All the cultivators present looked at Wu Tianmo with great interest, they had arrived at this mountain to find the tier one serpents slaughtered.
The disciples of the Azure River Sword Sect were the most disappointed, this was to be treated as a training exercise. With their opponents already slain, they were quite anxious for a fight.
Lin Qingxue looked at the Wu Patriarch, who had long white hair, red robes, and a veil of obscurity. His cultivation was hidden behind a blood red aura that gave off a sense of oppression.
She quickly looked down, her veiled face lowering to look at the white stone pathway.
What was that aura.... those eyes staring back at me....
Her breathing quickened and even her cheeks, hidden by the veil, were flushed.
In the wide cultivation world there is any number of reasons that an aura could be as red as his, it could be his cultivation technique, but it could also be due to his actions.
It is said that when one slaughters enough, the blood of their victims taints their spiritual essence dying it a blood red color. It is commonly seen among the devilish path cultivators.
Yet the Wu Patriarch didn't give off that vibe, he carried himself calmly and gave respect to the elder. Devilish path cultivators would never treat people with such respect.
Wu Tianmo felt Lin Qingxue's gaze causing his heartbeat to quicken.
He looked the middle aged man in a golden robe up and down. Using his divine sense he could determine that this man's cultivation had just broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm. Despite being in his mid 50's he still had to call Wu Tianmo "Senior" which gave him a sense of satisfaction.
Wu Tianmo smiled mischievously,
"Junior Guoshan, you're absolutely correct. I did find something within the pavilion. However your patriarch is already aware of its existence."
His gaze turned cold,
"Do I, the Wu Patriarch, need to explain myself to a mere clan member?"
Wu Tianmo was normally cordial, but being young he was constantly treated with a lack of respect. The youth saw him as one of their own, and the elders saw him as nothing but an upstart that got lucky.
Today that was going to change.
Zhang Guoshan unconsciously took a step backwards,
"I... Patriarch Wu...."
The Elder stepped forward and smacked Zhang Guoshan away with a palm. A red handprint embedded in his right cheek.
He wasn't even doing this to engratiate himself with Wu Tianmo, he was angered by this clan's lack of understanding of the cultivation world. He had been doing the Han Clan a favor by taking out the Zhang members.
Who knew they were so green. Damn country bumkins.
"Tsk... No sense of propriety."
He shook his head towards the Zhang Clan members who were standing in shock. Some of the youth even were recklessly releasing their aura angered by the situation.
"This old man will visit your patriarch later about this. Let me explain it to you, since your patriarch clearly didn't teach you properly."
They grit their teeth, one of the Peak Body Reforging youths even let out a,
"You!"
Suddenly he was sent flying with a palm by Lin Qingxue as well.
The elder continued,
"This is the cultivation world. It is improper to ask about another's gains. You're lucky the Wu Patriarch didn't strike you down."
The Elder looked back at Wu Tianmo,
"Patriarch Wu, you should also be careful. If people find out you have gains even the most friendly smile can turn into a hidden dagger. You're not boastful, but you should keep your gains to yourself to prevent greedy eyes from gazing upon you."
He shook his head,
"I feel like I'm talking to a bunch of children.."
Lin Qingxue walked next to the elder,
"Elder, let's continue up the mountain."
She glanced at Wu Tianmo with a bit of disappointment,
"Some things they will have to figure out for themselves."
The Elder nodded affirmingly,
"Prepare yourselves, we will make our way to the third gate. I can feel the presence of some beasts in the savage body realm and a few in the blood awakening realm."
Wu Tianmo looked at them confused,
Savage Body? Blood Awakening?
Lin Qingxue shook her head after seeing the faces of many uninformed frontier cultivators. She walked ahead of the group of Zhang Clan accompanied by her sect's disciples.
"Small clans, and those who are new to the cultivation world may not know. The Savage Body realm is equivalent to the Body Reforging realm for cultivators. The Blood Awakening realm matches the Meridian Opening realm."
She sighed,
"Yet as you have come to realize, beasts have a stronger natural body than cultivators. It's common for many cultivators to team up against the beasts, as they're naturally a bit stronger in the early realms."
The Zhang clan members nodded and cupped their fists towards Lin Qingxue, Zhang Guoshan stepped forward with the palmprint across his cheek.
"Thank you Senior Lin for the lesson..."
Wu Tianmo looked up the path, his divine sense was stronger than average due to his technique and extended beyond the next gate. He could feel something, something staring back at them.
I refuse to believe that this Elder doesn't notice that stronger aura. Why lead us up the mountain when someone on par with the elder is up there?
Before Wu Tianmo could protest they started to ascend the mountain. Wu Tianmo took a moment before following them, finally he breathed out a sigh of relief.
I hope the elder can handle the stronger beast, or there is going to be a slaughter... Should I go or should I leave?....
Wu Tianmo gripped his sword, his heart was beating quicker,
Am I this excited for a fight?
He shook his head,
"I really am a battle junkie, I haven't felt this way since the Slaughter festival."
One foot after the other he started walking on the path to follow them. It wasn't long before a shriek echoed out from one of the youths of the Zhang clan.
A loud and anxious yell echoed,
"The Serpents are here!"