Spirit Cultivation

'Damn it!'

It was the first time Xuefeng saw Ming this mad, hearing her curse for the third time. 

'Do you know that Dark Fate Sect?' Xuefeng asked curiously only to receive horrific news. 

'I know them very well. We already destroyed them once but it seems like they recreated the Sect after the Fate Kingdom closed. They were a group of cultivators who were against Fate Kingdom ruling, killing all Fate Holders they find. We had to eradicate them but I guess we didn't do a good job.' 

'Why would a Fate Holder belong to the Sect then?' Xuefeng wondered. 

'I have no idea but maybe they were the ones who helped that old man consume his Fate Spirit. If that was the case, they would achieve their goal of eradicating Fate Spirits and also get a new member. This token is exactly a membership token which at least confirms that he is one of them,' Ming explained, sounding depressed. 

'I don't understand why would they even do it. Doesn't Fate Spirit provide immense help? Without you two, I would be long dead. It's stupid,' Xuefeng commented.

Ling helped him on many occasions, saving him from death. He would never even think of getting rid of her. 

'To regain their freedom,' Ling pointed out, looking from a different point of view. 'Not everyone has access to so many Fate Stones as we do. Just as I told you at the beginning, Fate Spirits are a blessing but also a curse. Did you forget that once you stop gathering Fate Qi, I would simply consume your soul?'

'…' 

He indeed forgot about it. 

'From what I know, life in the Heaven Realm is really competitive. It's hard to gain Fate Stones and not everyone wants to live such a life. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the main reason behind it. They want to get rid of the burden and the threat of losing their lives while at the same time keep their abilities. They cannot gain new ones but for someone who wants to live a normal life that's not a problem.' 

Everything made sense for him now. Personally, he wouldn't exchange Ling for anything but he could at least understand them. It wasn't like they chose to live the path of Fate and die when they are not capable enough. It was pretty cruel in his opinion but for him, the benefits still outlived the disadvantages. 

'Still, this old man didn't seem like he wanted to get rid of the burden. With his obsession with living longer, he must have consumed his Fate Spirit with the sole purpose of living longer,' Ling added. 'Such behavior, I cannot tolerate.' 

'Ahh, I hate this…' Ming lamented. 'Xuefeng, even though we kill, we do it because we have no other choice. We kill to survive. Once they die, they enter the reincarnation circle but we don't. When we die, we perish forever. I don't know how they managed to do it but we need to stop it.'

'How about we first find that sect and then decide what to do? Right now we have limited information,' Xuefeng proposed. 'I know you want to protect your children but we cannot act rashly.'

Xuefeng felt trapped, unable to side with any of the sides unless he learned all the details. Both races just wanted to survive. 

'What about the old man's abilities? Let's focus on the present for now,' Xuefeng asked, changing the subject. 

Ming was forced to put the topic aside for now, replying, 'He had a lot of abilities…' 

——— 

"Why is he standing there like a tree?" The Phoenix asked confused, staring at Xuefeng's back for the last minute.

"Oh, don't mind him. He will be back to normal in a moment," Yiren replied casually, knowing Xuefeng liked to get lost in thoughts while taking with his Fate Spirits. 

"We should probably get going soon. I can sense that many Immortal Beasts are getting pissed off that I'm invading the jungle. They are slowly grouping to face me," The Phoenix informed. "I can face one or two easily but once they gang on me, it will be harder." 

"Can you take us away with you?" Yiren pleaded, "We can rest on the top of the mountain before we decide what to do."

"Huh? Do you think I'm a mount? I only carried you here because of our deal," the Phoenix replied sarcastically but Yiren didn't give up.

"Will you really let all of us die here? But how will you get your revenge on Drakos if he dies at the hands of other beasts? If we have limited time, the two of you won't have time to finish your battle. There is no way he acknowledges defeat if you battle in these conditions." 

Everyone looked at Yiren as if they didn't recognize her. Since when did Yiren learn how to negotiate?

"Also, as a fellow woman, do you really want to leave us to death? Don't you want some company as you cultivate? We can also tell you many stories about the outside world," Yiren added, smiling cutely. 

The Phoenix squinted her eyes, gazing at Yiren curiously. "How do you know I'm a female?" 

Yiren only shrugged. "A female with always recognize her sister." 

"Alright, I will take you girls but my back is limited," the Phoenix agreed as she pointed at Xuefeng with her beak. "Your man, I can only take him within my claws." 

"There is no need," Xuefeng replied on his own, finally returning to them. "I can fly on my own." 

As he said so, white light shone from his bracelet and he hovered in the sky above them, pleading, "Miss Phoenix, would you be so kind as to help my wives out? I would take them myself but my mastery is still limited." 

"I already said I will," the Phoenix nodded and lowered her wing, letting the girls climb onto her back. 

ROAAAAAAAAAAR!!!

A sudden reverberating bellow shook the jungle. It came from not far away, causing everyone to speed up. They didn't want to fight hundreds of beasts at the same time. 

"Hold on tight!" the Phoenix called out as soon as everyone jumped onto her back and launched herself in the sky. 

The only one still on the ground was Drakos who remained silent the whole time. Instead of calling out for help, he suddenly turned around and set off in the opposite direction. 

"And where do you think you are going?" Xuefeng asked as he caught up to him and grabbed his tail, pulling him up from the ground. 

"Fuck! Let go of me! I'm not fighting that bi—" Drakos cried out only to get cut off as his head got slapped by a giant leaf. 

"Hey! Look where you ar—" 

Smack!

"Xuefeng, you moth—" 

Smack!

"I swear I will—"

Smack!

Each time he began to talk shit, Xuefeng swung him into the tip of the trees, making him eat some greenery. 

"Okay! I'm sorry! No more!" Drakos finally gave up, apologizing. 

Only then did Xuefeng lift their altitude, following the Phoenix. 

"We are in this situation because of you from the start and you want to dip?" Xuefeng questioned annoyed. "You will fight that Phoenix even if you want it or not." 

"Hey! If not for me, we wouldn't get the Elemental Stone so fast! You all should be thanking me instead!" Drakos continued to argue, figuring out a new argument but Xuefeng didn't reply anymore, lowering his altitude once again. 

"No, no! I'm sorry! I take that back! I take that ba—"

Smack!

"Stop it already! My face hurts!" Drakos protested, protecting his face with his tiny arms when he paused as if he realized something. 

"Wait… I know what you are doing. You are buying time for me, right? When I'm hurt, I can say the battle is not fair so we can postpone it to a further date. I can use the time to sneak out at night and find the entrance to the mountain so I can absorb all the Fate Stones inside the mine, right?" 

"No. I'm trying to fix your foul mouth but if you can pull that off, I will kill two birds with one stone," Xuefeng replied, amazed how Drakos turned it around.

Smack! 

Drakos' face smacked the leaves once again but this time he was laughing. 

"Hit me again! Hahaha!"

When they reached the peak of the mountain, the girls couldn't help but ask confused, "Why is Drakos' face so swollen?" 

"I wonder too. He was normal when I grabbed him," Xuefeng feigned innocence as he scratched his head. "Maybe its because I carried him upside down? He should be better in a moment I guess." 

He turned to the Phoenix, wanting to plead for a planned break when the Phoenix questioned him first. 

"Did you maybe change the time flow in the Hidden Realm?"