talisman, for the Demon King Realm, was exactly 1,000.
Exchange for the Swift Wind Talisman, the System instructed. You have just enough points.
Done! Luo Zhen confirmed the purchase.
The exchange was instantaneous. A flash of cyan light materialized before him, coalescing into a long, rectangular talisman that hummed with contained power. It looked like it was carved from pure jade, floating in the air. Strange, flowing characters covered its surface, flanked by miniature cyan vortexes that spun with restless energy.
So, what exactly does this do? Luo Zhen asked, intrigued.
Once activated, the Swift Wind Talisman will transform your body into a gale of wind, granting you the speed of a Demon King, the System explained. But be warned: it is a one-time-use item. Once your demonic energy runs out, the talisman will disintegrate. To get another one, you will have to purchase it again.
That's still incredible! Luo Zhen thought, his excitement growing. If I have the speed of a Demon King, no Demon General will ever be able to touch me. A single talisman for a guaranteed escape? That's a bargain.
After all, what was more valuable than your own life? A few points for an unbreakable escape plan was the best deal he'd ever make. Besides, he knew how to get more points—all he needed were more spirit stones, and he was very good at finding those.
I really wanted that Wind Escape Talisman, though, he thought wistfully, recalling the even more powerful item in the shop. It's a higher grade, would've been even better.
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It's a shame it costs so much.
Higher-grade talismans naturally require more points, the System stated. Now, I will instruct you on its use.
First, you must bind it with your essence blood. Then, swallow it. The talisman will merge with your being, the System explained. When you wish to activate it, you need only will it. Your body will dissolve into wind, and your speed will rival that of a Nascent Soul Realm Demon King. Host, you must be careful. This is your only one. Do not use it unless it is your absolute last resort. It is your ultimate lifeline.
I get it. Luo Zhen nodded, then focused his demonic energy, drawing a single drop of crimson essence blood from his core. The moment the blood touched the talisman, it was absorbed completely, and Luo Zhen felt an immediate, intrinsic connection to the item.
He opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing the talisman whole.
With the process complete, he flicked his tongue, a sense of deep satisfaction settling over him.
Host, the System spoke again. The Eastern Yue royal family has made a move against you. What is your plan? Will you retaliate?
Forget those small-timers, Luo Zhen replied without hesitation. I can't be bothered with them. Right now, I need intel. Tell me everything you know about the Kingdom of Wu.
That information requires an experience point payment.
Done, Luo Zhen agreed instantly. After consuming Ghost Head Tiger's hoard, he had more than enough to spare. It's a small price to pay.