A group of six young qi-condensation cultivators traveled swiftly as they kept their eyes peeled for natural treasures that grew in abundance on the mountains. There were many precious materials that would do wonders for their cultivation; even a six-month-old blood ginseng or a one-year-old qi-gathering berry would go a long way for these youngsters who had barely stepped on the path of cultivation. The probability of finding such things was quite high, however, and spirit beasts would find eating these severely unripe natural treasures an unpardonable crime. To them, it was only appropriate to eat them at the peak of their maturity cycle.

Or so they thought before they set foot on this dreadful mountain. They were greeted with clear-cut, barren woods. The natural treasures, which should have been abundant, had been picked clean, forcing them even deeper into the beasts' dangerous territories.

"I don't think we should be going in so deep," a young lady that couldn't be older than eighteen complained to a boy that looked several years older than the rest of the group. She didn't want to speak to the man initially, but the other four were simply yes men, followers of their elder brother.

The older man chuckled. "Relax, Fei Er, your elder brother Xiao Jintao is already at the eighth level of qi condensation. And with my superior combat prowess and this peak-spirit weapon, only a lord of the forest would stand a chance against me. And besides, because of that stupid treaty, they wouldn't dare lay a finger on me."

"Who allowed you to be so familiar with me?" Li Fei said with a sniff. "You may call me Miss Li or Li Fei at most, but don't think that your status is sufficient enough to be so intimate with me. If you really want to prove your worth, find me a six-year-old iceflame lingzi and break through to mid-foundation establishment. Then my father will likely offer me to you on a silver platter."

She watched in amusement as the older man seethed with rage and trudged forward. A six-year-old iceflame lingzi was a precious item coveted by the entire sect. Even if he found it, it wouldn't belong to him. By the time he found one, Li Fei would have been married for many years.

Suddenly, Xiao Jintao held up his fist and signaled for their group to halt. Li Fei was about to speak up and ask what was happening when the older man shot her down with a rebuking glare. While she was upset and felt mistreated, she decided to bide her time and reprimand him later.

At Xiao Jintao's signal, they proceeded at a fifth of their original speed. The short-haired man had drawn the peak spirit-tier saber that he had been awarded by the sect just prior to this mission. Its faint blue glow reassured her that, as he'd boasted, not many creatures could pose a real threat to them in these woods.

Before long, they heard a rustling noise behind a group of bushes. At Xiao Jintao's signal, the four men approached from the right while he and Li Fei approached from the left. He held Li Fei back for a few breaths just before they emerged from behind the bushes in order to allow his followers to scout. Soon, they heard some loud chuckles coming from the fattest cultivator in their group, Yuan Tao.

"I nearly died of a heart attack," Yuan Tao said. "But after all this caution, we only found a cute little spirit rabbit. Look, he's even carrying a small twig in his mouth."

Xiao Jintao shot him an angry glare. "Quiet! Even a lion must use their full strength to catch a rabbit." His overreaction over such a small threat was truly a huge loss of face, especially in front of Li Fei.

"He's so cute!" Li Fei said, approaching the small white rabbit. The rabbit was now trembling uncontrollably, so much so that it dropped the twig it had been carrying.

"What's this?" Li Fei said, picking up the twig. A small round fruit was growing on it. Half of the fruit was a frosty blue color while the other half was crimson red. She clearly felt the concentrated energy it contained. It was marked with six distinct lines that would only grow on such fruits, one for each year it aged.

"A six-year-old iceflame lingzi?" she said, gasping in surprise. "With this, I'll be able to break through to foundation establishment in one fell swoop! Such a lucky rabbit. I'll be keeping you as a pet." She reached down to grab the rabbit, but as she did, she noticed a small black spot on her otherwise flawless white hand.

Frowning, she used her robe to try to wipe it off, but to no avail. "Senior Brother Jintao, could you please pass me the gourd of spirit water?" she asked, embarrassed. She loathed asking for anything from him. But to her surprise, she heard no reply.

She turned around with a cold expression, preparing to scold the entire group. To her horror, all five men had collapsed on the ground, their faces full of black spots. Trembling, she looked at the single black spot on her hand and pulled up the sleeve of her robe. Her entire arm was peppered with spots.

"Poison?" she said hoarsely before she crumbled to the ground.

How?

This was the last thought that passed through her mind. Had she been more observant, she would have noticed that strands of a rare herb, pockmark death grass, were growing in the grass where they passed to circle the bush. The herb was quite lethal to low-level human cultivators, but harmless to spirit beasts. They had fallen into a meticulously planned trap.

The bait was the little white rabbit and the six-year-old iceflame lingzi.

***

"Be careful, men," a cultivator in blue robes said to a group of twenty-nine other cultivators. They were an elite group at middle foundation establishment. "This time, our target is the king-level beast, a variant two-tailed fox. It's vicious and cunning, and it will require our entire strength to trap him.

"Fortunately, we know exactly where he is. Our patriarch spared no expense to divine his location just prior to our departure. This fengxue compass will lead us straight to him."

"Don't worry Vice Leader Li," a short, stocky cultivator said. "We all know that it's vitally important to capture him. Our patriarch's life and the future of our sect is at stake."

"The sect is grateful to have committed elites like you, Elder Han," Vice Leader Li said emotionally. After all, he was more than just the vice leader—he was the patriarch's beloved grandson.

"In any case," Vice Leader Li said, "we brought the sect's protective treasure, a peak-level magic spear with us. With this spear, there's no way that wretched fox will be able to overwhelm us." He said this while holding said spear in his hand. The mighty power emanating from the spear renewed the elite group's confidence.

"Thankfully we won't be going anywhere near the geomantic boa's territory," one of the younger cultivators in the group said. "That place is a death trap, and I daresay that even the patriarch wouldn't want to fight that beast in its own territory." The other cultivators all nodded in agreement. In fact, the reason they had been routed so badly the previous year was due to the illusions in the geomantic boa's terrain.

And so, the cultivators continued traveling toward the two-tailed fox's location. They had been going for three hours before their leader frowned and glanced at the fengxue compass that still pointed due east.

"Strange," Vice Leader Li said. "We should have arrived at his position long ago. Somehow I feel that we've been traveling in circles. For example, look at that tree. Brother Meng, didn't you urinate on it only an hour ago?"

The older cultivator's face flushed in embarrassment, but he approached the tree and sniffed. He paled when he realized this was indeed the case. "How is it possible for superior cultivators like us to be trapped so easily?"

"There's only one possibility," the vice leader whispered. "The geomantic boa's territory has changed."

Suddenly their surroundings shimmered, and the lush forest they had seen previously was now a desolate wasteland. Here and there, they saw geomantic runes that were created using the boa's natural ability.

"How perceptive of you," a voice said. Soon after, a forty-foot black-and-white fox walked out from behind a large rock that was situated near them. "Are you confused as to why I'm revealing myself? You see, we had a betting pool going on. We each wagered a drop of blood essence on how long it would take you to realize your predicament. Unfortunately for you, I'm angry now. I bet on six hours, and that tricky geomantic boa bet on three hours. I should have known that she'd rig the game in her favor."

"Aren't you looking down on us a little too much by facing us alone?" Vice Leader Li said angrily, hefting his spear. A confused expression appeared on the fox's face before it realized what had happened.

"Oh, I get it. You guys are still trapped in a secondary illusion. Bowie, don't slow-roll them. Dismiss the illusion."

The illusion faded, and the thirty cultivators were shocked to discover that they were now surrounded by eleven lords of the forest. Furthermore, they seemed to have fully charged their most powerful attacks, which could be unleashed at a moment's notice.

"Any last words?" the fox asked calmly.

"Damn you!" Vice Leader Li said. He didn't have the chance to say any more. The fox quickly unleashed its purifying and devouring power, while the various beasts unleashed their attacks and decimated the group of cultivators with their most powerful strikes.

***

All around the mountain, similar scenes were occurring. Lords teamed up with lords, using the terrain and their overwhelming physical strength to their advantage. Smaller beasts played tricks. In a funny turn of events, even the spirit-tail chickens were useful. In their devotion to Sovereign Two Tails, they had developed priests that studied Huxian's natural abilities like scripture. Their faith had somehow allowed them to harness the power of the bagua, enabling them to trap groups of cultivators very efficiently.

After one long night of cold and merciless slaughter, the humans on the mountain were eliminated. The beasts rejoiced in the knowledge that, at last, they had repelled the human tide.

Huxian didn't rest on his laurels, however. He and the geomantic boa were both creatures with inherent knowledge of formations. One by one, they cracked and devoured the various seals that shut them off from the outside world. After two days and three nights, the air above the mountain shimmered and shattered.

For the first time in decades, the various spirit beasts and demon beasts on the mountains walked out of their caves and admired the beautiful setting sun. It wasn't optically different than before; rather, they could now feel the warmth more intimately on their furs and feathers.

"This, my friends, is the feeling of freedom," Huxian said in a loud, booming voice. "No longer will we wait here passively as the humans invade our territory and rob us. It's time for us to reclaim what's rightfully ours: the valley at the edge of our mountain.

"It used to be covered in pristine forests, but the humans chased us out and took our lands. They took our medicinal herbs, roots, and fruits, limiting our population and growth. No more. Stand with me, brothers and sisters, as we assemble our beast tide and show the humans what we're made of. It's our turn to rule!"

The beasts on the mountain, enlivened by their leader's glorious speech and too frightened to say anything due to bloodline suppression, began their heroic charge toward the human settlement below.

***

Tears appeared in Cha Ming's eyes when he saw the three items appear before him. They bore his teacher's aura, a man who had dedicated much energy and attention to his fledgling growth. Even now, when he was no longer there, he had left items to help Cha Ming on his future path of cultivation.

The first item was a letter, which he read immediately.

Dear Cha Ming,

As beautiful as my writing is, I'm really bad at writing letters. However, I'm fully aware that you bear a great destiny on your shoulders, and I'd feel guilty if I didn't leave you at least something to help you on your way.

First off, I've left you two talismans. They are both mid-grade magic talismans with incredible offensive power. However, there's a catch. Both talismans have been created differently. One of them was created using mathematical and geometric rules along with advanced symbols. The other was created using an expression of my extreme emotions.

This is, first and foremost, a demonstration of the field I excel in the most: runic poetry. Each character has its own nature and intent. However, the intent of the writer and their state of mind can greatly affect the power of a talisman. Words from the heart have power, Cha Ming. These two talismans will show you that difference.

The second item I've prepared for you is quite speculative on my part. I performed a few divinations on you and a few items, but due to your inscrutable fate, I couldn't get an answer that was more than fifty percent accurate. What I'm trying to say is that there's a fifty-fifty chance that this nifty gadget that I've left for you will be very useful on your journey. Worst case, it should be moderately useful in fighting against that twerp, Zhou Li.

In any case, I'm sure I won't be able to see you again for quite some time. I've been feeling antsy lately, which means that my wife is definitely coming to retrieve me. And let me tell you, she's not gentle. Be sure to take care while I'm gone, and if you ever get a chance, come visit me at the Inky Sea Sect after you transcend.

Cheers,

Elder Ling

P.S.: I discovered that Zhou Li's henchman, Protector Song, is the regional Angels and Devils champion. I'm going to wipe the floor with him before I leave. Do be sure to continue sharpening your skills before we meet again.

P.P.S.: Deep inside, Mao Mao is sorry for being so territorial with Huxian. The little fox has great potential, and he's a little bit jealous. Tell him not to hold it against him.

Cha Ming chuckled as he read the letter. It perfectly reflected his eccentric teacher's character. After reviewing it one more time, he turned his sights toward the two talismans his teacher had left him.

The first was an elaborate talisman, filled with complex geometric shapes that he could now recognize. It was also written with some fairly impressive characters, like "sovereign king of beasts," "annihilation," and "blood devouring." However, the characters were all centered on two elegantly drawn characters in the center. They were two of a single runic character he had ever seen before, but when he read it, he was overwhelmed with Mr. Mao Mao's overbearing and haughty attitude. Putting two and two together, he assumed these characters meant Mao Mao.

Cha Ming rubbed his eyes in disbelief when he saw this but shook his head and moved on. The next talisman left him sweating in embarrassment.

Instead of being covered with elegant geometric symbols, it was covered in boldly written characters.

Ode to Mr. Mao Mao

Mr. Mao Mao, my love for you knows no bounds.

It is like a tyrannical beast,

Destroying everything in its path.

How I envy those who perish under your gentle claws.

Cha Ming wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry after reading the talisman. Originally, he'd doubted the authenticity of the first. Now, however, he found the original talisman to be a bastion of knowledge, an elegant and unparalleled creation. In his heart, Cha Ming swore never to use the talisman unless it was a life-or-death situation. Only then could he bear the humiliation it entailed.

Cha Ming took some time to lower his expectations before moving on to the third item. It was a thin jade slip containing characters he could barely decipher. It read:

Devil Sealing Scripture

A single scripture to seal all evils in the realms.

Can you see what I see with these eyes of pure jade?

Only those who share my will can understand my resolve.

As he read it, he felt a sharp pain in his eyes. Aside from this, he was only left with a cryptic lack of understanding concerning what he had just read. He felt there was now knowledge inside his mind that he was not yet privy to. Shaking his head, he stored the two talismans and the Devil Sealing Scripture and began to recover his strength for when he would leave Fuxi's Library.