Chapter 406: Path to Retreat
Luhan, along with every other cultist, looked up. Their Viewing Jades, which were all connected to the store’s network, chimed in unison. A new announcement had been posted on the front page of their Viewing Jades. And this time, it acted like a system-wide announcement. Broadcasted to every single user using the Bulletin Board..
[New Branch Opening - The Divine Convenience Store is proud to announce the grand opening of its first branch in the Southern Wilderness at the Blazing Ridge!]
[NOTICE: The Celestial Shuttle Network has been expanded. The ’Blazing Ridge’ destination is now available to all patrons.]
A collective gasp swept through the camp. Luhan stared at his screen, his mind struggling to process the information.
A new branch... had just opened? Remotely? And the shuttle network was... already connected?
This was the miracle the High Priest had spoken of. This was the power of the Shopkeeper. How could he establish such an advanced network that could reshape reality and logistical needs instantly? It was in the realm of the divine.
The High Priest let out a cackle of pure, insane glee. "BEHOLD! The power of true convenience! Our path is open! Venom Masters, prepare your beasts! Priests, prepare your toxins! Acolytes, prepare your talismans and your snacks! We ride at once!"
The organized chaos that followed was a sight to behold. Luhan found himself swept up in a tide of green and black robes, all surging towards the shuttle hub.
The cult’s quartermasters were handing out store-bought supplies, [Void-Step Talismans] for the priests, [Beast-Rage Elixirs] for the beast tamers, and packets of [Energy Replenishing Candies] for everyone. Not to mention, [Card Talismans] and [Spirit Embodiment Sticker Seals] were distributed in abundance.
It was a bizarre fusion of dark cult and modern military logistics.
Luhan was assigned to a unit under Priest Jiao, tasked with supporting the main force of the Arachnid Branch. He stood with his squad before one of the ticketing kiosks, his heart pounding with a mixture of fear and exhilaration.
He looked at the destination list on the screen. There it was, a new, glowing option: [Blazing Ridge (Southern Wilderness)]. The fare was the standard 100 Dimension Essence.
He paid the fare, received his shimmering ticket, and walked through the gate. The familiar, cleansing energy washed over him, calming his frayed nerves.
He boarded the Carriage Saucer, finding a spot next to other acolytes, their faces a mirror of his own awe and determination.
This was it. He was a soldier in the army of convenience, about to be teleported instantaneously to a warzone on the other side of the known world, all because a Shopkeeper had decided it was the most efficient way to solve a problem.
The carriage doors hissed shut.
"For the Great Poison Demon," Luhan whispered, clutching the bag of popcorn puffs he had bought for the trip.
"And for the Convenience Saint," The acolyte next to him replied, popping an energy candy into his mouth.
Then, a moment later, the world dissolved into a streak of light. When their vision returned, they found themselves in a similar structure but with no signs of other passengers aside from them.
—
Southern Wilderness, somewhere between Sunstone Village and the Blazing Ridge.
The journey or the day itself was considered a nightmare from Chi Yang’s perspective. She clung to the back of a skittering, venom-spitting, huge spider with its hairy legs moving with a nauseating speed across the harsh, rocky terrain.
Around her, the world was a blur of red rock, thorny brush, and the terrifying sounds of a desperate retreat.
Venom Master Xun, a figure of terrifying grace, rode at the head of their small, beleaguered column on her massive Doom Broodmother. The formidable beast acted as their battering ram, smashing through the tide of smaller Crystalweb broodlings that tried to block their way. They appeared in every direction, burrowing out of the ground as if their nest extended further out than the suspected kingdom of the Tyrant.
Behind them, Marrow Weaver and the Arachnid Branch priests formed the rearguard, her bone constructs and their venomous spells creating a moving wall of death that held back the most aggressive pursuers.
The villagers of Sunstone, those who were strong enough to make the journey, were mounted on other, smaller Arachnid Branch spiders. They mostly looked deathly pale for a mortal but amidst the terror in their faces was a sliver of grim resolve.
They were not warriors but mortals who lived only by the mercy of the strong. Now, they were survivors. They had lived under the shadow of one monster for months; now they were fleeing from its wrath under the protection of another.
"Faster!" Venom MasterXun’s voice cut through the chaos, her peak Core Formation Stage pressure billowing out like a shockwave. "The Tyrant is closing the gap! It’s locked on us. It wants to toy with us and wear us down!"
Chi Yang risked a glance behind them. It was a mistake.
In the distance, a mountain of crystalline purple and black was moving. The Crystalweb Tyrant. Its massive form blotted out the horizon, its multiple, glowing eyes fixed on them with a cold, alien fury.
It’s Nascent Soul Stage equivalent pressure weighing down on their backs and chasing after them like an avalanche.
Its psychic aura washed over them in waves, a pressure that sought to instill absolute terror, to make them freeze or give up. It was only thanks to the protective talismans provided by the priests that they weren’t all paralyzed with fear.
Just as when they thought they could eventually get away from the Crystalweb broodlings, a new threat suddenly emerged from the west.
A war party of massive, tattooed warriors mounted on savage wyverns descended from the sky, their energy-charged axes crackling with destructive power.
The Ironbone Clan.
"They’re about to block our path!" Marrow Weaver’s voice was a strained cry. She then waved her hand, launching a few of her bone constructs at them. One successfully hit a wyvern’s head, causing it to flail and eventually crash into a tree trunk. One was hit by an axe and was torn in half. One went straight into a wyvern’s mouth.
Ultimately, that didn’t stop the Ironbone Clan’s approach.
At the same time, from the east, the air grew heavy and cold. Ethereal, misty figures began to coalesce from the shadows of the canyons. They’re the spirit-masters of the Spirit Haze Sect, their ghostly summons moving to cut off another direction of their retreat.
Venom Master Xun’s Doom Spider broodlings spit venom in their direction. One spirit-master waved his staff, creating a thin barrier to block it and then a ghostly summon phased through a broodling, causing it to explode from inside.
The usually seductive Venom Master gritted her teeth as she threw [Windstrike Talismans] from the store, slowing down their approach.
Unfortunately, their situation didn’t improve. They were about to be trapped. Boxed in three different directions.
The Tyrant behind them, the Ironbone to their west, and the Spirit Haze to their east.
"Mistress," Marrow Weaver’s voice was grim. "It seems your performance has attracted an audience with... inconvenient intentions. They intend to let the Tyrant weaken us, then swoop in to claim the spoils."
Venom Master Xun let out a harsh, frustrated laugh. "Of course, they do. Scavengers, a lot of them! Fine. If they want a show, we’ll give them one they’ll never forget! Prepare for a final stand!"
Chi Yang’s heart sank. A final stand? They were currently outnumbered, outgunned, and surrounded by three separate, hostile forces.
If they did take a last stand, annihilation was more than likely to meet them.
Hope, the very commodity she had found in the Shopkeeper’s existence, was beginning to feel like a cruel joke.
She clutched the Viewing Jade in her pouch, a desperate, final thought passing through her mind. She had to send a message, a final report to the Shopkeeper, to let him know they had failed.
But just as she began to despair, a new sound cut through the din of chittering spiders and crackling lightning.
It was a war horn. Deep, resonant, and filled with a primal, fiery power.
From the direction of their destination, the Blazing Ridge, a new force appeared.
A column of warriors. Barbarians were quite similar to the Ironbone Clan but their skin was the color of baked clay. Their bodies were adorned with tattoos of snarling flames. And they’re charging over the horizon.
They were not as numerous as the Ironbone war party, but their momentum was like an avalanche.
At their head rode a woman in crimson and black armor. A fearsome beast-skull mask was concealing her face.
It was Akasha, the Chieftain of the Blazing Maw Tribe.
"The Blazing Maw!" the Ironbone Warlord roared, his surprise evident. "What are you outcasts doing here?!"
Akasha did not answer with words. She raised a crude but powerful-looking bone spear with its tip glowing with intense heat.
"For the Convenience Saint!" Her voice, amplified by her qi, was a roar of pure, unadulterated conviction. "The Blazing Maw protects the Shopkeeper’s chosen! Drive back these scavengers! Cover their retreat!"
Her warriors let out a unified, fanatical cry and slammed into the flank of the Ironbone war party. The disciplined lines of the Ironbone warriors riding their wyverns were caught completely by surprise. Bone spears rained in their direction, impaling more than half of them at once.