Depthless Hunger

Kai stood atop a small outcrop, trying to get a handle on what he was seeing. This was definitely no training exercise: he saw blood flying right and left, stinger techniques piercing through chests, heads being torn off. Savage strength combined with relatively low Physique made the battle incredibly grisly, with an intensity that couldn't possibly be sustained for long.

Both sides definitely seemed to be Manticore tribe as well, at least as far as he could tell. Kai examined their souls and was generally impressed, especially since almost all of them had tattoos equal to those he'd seen in the Thundering Scorpion tribe. He noted one Nascent Foundation cultivator in particular, a burly man tearing his way through opponents.

Name: ???

Total Power: 410

Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 66% (239)

Manticore Tattoo (+75)

Physique Level: E-0 (80)

Soul Level: 4 (16)

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A bright red manticore tattoo stretched across the man's back, glowing with mana as he fought. With a total of 410 Power, and 75 of it from his tattoo, that seemed important. Kai was looking for an Earth Soul, since he thought he could feel a stronger source of qi he couldn't pinpoint, when he suddenly felt something rushing toward him.

One of the tribesmen from one side or other was running at him, roaring. Kai immediately drew on a half-phase of speed, earning himself a few extra seconds to think.

Was it possible that they all had gone mad? Anyone who just attacked a random stranger seemed unstable at minimum. Yet there were several others coming with the lead tribesman and they showed no signs of hesitation. He considered trying to shout something at them, but if there was no quarter asked or given within the Manticore tribe, why would they listen to him? No, this wasn't the time for diplomacy.

Kai let the man get close, then unleashed Void Gaze. The man froze in place and coughed up a mouthful of blood, which made it easy for Kai to kick him in the chest. He tumbled across the wastes, bowling over the others who had been following him.

"Who the hell are you?"

The voice roared out a moment before a man leapt from a nearby outcropping to land in front of Kai. He was only half a head shorter than him, definitely the largest man he'd seen on Cloudspire so far. His upper body rippled with muscle, every bit of it scar-covered except for a manticore tattoo that spread across his back and upper arms, which somehow was untouched.

Kai instinctively glanced at the man's soul...

Name: ???

Total Power: 710

Cultivation: Earth Soul 18% (424)

Manticore Tattoo (+125)

Physique Level: E-4 (88)

Beasthide Tattoo (+50)

Soul Level: 6 (36)

>

And discovered that he was an Earth Soul, with a Manticore tattoo worth a full 100 Power. Definitely strong for an Earth Soul, and perhaps more importantly, his total was higher than Kai's human side, so he wasn't likely to stop.

"Mercenary, huh?" The tribesman thrust out a hand and a qi technique shaped like a stinger lashed out. It crossed the distance between them with a flicker and Kai had to bash it aside.

"Wait, I was just passing through," Kai said. "I have nothing to do with th-"

"This isn't the time for weak words!" The tribesman struck his fists together, like a parody of the usual Cloudspire bow. "You're in our territory, that makes you part of this fight!"

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Then he let out a roar and charged.

In his last moment before his half-phase faltered, Kai let out his breath. He was tired of holding back and he had no reason to do so now, since it wasn't likely that this tribe could be connected to Zae Zin Nim's father in any way. If they respected strength, he'd give them strength.

Kai unleashed a Tyrant's Claw with his full power behind it, both human and monster. The massive claw tore through the man's qi attack instantly and slammed into his chest, knocking him backward. To his credit, the blow didn't make him cough up his lungs like some cultivators, but a gash opened across his chest.

In a single flap of Thunderbird's Wings, Kai tore across the field to catch up to him, grabbing his neck in one hand. The man had only a second to look surprised before Kai smashed him to the ground, then kicked off his chest with a second activation of Thunderbird's Wings. The blow and the shockwave combined to smash him into the ground and Kai flipped backward to land beside him.

He'd left the man alive, but he had another Tyrant's Claw ready. There was definitely attention on him now, many in the battle stopping to examine the new threat. The leader coughed a little and began to struggle to sit up.

"Damn..." The man shook his head. "How did the Claw faction hire someone like you?"

"They didn't hire me," Kai said calmly. "I really have nothing to do with this. But if you want me to be involved that badly, I can kill you now."

"Hah!" Despite his injuries the man let out a laugh. "You're stronger than I gave y-"

"We didn't hire him," another voice interrupted, "but we will."

The man immediately tensed, far more than he had when Kai had been threatening his life. Several Manticore tribesmen arrived from the other side, led by a woman wearing robes armored with bronze plates. Kai instinctively glanced at her soul...

Manticore Shroud

>

And discovered only a "Manticore Shroud" blocking him. But she sensed his spiritual sight and dropped the shroud just long enough to give him a glimpse.

"My name is Ahn Xi Feida," she said, "and I will pay you 100,000 golden taels to kill him."

Name: Ahn Xi Feida

Total Power: 735

Cultivation: Earth Soul 1% (419)

Manticore Tattoo (+125)

Physique Level: E-0 (80)

Serpentskin Tattoo (+50)

Soul Level: 6 (36)

Reaper Tattoo (+25)

>

She was another Earth Soul, and though her robes hid all of her tattoos, he could see three of them in her soul granting a significant amount of power. Her Power was only 25 higher than the man's, which at their level wouldn't be enough to determine the battle for certain. Most likely her offer was genuine, trying to recruit an unexpected foreigner to eliminate a rival.

As powerful as these tattoos seemed to be... so far the Manticore tribe seemed like a bunch of lunatics. Whatever their war was, Kai wasn't going to throw himself into the middle of it without any knowledge of the situation.

"I told you I was just passing through," he said. "I want no part in this."

"Wait, 250,000 taels!" the woman called after him as he turned to go. "Help us and you'll be richly rewarded!"

The man laughed and shook his head. "You always were about money first, Feida. This one doesn't want a few coins. You want power, don't you? I don't know how you're that strong, but you must have accumulated many abilities. Win this battle for us and we'll reveal the secrets of the tribe's tattoos to you."

"Any faction can grant that!" Feida insisted. "But consider this: do you want to join the group that attacked you without provocation, or the group trying to pay you?"

Sand exploded in all directions as Kai leapt toward them with a thunderclap. In an instant he loomed over the two leaders, who took involuntary steps back. They might not fully understand his soul, but they each possessed instincts refined in battle and they had seen his strength in the brief fight. These definitely weren't close-minded cultivators who would see his Body Refinement stage and think him weak.

"I came to the Manticore tribe because I heard they were the strongest in the Western Wilds," he said, quietly enough to force them to listen closely. "Instead I find you killing each other. Why should I have anything to do with this?"

"Not the tribe's finest moment!" the man said with a barking laugh. The woman glared daggers at him and some of the men with her seemed to be reaching for their weapons, like they planned to continue the battle right there.

"Are you a fool?" she hissed at the other tribesman. "This is the reason you can't be trusted with our future!"

"Oh, as if this would have happened without you." Abruptly the man lowered his hands. "What do you say, Feida? Truce for now?"

She stared at him for a moment, then turned to Kai and gave a brief bow. "We've seen that you can kill, stranger, and that you can hold back. Can you end the remaining fights while keeping our cultivators alive? If so, I'll pay you even more than I offered before."

"Don't listen to her, she's a snake. I mean, do stop them if you can." The man gestured over his shoulder. "We can talk properly after I've recovered."

Kai's entrance had interrupted roughly half the battle, but the fighting had been spread between too many rocky outcroppings for all the tribesmen to see it. There were still cultivators fighting and dying across the wasteland, and apparently the two sides weren't so viciously opposed that they couldn't come to a truce. They might all be insane... but he did want their power, one way or another.

"Fine." Kai leapt past the two leaders and burst to the other half of the battlefield.

At first he swept Void Gaze across the fighters, but he stopped when many of them began to vomit blood and collapse. He landed hard enough to spray sand and knock some of the others aside, then launched a Tyrant's Claw down the center of the battlefield as slowly as he could. Even trying to give them time to dodge, one of the tribesmen was clipped and injured, but most leapt away in opposite directions.

With a few more techniques, Kai managed to separate the two sides. He was ready to keep fighting, but now that the tribal cultivators were in opposite camps, the bloodlust seemed to fade. Or maybe they were just afraid of him, since none dared get close. Hurled qi techniques gave way to hurled insults and the two factions retreated in opposite directions across the wastelands.

All except for the leaders, who now watched him from opposite sides. Kai felt like he'd taken a step forward, yet he still wasn't sure what he was getting himself into.