Chapter 620: Late Across the Ocean

Even though Kai had pushed himself to cross the ocean in record time, he knew that Yangix had arrived first. It began when the invaders got a head start, while Kai fought the Abhorroid and did other preparations. Then, according to the last scouting reports from Krainuun, it seemed like the invaders could propel flying vessels to surprising speed using their phased power, surpassing even his top speed. It was fortunate they hadn't figured that out earlier.

Based on reports, Jonijix had taken a while to go to Rosemount but was moving in that direction, so Kai could only hope Omilaena stayed ahead of him. In Cloudspire, Zae Zin Nim might have arrived first, but by the time Kai arrived, Yangix had been able to work for a long time. So when Kai approached the Eastern Plains, he stayed high overhead, alert for possible attacks that could set off a negative cascade.

Just in case, he dropped to ground level and acquired some information. He couldn't really go incognito on Cloudspire, looming over everyone, but when talking to untrained villagers they just treated him as another bizarre cultivator who might kill them if they didn't obey. They told him plenty of news, much of it about Yangix taking over the Northern Expanse, but they also mentioned that the Brightwind matriarch had come out of seclusion.

It felt strange to be excited to see a "matriarch" but he flew on to meet Zae Zin Nim.

When he arrived at the Brightwind Pagoda, he activated his little-used stealth abilities to simply fly to the top court. There he found Zae Zin Nim amid a surprising number of scrolls... and she was the first person to notice him through Mutefang's Stealth. She looked up, smiled slightly, and returned to her reading.

Kai sat down on the seat beside her, put an arm around her shoulder, and waited for her to finish a section before asking, "What's that?"

"Ancient texts about the basics of cultivation." She sighed and her stiff posture relaxed a little, sinking against him. "We can talk about my progress later. You've heard about Yangix coming here?"

"Not only that, Jonijix went to Rosemount and Omilaena is barely ahead of him. Actually, there are a lot of things I should catch you up on..."

He explained about everything that had happened since she parted with Omilaena, as well as giving Zae Zin Nim the teleportation potion, which pleased her. On the other hand, her face grew dour when she heard about the invaders threatening genocide if they were attacked, and her mood only dropped further as they discussed how much of Cloudspire had folded to Yangix.

"The threat doesn't seem to apply to cultivators who didn't hear it," she said, "but he's applied his own pressures. I was hoping I could form an alliance that could take him down without us getting involved, but now, it seems like he would punish that too."

"Do you think they could?" Kai asked. "On the level of fundamental power, I mean."

"Sky Soul cultivators have enough of a qi phase that the invaders aren't invincible to them. The problem is that he has four phased minions with him, and he's acquiring more, including the Jackal Clan and other sects who bowed to him."

"But say we could distract them and pull together other cultivators to take on Yangix. He has a serious edge in power, but some Sky Souls aren't that much weaker..."

"If multiple sects coordinated against him..." Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "No, that's a fantasy. Cultivators wouldn't throw their lives away for the common good. Now that he's established himself as the strongest, he'll have the numbers advantage on us in every way."

"We still need power, but it wouldn't hurt to interfere with his plans if we can. Anything we can do?"

"I couldn't, but maybe you can." Zae Zin Nim nodded as if she'd come to a conclusion and patted his arm. "Right now, I'm protecting the Eastern Plains by not challenging Yangix, but he's building up allies in the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes. If you show up, you could interfere with that."

"I don't want to trigger a slaughter, though."

"Don't attack him, attack his allies and resources. I had some ideas for how such an attack might work, so I can share them with you."

As Zae Zin Nim told him more about the central region, where Kai had never actually been, he understood what she was going for. It was the most prominent region on the continent, with the densest qi and a lot of important symbols, so it was critical for Yangix gaining legitimacy. Undermining that sounded like a good method of opposing the invaders indirectly, but he wasn't here solely to help Zae Zin Nim, he needed to gain power himself.

"Could I attack his supporters in the Northern Expanse?" Kai asked. "There's a legendary monster called the Shambling Mass there, I wanted to eat it while I was on the continent."

"Hmm." Zae Zin Nim peered up at him through her hair. "I want you to eat the monsters you need, but that might be a problem. You could get to the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes quickly and secretly, but the Northern Expanse has always been hardened to outsiders, and its defenses have probably become stronger."

He considered it and, after some thought, reluctantly gave up the idea. The most salient property of the Shambling Mass according to the rumors had always been its raw power, and he had just created Dragon's Might. In normal times he might pursue it, but now he needed to focus in order to gain just what he needed to stop the invaders.

How quickly they had lodged themselves at the top of Cloudspire was troubling, though in a way he wasn't surprised. If left unopposed, they really might be able to position themselves as tyrants ruling the world. The Insanities seemed like the best bet at fighting them, and there weren't good options on Cloudspire...

"I have an alternate for you," Zae Zin Nim said quietly. "The central mountains are particularly known for dragons. They may be able to provide you with useful essence."

"Thanks, Zin Nim, I'll hunt them if possible. But on the subject of dragons, I actually have something else to show you..."

They sparred hand-to-hand, first refining their movements and then truly testing their strength against one another. For the first time since Zae Zin Nim had transformed her Physique, he could actually overpower her, thanks to Dragon's Might. He was worried that she might be discomforted, especially with the invaders making her feel vulnerable, but she seemed entirely happy for him. In fact, she seemed to approve of the scales added to his monstrous form over the armor.

Training against one another physically brought other thoughts to mind, making him wonder if they could justify intimacy as dual cultivation. Afterward, Zae Zin Nim attached herself to him... but he could feel the tension in her body, and she seemed deeply focused on something else.

"You need to advance your cultivation as well," she told him. "We can't afford to leave any weapons off the table."

"That's part of why I'm here." He squeezed her shoulder slightly. "But based on all the new things you're uncovering... do you think just breaking through to Earth Soul is the right path for me?"

"I..." Zae Zin Nim's eyes narrowed, then she peered at him so intently he knew that she was using not just spiritual sight, but the deeper version they had been training. "Your soul says you have Gluttonous Cultivation, which is... hmm. I thought that it was the same as any other path, you simply needed more qi because you consume so much of it. But now... treating all paths of cultivation as the same might not actually be the best method."

"You think I should do something differently?"

"Right now, no, keep cultivating as I taught you. Go to the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes and do what we agreed, just make sure you eat powerful sources of qi. When you get back, I might have an answer for you."

Whatever it was about his cultivation that had inspired her, Zae Zin Nim now seemed driven to pursue the thought. Part of Kai - okay, most of him - would have been happy to stay with his wife and relax, especially after the breakneck flight across the ocean. But they couldn't afford to rest, not now - planning and sparring together would be all the break he would get.

So Kai didn't stay long at all, he just picked up a local ship and robes that would attract less attention. Sweeping across the continent with Thunderbird's Wings was the fastest method only in theory, because in practice he would get intercepted by cultivators who were angered at his impudence. Or worse, he might attract the attention of Yangix, which could lead to unpredictable outcomes.

Instead he set the ship to fly west on its own while he sat down to cultivate. Under normal circumstances, he couldn't rush the remaining distance to Earth Soul, which was, after all, a level that many cultivators never reached. But these were not normal circumstances, and perhaps he wasn't a normal cultivator in more ways that one. Whatever Zae Zin Nim was trying to do, he would have his dantian ready to attempt it.

Meanwhile the ship took him steadily forward, toward the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes, the dragons, and the enemy.