As the fiery sun started to set over the horizon, the convoy resud their journey southward. Well-rested and well-fed, they would have to move quickly and cover as much distance as possible during the cool night.
“Stay sharp!”
“Don’t fall behind!”
With Bei Yingluo out of commission for the mont, first aunt Bei Yujing took her natural position as the leader. She sent off two scouting parties to cover their flanks attacks while she led the main group along the dirt path.
The half-moon was bright and the evening was clear. All around them, cliffs and valleys turned into giant black dragons and shadowy ghosts. It was beautiful and oppressive at the sa ti. There was no telling if they were being stalked by wild beasts or bandits. The rear guard, which comprised a separate clan, had it the worst and constantly had to look over their shoulders at every gust of wind.
The most relaxed out of them all was Chen Wentian. Covered in a black cloak and with his face shrouded in shadow, he was completely at ho among the darkness. With the powers of the shadow fox, his eyes could see everything to the horizon. His spiritual sense let him know every living thing in the vicinity.
The night was comfortable. The air was clean and the scenery was striking. He should have been in a good mood yet he had a frown.
He was still thinking of the prior discussion with Bei Yingluo. She had asked him a question that, by so miracle, no other disciple had asked him until now. He never ntioned his past to them and maybe they had all been too afraid to ask.
He didn’t bla them. He was soone who lived in the present. The person he was now was utterly incomparable to the person he was before he attained the Anatta Soul Nirvana Art. There was almost no point in ntioning it anymore.
Almost…
The only thing still worth consideration was the exact source of this heavenly cultivation art. He had happened upon it by pure chance. He didn’t know where it ca from or why it had landed where it did. There was also the issue that he could pass it down to anyone. It was physically impossible for him to teach this soul art to anyone.
There were still many mysteries regarding this and the concept of nirvana.
Many immortals spoke of nirvana but it was just a dream. It was the sa as how mortals viewed the immortal realms. Perhaps the highest powers of the world at the Spirit Demigod Realm knew so secrets that others didn’t. But as far as anyone knew, nobody had ever reached nirvana in recorded history, not humans or beasts or even demons.
But Chen Wentian had such a cultivation art.
Just like how he was working hard to help his disciples figure out their abilities, he realized that he should also spend so ti on himself. He had sowhat taken it for granted in the past. Coming up from a mortal and then from a Spirit Lord to a Spirit King, he had only been focusing on short-term goals without regard for anything else.
He needed to practice what he preached. He needed to find ti to look back at his past so that he could move forward with confidence.
“Watch out! Danger ahead!”
Bei Yujing’s sharp voice jerked Chen Wentian out of his funk and also brought the convoy to a halt. He watched as one of the scouting parties returned in a panic. Behind them, the thundering of horse hooves could be heard.
Soon, a raiding party of bandits charged into view. They numbered several hundred and had more Spirit Initiate Realm experts than the Bei Clan. They carried an assortnt of weapons. There was nothing consistent about them except for the long black banners that fluttered in the wind.
“Shit, it’s the Black Desert Gang!”
“Defensive formation!”
The bandits didn’t give them much ti and directly charged at them head-on. Such a juicy target, far away from Drifting Sand City, it was what these bandits lived for.
The two sides clashed together with a cacophony of tal against tal and pained screams. The Bei Clan held the line but barely. It was only their superior armor and weapons provided by Chen Wentian’s money that saved their lives. Otherwise, they would be no better than these bandits.
“Just give up! We outnumber you four to one!” One of the bandits shouted over the noise.
“Nonsense!” Bei Yujing shouted back.
“Hahaha, feisty!” Another bandit taunted, “I’ll have you warm my bed tonight!”
“Go die!”
The battle beca even fiercer. The Bei Clan side was still holding on but they were starting to suffer wounds. They managed to dispatch a few mouthy bandits but more took their place.
Even so, the enemies chose only to attack from the front to conserve their strength and superiority in numbers. The convoy had another protective force in the rear but they weren’t doing much except watching the action.
This caused Bei Yujing to shout towards the back, “Hey! Liu Clan… what are you guys doing? Hurry and co help us!”
The rear guard ca from the Liu Clan, another minor family of Drifting Sand City. They had always been the city lord’s loyal dogs so they did not suffer too much harm during the beast siege. As such, the two clans were never on friendly terms but this was a dangerous situation.
“Co on!” Bei Yujing urged them again, “If we fight together, we can definitely beat them back!”
But instead of moving, one of the Liu Clan people replied in a flat voice, “We can’t move, what if there are bandits hiding behind us? If we co to help you, then we would have failed our mission.”
“If the convoy falls, then everybody will have failed their mission!”
The Liu Clan still didn’t move, forcing the Bei Clan to continue struggling by themselves. It was as if they were saying to everyone that the Bei Clan’s failure was their own. Each family had their own consideration and they weren’t about to rescue a rival at their own expense.
“Damn it! Kill them!” Bei Yujing flew into a rage.
She slashed wildly at several strong bandits while cursing the Liu Clan with everything she could think of.
“These doggy bastards, fuck their grannies, I’ll make them pay after this!”
The Bei Clan fed off of her spirit, especially the other three aunts. Indignation filled their hearts as they were reminded of the past situation with the beast siege which had similar circumstances as the current battle. The Liu Clan had also abandoned their mission back then.
Only now, they knew they were supported by Ten Thousand Flower Valley and Elder Mo so they all fought without fear, only anger!
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