"X, prepare for the interception," I gave the command, and X immediately shot forward and outside the barrier I have built around Lucid Spring.
I followed immediately suite as I flew up and into the open air towards the cultivators.
I could head them speaking in the distance, "Incoming puppet, looks strong, be careful." One of the enemy cultivators wearing the Fire King's emblem spoke.
Just as their words were uttered, X blasted his own Qi thrusters to maximum output and took off the head of the first cultivator without him even being able to realize it.
I followed after, pulling Creeping Demise and began a slaughter.
I took the head of the couple few cultivators next to me and shot a few bullets that were blocked by more cultivators, yet the real threat of the bullets were the poison that exploded from inside the bullets on contact, killing a few more in the process.
The grouped up cultivators split up and a few of them began cooking up an offensive attack formation as they all pointed their palms forward.
It seems like some sort of group attack formation that needs the cooperation of many cultivators to function. They surrounded me and began chanting something.
Above me a dragon's silhouette manifested, yet before I would allow them to finish the chant, I spat poison breath all around me, causing it to speed through the air and make contact with a good portion of the chanting cultivators.
They looked experienced as they all had already coated their bodies with Qi to protect themselves from the poison, but that only worked in my favor as the Qi sealing breath poison enjoyed eating up Qi barriers the most.
Many cultivators had their faces turn purple from being poisoned and fell to the ground like flies.
With a good majority of the cultivators either poisoned or out of position to continue the chant, the massive dragon silhouette immediately dissipated.
"Care! He is a poison cultivator!" one of the cultivators shouted as if he had finally realized a big puzzle.
But so what, unless you're immune to poison you cannot approach me. But I can.
I moved closer to a couple cultivators as I blasted my poison Qi from the sols of my feet causing a massive poisonous blast to manifest behind me as I charged forward to take out a couple more cultivators.
Following behind me is not a possibility due to me passively releasing poison Qi from my feet, and waiting for me to come is nothing but asking to die.
Poison cultivators relish in battles where they are outnumbered, because to kill them, one needs to get close, and getting close to them, means you're more than likely to be poisoned.
I continued my chase before I sensed something massive coming my way.
Looking to my left, someone had shot forward a massive pillar at me. Though I first wondered why would any sane man would have a stone pillar in their holding bag, but it was clear that by using something like that, throwing it my way, it was the only way to actually harm me.
I cannot poison stone, and if I were to try and block it, it will hurt.
I dodged the incoming pillar with ease at first, but then I began to realize that I was being stalled.
Looking around, many other cultivators had similar pillars pulled from their holding bags and they all came flying my way, dodging this many pillars would be close to impossible, so I was willing to teleport away only to realize that someone is actively tampering with spatial laws.
The world stopped as I enabled my mind's eye increasing my focus and my reaction time.
Trying to teleport would be a huge hassle unless I take out the one that is tampering with the spatial laws. As for the incoming pillars, they were so many that simply dodging them was too difficult.
So, It is time to apply what I learned to save my life apparently.
I charged at the first pillar, and heard one of the cultivators snorting.
"Seeking your own death!"
And just as I was about to be crushed by the flying pilar, I twisted my body and managed to spin myself while the pillar continued its path only a few inches to my side.
"You dodged one, what about the hundred others!" the cultivator said, and it was oh so easy to give him a slap to the face with what I'm about to do.
Before the pillar had fully left my current location, I lightly tapped it to the side and that was all I needed to change its trajectory.
The action happened in a fraction of a second, and the change of direction looked to be minimal at first, but the more the pillar flew, that small degree I changed began to create a massive gap between the original direction the pillar was about to head to, and where it was headed now. And now it was heading towards another cultivator who didn't even realize he was hovering in the path of death.
With some incredible reflex the cultivator managed to dodge the pillar, taking a breath of relief, only for him to realize that something was glistening and floating next to him.
Before he could even shout, an explosion happened right next to his body, sending him flopping around in the hair with many limbs missing and a body so soaked in poison that the only mercy he would have is a bullet to the head to end his misery.
The rest of the pillars came my way and I sent them all flying all over the place, making the cultivator's 'only' method at getting closer to a Poison Cultivator the very reason that they would die.
More pillars came and more I sent away and more cultivators died.
And soon, the realization steeled in, that if they continued this, they will all die.
"RETREAT!" one of them spoke, but X had already took the man's head off with a single punch, as I followed after the rest.
Hunting them down to the last man. Because if I were to leave just one of them alive, I cant guarantee the safety of Lucid Springs.
Cultivators are known for being petty, and if they can't handle a situation, they'll ask for someone who can, and I don't want to face against someone of a higher cultivation realm than I.
Especially with the absence of Y, I need to be more careful with taking out threats to my life, otherwise I'll only be asking for trouble.
Y was a good saving grace and I could waltz around the whole world without a single care, but now, I no longer have this luxury and need to actually be careful in every step I take.
The cleanup took a while especially since they all dipped in different directions, but with me and X's effort we managed to hunt down the last stragglers. And got the cleanup done, in no time.
Once all cultivators were done with, we gathered all of their belongings and cremated their bodies.
I haven't gotten the chance to use the dragon claw I just got but it didn't really matter since everything turned up well and right, but this isn't good.
This batch of cultivators might be a scouting group, and with the Qi signature from Lucid Spring, it could probably lead even more parties to come here.
I can't keep this up, one day someone strong will come and I might not be able to take them out, then what?
I need to finish up the final touches on the hoverboard and dip out of this place.
But leaving alone is cowardly, not after I promised all the people in lucid spring a safe place to live in.
Right, I'll have to make a choice now, and I don't want other people; close to me to die. Not like this.
I can't save the world, but I'm sure as hell I can save those I care for. Starting with two unfilial sons, and a whole town, then down to every person I have a good impression of.
I'll need to look for Wu Di, Yuzehan, Xiao Lang, Meng Hao, and his little sweetheart.
I'm an old man with a soft heart, and I don't want to see young people die, a whole sect died due to my own carelessness, I'll be damned if I were to let more die just because I want to save my own skin.
With a plan in mind, I headed back to the lord of lords's pagoda to finish up the last touch-ups on the hoverboard.