The sun rose over the jagged peaks of the valley, casting a pale, cold light upon the aftermath of the night's carnage. The white mists of the morning were tinged with a sickly pink hue, and the metallic scent of blood was so thick it seemed to coat Hanyuan's throat.
Hanyuan opened his eyes, drawing in a long, steady breath of the crisp morning air. The high grade healing pill had worked wonders,the once gruesome bite mark on his chest was now just a fresh, tender scar,a pinkish crescent moon against his pale skin. The sharp ache in his meridians had settled into a dull, rhythmic thrum, and his Mortal Core spun slowly, savoring the stillness after the storm.
He stood up, his joints popping like small thunderclaps in the quiet valley. His white robes were ruined, stained a dark, crusty crimson from hem to collar, making him look more like a demon from the underworld than a Sect disciple.
Above, on the stone ramparts of the great wall, a small head peeked tentatively over the crenellations. It was Li Tian. Behind him, the village elders and a few dozen brave men stood frozen, their eyes wide and glassy as they took in the field of death below.
"Is... is it over?" the boy whispered, his voice cracking and small in the vastness of the valley.
Hanyuan looked at the thousands of corpses littering the pass,wolves, panthers, and smaller beasts, many still encased in his eerie, light swallowing black ice.
"For now," Hanyuan replied, his voice resonant and carrying clearly to the top of the wall.
A collective gasp went through the villagers as they began to descend the stone steps. They approached the gate with hesitating steps, finally spilling out onto the battlefield. They looked at Hanyuan,who was caked in dried gore and whose eyes still held a lingering golden spark,with a reverence that bordered on worship. Some of the older men even knelt as they passed the first pile of frozen wolves.
"Lord Protector..." The old woman with the cane stepped forward, her hands shaking as she leaned on her gnarled wood. "In all the years we have seen the mountain warriors, never has one left the wall to meet the tide head on."
She looked at the devastation, her eyes tearing up. Past protectors usually hid behind the ramparts, letting the beasts batter the gates while they threw down occasional spells, often resulting in cracked stone and terrified villagers. Hanyuan had turned the pass into a graveyard before a single beast could even touch the gate.
Hanyuan looked at the staggering amount of Tier 1 beasts and then at his own Storage Ring. "You can use the flesh and bones of the Tier 1 Spirit Beasts. I don't need them," he said, waving his hand with a casual flick.
With a series of small, spatial ripples, all of the Tier 2 Spirit Beast corpses flew through the air and vanished into his Storage Ring. The villagers watched the feat of high level storage in awe, but their focus quickly returned to the thousands of Tier 1 carcasses left on the ground.
Hanyuan looked at the hungry, weary faces of the villagers and chuckled. "Spirit Beast meat is delicious and filled with energy. You should try it. It will help your children grow strong and your elders live longer."
The villagers were stunned into a prolonged silence. In their experience, the cultivators from the great sects were either arrogant enough to take every scrap for "research" or too lazy to care, often ordering the villagers to burn the "worthless" corpses to clear the way. To be given such a massive Gift of energy rich meat and useful materials was something that had never happened in their history.
"Thank you, Lord!" a man shouted, falling to his knees.
"A god! A true god has come to us!" another cried.
Hanyuan simply turned back toward the village, his black spear resting on his shoulder. "Clean the field before the scent attracts the scavengers."
As the villagers scrambled excitedly to retrieve their butchering knives and carts, Li Tian ran up beside Hanyuan, his eyes glowing with worship. Hanyuan patted the boy's head, leaving a small smudge of beast blood on his blond hair.
"I'm going to wash up," Hanyuan said, his eyes turning toward the distant horizon where the next storm was already gathering.
Hanyuan walked to a secluded stream a few hundred yards from the village. The water was icy, fed by the melting glaciers of the high peaks, but it felt like a warm spring to his tempered skin. He stripped off his ruined, blood soaked robes and submerged himself in the rushing current. The crimson stains drifted away into the frothing water, swirling downstream and leaving the pool clear once more.
He stood up, the water cascading down his chest and back. His lean muscles, corded with the strength of a predator rippled under the pale morning light. The scars from the previous night,the ones the high grade healing pill hadn't fully erased,were fading rapidly, smoothed over by his body's heightened regenerative properties.
With a simple thought, he accessed the spatial dimension of his Storage Ring. A set of fresh, snow white Inner Disciple robes materialized in his hands. He dressed unhurriedly, the silver and amethyst embroidery catching the morning sun, before walking back toward the settlement.
When he returned to the village, the atmosphere had transformed entirely. The paralyzing terror that usually gripped the people after a beast tide was gone, replaced by a frenetic, joyful energy. Smoke billowed from every chimney, rising in thick, white plumes as the villagers roasted the Tier 1 spirit meat. The metallic scent of blood from the battlefield had been replaced by the rich, savory aroma of fat dripping onto wood fires.
The old woman and Li Tian were waiting for him by his hut, their faces glowing with a mix of awe and deep affection.
"Lord Protector, please!" The woman gestured to a large wooden table they had set up outside his door. It was piled high with the best cuts of roasted wolf and panther meat, seasoned with wild mountain herbs and salt they had painstakingly gathered. "We have prepared the first of the harvest for you. It is humble, but it is given with all our hearts."
Hanyuan sat down and took a large piece of meat. As he ate, the juices of the Spirit Meat exploded in his mouth,gamey, rich, and infused with a raw, earthy power.
As he chewed, his eyes scanned the villagers moving through the paths. He noticed they already looked different. Even after only one meal of Tier 1 meat, the sallow, greyish tint had left their skin, color had returned to their pale faces, and the elders seemed to walk with a bit more spring in their step and less of a stoop.
"Eat well," Hanyuan said to Li Tian, who was sitting on a nearby stool, staring at him with wide, hero worshipping eyes. "This meat contains spirit energy. It won't make you a cultivator overnight, but it will make your bones sturdy and your mind sharp."
"Yes, Lord!" Li Tian chirped, clutching a massive roasted wolf leg in both hands as if it were a holy relic. He tore into it with a hunger that spoke of years of meager grain based meals.
After the meal, Hanyuan excused himself and retreated into his hut. He barred the door and sat cross legged on the straw bed. The simplicity of the room helped him focus. He closed his eyes and began to circulate his Qi, entering a state of reflection.
He replayed the entire three hour slaughter in his mind. He analyzed the way the battle went.