The Fourth Stage - Chapter 33 preview (Patreon)

The trap had gone off as planned to begin with. The xing tian had wandered into the midst of the clearing, drawn by the tempting scents of butchered and slightly rotting meat. The sounder of demonic boars had been chosen as bait, first lured and then murdered to provide bait for their true prey.

The xing tian had entered the clearing unaware, formation flags ready to trigger when the entire family was present. A simple plan, but the beauty in its simplicity allowed them to adjust for potential problems. Like the fact that the cunning xing tian no longer sent their entire family into clearings.

Instead, two of the younger – teenagers Zhe Lan assumed by size comparison, for she surely had not the experience at reading the age of these creatures – xing tian had entered the clearing first, prodding and checking over the bodies.

Rou Gang and Gui Ting had both done their best to hide the cause of death, tearing up the bodies and removing chunks of meat and bone in an attempt to portray a more natural demise. However, without the proper tools and with the lack of damage in the clearing, none of the cultivators expected the ruse to hold for long.

None had expected it to last only a bare handful of breaths before the lead xing tian, its eyes swiveling from side to side in search of others. Mute, the creature smacks its wicker shield with the haft of its axe, releasing a rapid series of knocks that compose their language.

In response, the other xing tian grows agitated and excited, jumping up and spinning the pair of axes it wields around, scanning the surroundings. It huffs in deep, the mouth in its stomach blowing and exhaling, a long tongue rolling outwards as it does so. Fire flickers around its body, unrestrained; though the untrained chi gutters off soon after touching the ground.

A short distance away, she saw Xia Hui grimace. He pressed down on the talisman he held, flushing it full of chi to trigger the formation flags. She frowned, knowing better than to speak even though triggering the formation for two xing tian was a waste.

Done was done.

The slaughter formation spun to life, razor thin wires sprouting across the clearing, linking one flag to another. The first portion of the trap caught the lead xing tian across its back leg, drawing first blood as its leg was sliced apart and blood flew. Otherwise, the creatures were unharmed.

Not for long though, for even as the creatures hunkered behind a shield or triggered their demonic chi, the second portion of the slaughter formation triggered. The razor thin wires began to move through space, cutting off escape. Where it impacted tree branch or outstretched limb or fleshy torso, it sliced right through without impediment.

Within moments, chunks of monstrous creatures were falling to the ground as the slaughter formation rotated and twisted through the air. The sudden cessation of striking filled the clearing with silence, as even birds and insects had fallen silent or flown aside in fear.

Zhe Lan fought down a shiver, a sudden premonition filling her. She gripped tight her paired butterfly swords, the blades held low to the ground so as not to reflect accidentally and alert their prey. Too late for that.

The drumming began, from farther away. And then, it picked up from all around them. Xia Hui glanced over at her, lips compressed as the pair straightened and readied themselves for the incoming flight, Ma Jie flitting over closer as she raised her own massive wooden tower shield and the hammer she wielded.

“He did tell us they grew cunning,” Ma Jie said, as statement and complaint to Zhe Lan.

Then, there was no more time to talk as the remaining xing tian fell on them.

***

Ma Jie coughed up blood, her feet ploughing back through the dirt as she slid backwards. Her shield had been pressed right into her body, the hand holding it having impacted and crushed itself against her chest after the massive impact she had suffered.

She cursed herself as she set her feet properly, spitting blood from her mouth as it filled up from a bitten tongue aside. She should never have tried to meet the copper aspected middle grade Energy Storage creature’s blow directly. She had sensed the strength of its aura and made a judgment that it was no stronger than her – but had forgotten that such creatures also were Body Cultivators in essence. As such, they were always stronger than cultivators of the same rank.

All of which meant that when it had struck and she’d blocked, she’d been smashed back from the front lines. Now, Zhe Lan was forced to dance between falling axes and block those she failed to dodge. Attacking was a fool’s guess, not with the shorter range of her butterfly swords; not unless she wished to project her energy. Even then, the sheer volume of attacks were keeping her too busy to attempt that.

The next time the massive – the strongest, small comfort that might be for Ma Jie – xing tian swung at her, she swung her shield up and at an angle such that the strike skimmed off the side of her shield. The momentum of the attack still threatened to spin her around, so she let it, using the energy imparted to swing her own weapon.

Infusing a touch of chi into her attack, she increased the size and surface area of her hammer as it swung down and sideways. There was no elegance to this attack, no sense of fair play. If she could cripple the monster, they could shift the site of the battle and leave it behind to be finished later.

A simple raise of its and a hop sideways allowed the creature to dodge her attack. Moments later, it charged her, using its own tower shield to shield rush Ma Jie. She jumped aside, not daring to face the attack. As it was, they were fighting on the edge of the still active slaughter formation. Falling into that was a guaranteed fatality.

Continue to shuffle step away quickly, she nearly bumped into Xia Hui. The man was holding his own with a workman’s efficiency to using his ji (16) and warding off his opponent. As she watched, he swung the ji downwards, sinking the axe side into the top of a creature’s shield. Before the xing tian could move, he shoved forward, impaling the creature with the spearhead on top of the ji before yanking the entire polearm upwards, ripping it free and swinging the polearm around his body to build momentum and block another attack, using the spike at the back of the weapon to ward off further threats.

Efficient, powerful. Of course, his opponents were weaker than hers, but she felt a flush of shame creep up her face, before she ground her feet and swung her hammer, calling forth more energy from her meridians. She was the stone wall that supported her friends. And walls did not crumble just because of some small pounding.

Trading blows with her opponent, bolstering her strength with chi from her meridians, she managed to last a handful of breaths. Maybe a dozen slow ones. It was hard to tell, for she still had to shed her opponents attacks and punish them if they tried to bullrush her once more.

Her meridians strained as she pulled more and more energy from them, wringing her dantian dry as she tried to keep up with her opponent. As she blocked another massive strike of a hammer, her shield cracked and split apart, the bindings in the center finally giving way like the top left had done so already.

It left her unprotected, her opponent grinning at her from its stomach.

Staring at the mouth, at the nipples, she managed to register its surprise when an arrow sprouted from an eye. Hammer hand spasmed, dropping the weapon as it reached for the shaft even as the mouth screamed below.

“Don’t just stand there, finish him!” Ya Zhu cried, even as another arrow was blocked by the shield.

Taking inspiration from earlier in the battle, Ma Jie shield-charged her opponent. Unable to shift the shield and still surprised and in pain, the xing tian was bounced backwards into the slaughter formation. Moments later, as Ma Jie was rejoicing her victory and was turning to the remaining battle, an axe blade bit into her calf.

A scream erupted from her friends, even as Ma Jie collapsed. She sensed the flare of energy, the reckless use of chi from all around her as the rest of the cultivators arrived, falling upon the xing tian like furious wolves.

Even as she curled up, protecting herself with her shield from follow on strikes that never arrived from her assailant, she could feel the guttering of lives. Blades, spears, arrows sprouted from xing tian bodies all around, one after the other as the second trap sprung.

Victory was theirs.

Even if it did come with a cost.

Footnote:

16 - Chinese halberd. Generally the axe side is not as prominent, but still has the spear top and spike at the back.