Chapter 74: Slaughter

Mammoth Shakes the Mountain resonated with the earth, listening to the pulses of the great peaks, drawing in Earth Essence.

But when his foot landed, Li Yi was shocked to discover that this place seemed to be a dead zone, silent and lifeless.

“What… is going on here?”

In the Dragon’s Burial Ground, the earth seemed to have died, offering no response to Li Yi’s call.

“This place is indeed full of strangeness everywhere. It doesn’t feel like a holy land, more like a place of peril!”

Thoughts swirled, yet Li Yi did not panic. His steps were steady and soundless as he moved forward, step by step.

He wasn’t the type to give up halfway. Since he had started, there was no point overthinking. He would complete one cycle of Mammoth Shakes the Mountain first.

Boom!

Li Yi’s expression was grave. His internal organs and muscles vibrated like a great drum being beaten. The rumbling sound traveled from his soles down to the deepest underworld.

Still, there was utter silence.

He wasn’t discouraged either.

At the twentieth step, his eyes suddenly flickered, and behind the mask, he looked intrigued.

“This is…”

Beneath his feet, at an immeasurable depth underground, a vast and profound will seemed to sense his call and faintly responded.

Spirits lifted, Li Yi adjusted his breathing. His steps grew firmer, each footfall as heavy as a mountain, planting firmly, advancing step by cautious step.

Twenty-five steps!

Following the faint resonance, a weak, chaotic, and hazy trace of energy rose from the sole of his foot. It adhered to the path of the celestial cycle, revolving once through his body.

This energy was extremely thin and faint. It was not Earth Essence, but…

Li Yi turned his head to look at the towering energy pillar in the distance, his eyes gleaming with sharp light.

Among the Six Strategies Qi, it was the “Tiger Strategy Qi” originating from the colossal beast Leixu, symbolizing the power of earth!

He even faintly felt that this energy was more refined, more solid, more pure!

In contrast, the Tiger Strategy Qi shooting into the sky from the pillar seemed mixed with impurities, murky and unclear.

Taking a deep breath, Li Yi suppressed the joy in his heart. His muscles trembled. With strides as powerful as a dragon or tiger, he channeled the strength of his whole body and walked slowly.

Like a boat tracker pulling a vessel, he endured tremendous pressure. His body leaned forward, veins bulged, sweat streamed down, and a wave of weariness swept through him.

On the other hand, his flesh, blood, and energy channels, nourished by the Tiger Strategy Qi, rejoiced and played a vigorous, exhilarating symphony.

One step, another step…

Thirty-six steps!

His expression shook violently. His feet stumbled. He let out a soft, beast-like groan, staggered, and sat down on the ground.

Thirty-six steps was his limit, and this was only barely achieved with the aid of the “Grip of Serenity.”

The energy grew stronger with each step, but even by the thirty-sixth step, the Tiger Strategy Qi was only as thick as a thread.

Yet the benefits it brought were truly marvelous.

His entire bloodline, nourished by it, grew vigorous and powerful, progressing layer by layer.

Deep within his body, that bloodline rune resembling a Talisman, yet also like a demonic pattern, shaped like a Dragon Turtle—”Bearing the Stele”—underwent a slight change and evolution. It seemed to have a tendency to evolve toward a higher level, “Bearing the Mountain.”

Although this was just a small sign, a change of less than one ten-thousandth, it revealed a startling possibility.

His bloodline was growing through this!

However, this was somewhat odd.

Six Strategies Qi, generally speaking, was integrated into a Mage’s Magic Vortex or a warrior’s energy vortex, thereby giving rise to something similar to a Bloodline Ability—the “Elemental Commander.”

Under Mammoth Shakes the Mountain, its energy flowed within his body and directly fused with his bloodline.

“This is interesting…” The mask concealed his expression, only his eyes flickered incessantly. “The energy lying dormant deep underground is thousands, tens of thousands of times stronger than those six energy pillars! Could it be that the Six Strategies Qi everyone is fighting over comes from underground? But the underground energy has clearly developed its own will. It can only gather and concentrate, so why would it split for no reason?”

Though puzzled, Li Yi had made up his mind. He would stay right here.

The Tiger Strategy Qi absorbed through Mammoth Shakes the Mountain was much thinner compared to that from the pillar, but grains of sand accumulate to form a pagoda; he could still gather quite a bit.

Moreover, this method didn’t require fighting with others, greatly reducing the danger. Why not do it?

…

While Li Yi was enjoying the quiet time, throughout the Dragon’s Burial Ground, slaughter was everywhere, and bloodshed had begun.

And this was only the first day!

Thump. A head fell to the ground. In its lifeless pupils was reflected a white mask.

The eyes were narrow and slanted, the face fierce and malicious. It was actually the mask that had once appeared on Li Yi’s face—the Yazi mask.

The mask’s owner was a burly warrior. A blood-red cloak billowed behind him. He held a Dragon-Slaying Greatsword, half-resting it on his shoulder, like a bloodthirsty giant troll.

The Dragon-Slaying Greatsword was the largest among slashing swords, with a broad back and thick blade, weighing a hundred pounds. Only those born with divine strength could wield it.

“Yazi, I have no grudge against you. Besides, there’s no Six Strategies Qi here. There’s no conflict of interest between us…” A wolf-masked Mage glanced at the headless body, scared out of his wits, and said in a placating tone, “I’ll leave this area right away.”

“Get lost!” the man with the Yazi mask said, seeming impatient. He waved his free hand as if shooing a fly. “Hurry up, before I change my mind!”

“Right!” The wolf-masked Mage turned and left without hesitation.

Yazi stared at his back, sneered coldly, and a fierce light appeared in his eyes.

With one stamp of his foot, he reversed his grip on the sword. His body moved like shifting lightning, leaving a pale afterimage in his original spot, as if breaking through a spatial wall. In an instant, he crossed a distance of ten meters and appeared behind the wolf-masked Mage.

This was precisely the Silver Hand’s—Iaijutsu!

“Damn you! You… you broke your promise!” The wolf-masked Mage was both shocked and furious. He had no time to cast a spell. A pendant on his chest lit up, and a “Wind Shield” manifested around him.

This spell was as famous as “Aura Armor.” The former defended against physical damage, the latter against magical attacks.

But defense had its limits.

“Secret Technique—Flowing Light Cuts the Wave!”

A low, cold laugh. Battle Aura erupted from the wolf-masked Mage’s palm. On the greatsword, flowing light suddenly blazed. A brilliant radiance shone forth, transforming into a blade of light.

Light-attribute Battle Aura surged forth, its force crushing everything in its path. The Wind Shield flashed with light, cracks spread, and in a mere breath, it shattered.

Swish!

The sword blade flashed past. The wolf-masked Mage’s body was severed into two halves.

Yazi sheathed his sword. In the same instant, his figure reappeared at the spot where he had drawn the sword, as if he had never left, uncannily.

The warrior college—Silver Hand—had many secret techniques, but “Iaijutsu” was the most famous, and not without reason.

“I’m someone who likes to change my mind…” Yazi gave his sword a heavy flick, splattering blood droplets, not looking at the corpse with its unclosed eyes. “Also, who told you there’s no Six Strategies Qi here? If I don’t clear this area first, how can I feel safe going to retrieve the Martial Strategy Qi?”

…

“Harbinger of the Waves?” In the rain, an eagle-masked Mage rolled on the ground in a sorry state, his voice filled with shock and anger. “You’re from Tidal Sound Spirit Valley!”

“Only noticing now? Your eyesight is rather poor…”

Opposite him was a Dragon Whale-masked Mage. Beside him, five massive azure figures stood, fore and aft. They resembled Dew Servants, but their color was deeper, their ferocity greater, exuding a terrifying pressure.

Among Elemental Summoning, the sea element line was often considered a branch of Water Elementals. In reality, their attributes were completely different.

Also part of Elemental Summoning, Harbingers of the Waves were far stronger than Dew Servants, enough to completely overpower Flame Servants!

At this moment, beneath the eagle mask, the Mage’s face turned somewhat pale.

Typically, a Lower-Rank Spell Disciple’s Mana would be nearly exhausted after casting Elemental Summoning three times. The person before him, however, seemed truly like an endurance-possessing Dragon Whale, with an endless flow of Mana!

“I refuse to believe it. Is your Mana truly infinite?” He bolstered his own courage, seizing a gap to shoot a Dagger of Frost, but it was effortlessly blocked.

“You guessed right. In this area, my Mana is indeed infinite! Just relying on Elemental Summoning, I can crush you!” The Dragon Whale seemed to let out a cold laugh. He raised a finger, water droplets gathered, and another Harbinger of the Waves rose from the ground!

A roar of despair echoed to the skies.

…

Boom!

Amidst bubbling flames, a charred black figure fell forward onto the ground.

“Why don’t people these days understand plain speech? I told you to leave, so just leave… you’ve wasted another one of my Talismans!” A fox-masked woman’s voice was clear and melodious as she arranged something beside the corpse. “Once my barrier is fully set up, this Leopard Strategy Qi will be as good as in my pocket.”

…

Night fell. Li Yi sat upright on the bones of Leixu, his gaze icy.

He knew that those pursuing him were very close.

Warnings from his Mage senses flickered incessantly in his mind.

He looked up at the sky. The moon was dim, the stars sparse.

“A dark moon and high wind, a night for killing?” He sneered coldly and murmured to himself.