I headed back to where Wu Di and Xiao Lang were sitting.
"How are you guys hanging?" I asked.
"Barely," Xiao Lang said, grinning.
"Seems like you're always here to save us in a pinch, but I doubt you can do anymore with the situation right now." Wu Di said.
"You realized it too?" I asked.
"Realize what?" Xiao Lang asked.
The two of us sighed at his lack of foresight.
But Wu Di took the opportunity to explain. I've heard from many other cultivators that they managed to fight off against a lot of scouting parties. And apparently, the enemy forces have yet to move the bulk of their army in. Look at the devastation that a few scouting parties have done." Wu Di said, took a breath then added, "Do you know how much death and carnage is gonna happen once the full army marches forward?" Wu Di said.
"Ah…"
"Where is Yuzehan?" I asked.
The two of them avoided looking me in the face.
"… so, I guess she didn't make it."
"Not that. She has been captured. A lot of this has been happening lately, a good deal of cultivators that are seen to be of 'value' have gotten captured and were taken away. I couldn't get to her in time and Xiao Lang almost died trying to save her."
"Do you know where they took her?"
"Rumors have it that the enemy cultivators have a base up north, it shouldn't be far away. The two of us volunteered to this position so we can get a chance to get Yuzehan back, but the scouts have been stopping us ever since." Xiao Lang said.
"As much as I hate to admit it. There is no hope for any of us," Wu Di said.
"Perhaps there still is."
"We're not like you, Shen Bao, we're still at the early stage of Nascent Soul and even getting the Nascent Soul Stage was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. We're not bound for greatness, not us, not our sect… not this god-forsaken planet." Wu Di said, desperation clawing at his resolve.
"You think that getting to Nascent Soul was easy for me?" I scuffed. "Don't give me this defeatist bullshit, get your shit together and lets go save your friend."
"Then WHAT!" Wu Di shouted, "Then what?" he said again in a lower tone, "We have nowhere else to go back to. The very sect you saved had been decimated in a single night. Where are we supposed to go? Just the three of us? We were born and raised in that sect, all we have is that Sect, The Tian Ji sect, and now it's no more… what do you want us to do, Shen Bao…"
Well, I didn't see that coming.
However.
I sent Wu Di one of the hardest slaps I've ever given someone. It was probably enough to rattle his brain and have him looking at me in utter shock and surprise.
"The Sect lives on. The Sect, is not a place, it's the people," I said as I pointed at his chest, "The Sect is here, as long as you're alive, you can rebuild it, it won't be the same, but it will still have the soul of the Tian Ji Sect. And if you can't hope to build it in this 'God Forsaken Planet' then as your friend, I'll help you build it somewhere where it can prosper and grow again." I said firmly.
Xiao Lang and Wu Di looked at each other in wonder. Not understanding what I meant.
"Do you want to rebuild your sect, or do you want to cower in fear and die here? Do you think the sect elders and the master want that?" I spoke to both Wu Di and Xiao Lang but at the same time, I was speaking to myself.
"Then stop with this feeble attitude, get your shit together and let's bring Yuzehan, then I'll take all three of you out of this god-forsaken place. Follow me!" I said as I flew in the distance.
Soon after Wu Di and Xiao Lang caught up to me.
"Man, can't you do something about this poison released from you while you fly?" Xiao Lang asked.
"I can't, if you get poisoned tell me, I'll give you a pill, now shut up and follow me," I said.
The three of us zoomed through the clouds and got all the way to high northern mountains where we had to slow down as some cultivators were moving about and scanning the area with divine sense.
I've already thought that something like this might happen so I prepared in advance.
A few cloaks with spirit hiding inscriptions were more than enough to fend off against none focused divine sense.
Which was all the cultivators nearby were using as they didn't believe that anyone would be mad enough to attack one of the enemy bases.
I peeked from above one of the mountain tips and got a good look at the enemy base.
It was positioned at the basin of the mountains, making the entire mountain range surround it like a natural protective barrier.
Many Fire King Cultivators funneled into the base with captured cultivators. Most were good-looking women and younger healthy men. I scanned the area as much as I could with mere sight instead of Divine Sense, there is no telling if a powerful cultivator is within the enemy territory and could catch up to what I was doing. So might as well play it safe.
I came down from my spot and grouped up back with Wu Di and Xiao Lang.
"I can't find Yuzehan, but apparently most people captured are gathered around in one spot."
"Why are they doing this?" Xiao Lang asked.
"Slave trade, or cultivation furnace preparation. There are a lot of nasty things you can do to war slaves." Wu Di said.
"If they touch a single hair on her head!" Xiao Lang spoke in anger. But I calmed him down by placing a hand on his shoulder and saying, "Calm down for a second, no need to get agitated you might expose our location."
After calming down, I took the chance to speak to the two of them.
"Guys, did you ever hear the idiom, Divide and Conquer?" I asked.
The two of them shook their heads.
"Well, let me show you," I said then summoned X.
"Pull the entire base's attention," I said, "And don't get caught or taken down."
"As you command, Lord," X spoke.
Among X's inscriptions, he had many that could help him hide from divine sense, so he didn't have a problem in getting around the camp while many cultivators were still wandering about.
"Wear this," I said to the two of them as I handed them robes from the bodies of cultivators I've taken out at the first battle in the Dead Zone.
The two of them wore the clothes fast and thankfully in time before the next event happened.
Right as they were done, I saw the incoming hail of rockets and ballistics as they came down upon the calm and quiet camp.
Then soon, targeted and precise explosions landed at the head of every tent, and grouping of cultivators and missed the spot where the captured cultivators were.
The chaos ensuing afterward was more than enough to pull away from the attention of the cultivators that were guarding this side.
Though I doubted they'll move out of their position because their job was to hold this place, the sudden explosion was more than enough chance for me and the two with me to understand the next assignment.
I teleported right behind the nearest guard and slit his throat ending his life instantly. Xiao Lang and Wu Di didn't disappoint as they took care of one guard each. Then the three of us teleported towards the camp.
"Use all the energy you have to teleport don't think about exhausting yourselves now!" I said as we teleported consecutively until we arrived at the camp. Though this might be lethal as both Wu Di and Xiao Lang looked like they were about to fall on their faces from having teleported so many times consecutively, I threw the two of them a Spirit Rejuvenating pill each and the three of us got near the prisoner's cage among the chaos.
"Find Yuzehan, Hurry!" I said and the three of us split up.
We each turned to one of the prisoner's camps and found many, many wounded cultivators in chains.
I had my doubts on how come the cultivators couldn't leave the cages because regular chains shouldn't be that much of a bother, but as it seems the cage they were placed on was forcefully absorbing their Qi.
This looked like a super downgraded version of what Zhang Tian's own cage was. But for cultivators below the Ascendant Grade, this was more than enough to completely exhaust and deplete them.
But this worked well in my favor.
I pulled a talisman and wrote an inscription that took me about a few seconds.
A cultivator watched me looking at the cages and I thought I was exposed.
"I already did the count, why are you counting the prisoners again?" the cultivator said.
Apparently, seeing me with a pen and paper he thought I was doing logistics.
"The numbers didn't add up, it seems that someone escaped. That's probably the reason we're being attacked, someone fucked up, and if it was you, then you better pray." I said threateningly.
"I-I'm sure I did the count right!" he said.
"Go and bring me your report! I'll have to check this!" I said.
"Right away!" he said and left.
That was pretty damn lucky, but I can't wait here any longer.
I finished the inscription and threw it against the camp. A couple of captured cultivators noticed the talisman and then saw me winking at them. This was all a cultivator would need to know, and understand what to do in due time.
And that was right in time as I heard Xiao Lang speaking, "Found her, northeast camp." Xiao Lang added through divine sense message.
I didn't head there first, instead, I went to the second camp and placed another talisman and made sure to have the cultivators in the cages notice me doing that. After that, word began spreading among the captured cultivators. Then finally I headed to the third camp, however, X's bombardment had long since subsided, it seems that he is now on the run, and the cultivators that went after him will soon realize that that was probably a distraction.
But I wasn't about to let them take a moment's rest.
I snapped my fingers, causing dozens of talismans to blow up from the direction where we first came from. Stuff I had left there earlier.
This once again threw the order of the camp to chaos and caused more people to believe that this was an actual attack and not a diversion.
"Where is she," I asked.
"In the middle," Xiao Lang said.
I looked at Yuzehan's face seemed badly bruised. Good girl, she fought back and didn't give in.
"Right," I said. I then threw the third talisman against the cage and enabled the three of them.
Just as I did so, the imprisoned cultivators immediately realized what happened.
The talisman disabled the exhausting formation, and in no longer than a few minutes they'll be able to move freely.
"WHO DARES CAUSE CHAOS HERE!" a powerful cultivator spoke, sending shivers down my spine.
"Shit, that's a strong one…"
