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Chapter 31 – Fa Yuan

The journey north had not been without its dangers. Twice, she had to do battle with patrols that had stumbled upon her, and for weeks she had fled without stop, utilizing spiritual steeds and real ones with flagrant disregard of cost and creature.

Now, finally, she was here. Staring at the military fortress in the distance that overlooked the single passageway north, a small checkpoint beneath overseen by a small patrol. On one side, not far away, steep hills rose up before they entered the mountain pass, on the other the ground ran flat where a fort lay a short distance away. For a day she had watched, noting their schedules and their diligence.

Whether they had known of her coming, or due to the regular traffic this road achieved, the patrol and the soldiers were attentive of their duties. No openings could be found, no wagons left unchecked, no veils left lowered.

She could, of course, go around. There was wilderness to either side, though she had spotted wilderness patrols as well, close to the fortress. Groups of cultivators and soldiers walking the lands, alert to the passage of another.

If she had her martial brother’s skill, she might have dared the wilderness further. While she had some skill in the outdoors, against trained trackers, she feared she would be found lacking. Nor did she have an understanding or knowledge of the great spirit beasts that lay claim to the deeper wilderness.

Perhaps they were nothing more than Core Formation creatures, easily defeated or intimidated lying in wait. If such was the case, she would be able to travel across the realm without an issue, raising little ruckus and see herself across the border simply.

On the other hand, if she guessed wrong and a Nascent Soul beast lay claim to the land, she would have to do battle or appease it. Such creatures were, in general, stronger than most cultivators. Their innate connection between body and soul meant that, stage for stage, most spirit beasts were more powerful and geared towards martial factors.

Fa Yuan, for all her skill, was not a martial specialist. More importantly, taking such risks was foolish, since angering such creatures could have long lasting effects. Spirit beasts could hold long grudges, and when one had the multi-century lifespan of a cultivator and spirit beast, encounters could often be guaranteed.

On the other hand, going through the checkpoint would be simple enough. The question that had stymied Fa Yuan for the last day was the presence in the fort itself. It flickered, shifting from high Core Formation down to low, pulsing in a way that was unusual. It could be a newly progressed Core Formation cultivator, battling to control their strengthened aura and failing to do so, or conversely, considering how many of the Cai soldiers had lost steps in their progression, a formerly Nascent Soul cultivator attempting to hold ontot heir cultivation.

The Cai king had tied the cultivation of his people to his own survival. It had lent his own strength to them, and vice versa; but like a building with its central pillar removed, the soldiers beneath him were now struggling to uphold their own core.

Some had attempted to become the pillars for their own people, a stalwart building block for others. Yet, Meng Dai’s greed and protectiveness meant few had the full understanding of the cultivation system they had studied, forcing them to approximate the methodologies.

Such attempts had varying success rates, depending on the skill and genius of the individuals involved.

Fa Yuan raised her hand again, turning it slightly. The motion helped focus her own spiritual perception, as she shifted her own gaze from the surrounding physical dimensions to the spiritual, where the flow of the natural order of the world was more apparent, and imbalances highlighted by her dao.

There were numerous ones, for few things were ever truly properly in-balance in all aspects. An animal might require more sunlight, more sleep, more meat at any one time to properly care for its body, throwing its physical balance awry. Or might be, conversely, holding a powerful soul thrown down by the deeds it had done in previous lives.

Most such imbalances were unimportant. A careful adjustment of her own mindset could allow such matters to fall from her vision, leaving her only to see major concerns. There, a grove of trees was sickening, a fungi having invaded its roots and bark. Soon enough, they would wither and die, if the trees could not throw off the invasion.

In the sky, clouds raced across the surroundings, bearing autumn rains and winds. Seeds floated in the air, nearly invisible to most eyes, but ready to land in open ground and begin the process of growth. The earth itself hungered for new plants, while a series of new shoots – many established in the past couple of years – braced for the new competition.

And finally, an imbalance of energy flows in the spot below. Not just in the soldiers – at least half of them – who were even now struggling with the loss of their king and central pillar. Those that were unbalanced had either already transitioned to a new cultivation method – easier to do so when one was in the lower realms – or had found a method to stabilize it themselves. However, that was not the only imbalance, for there was an outflow of energy, going to the fort itself.

That was what concerned Fa Yuan and caused her hesitation. She could guess at why the energy drew inwards there, why some of the soldiers were a little paler and less healthy than one would expect from a cultivation expert. Why her dao thrummed at the dissonance it sensed.

The only question was, if she would take action, and if not, could the other stop her before she was pass the checkpoint and its wards?

After all, leading a rampaging Core Formation cultivator into another realm was unlikely to enamor her to the new kingdom’s masters. Not when their own checkpoint was just over a couple of li away, strategically placed to give a significant no-mans land between the two.

A land that Fa Yuan could sense was littered with the blood and agony of numerous clashes.

So. What was the smartest action here? And which one was the most politick? And could both be the same?