Purple Night and Fall Night continue to travel through the Misty Rain Forest. Purple Night broke the silence and spoke to Fall Night.
"Do you know the ranking of monsters?"
"I know a little bit." Fall Night response flatly.
"Before I continue. I want to know how do you you truly know about monsters and beasts in details, Fall Night."
"Given my limited understanding of monsters, we categorize them according to human cultivation levels. Monsters in general begin at the Awakening Plane, which we designate as Tier 1. Progressing to the Human Realm, we observe a transformation in monster tiers and types."
"Quite impressive, Fall Night. As you are aware, the Awakening Plane consists of four distinct levels. Tier 1 beast stages consist of initial, middle, late, and peak. It is within the Human Realm that these creatures begin to awaken their ancestral powers."
Fall Night nodded as they keep on walking through the Misty Rain Forest.
"We can categorize monsters into various classifications, including beast, ferocious beast, magical beast, spirit beast, legendary beast, and the elusive mythical beast. It is imperative to consider each of these types, as they all possess unique advantages and disadvantages."
"Purple Night, what is the highest tier of monster you had face?"
"Mmm.. maybe tier 2, middle stage. I believe it was Mature Golden Bear in some backwater place."
Once their conversation came to an end, they pressed on, venturing further into the heart of the forest. As their journey unfolded, they began to face increasingly formidable monsters and beasts. They engaged in a fierce battle against two Golden Bear cubs, an Emerald King Snake, and a pair of Silver Wing Griffins, all tier 1.
The fiercest battle unfolded against the Emerald King Snake. With tough scales glistening in the light, the Emerald King Snake moved with an air of mystery, its sharp fangs ready to strike at a moment's notice, embodying a dance of unpredictability in its every motion.
Outside of that fight, the rest of the battles were manageable. However, both Purple Night and Fall Night need to rest and needed time to recover.
Seeing a pond in the distance, both Purple Night and Fall Night decided to rest there. Upon walking close to a small pond, Fall Night struck out a palm and broke several trees. Gathering up the branches and taking out the meat of the golden bear cub that he killed a few days earlier. Looking up to the sky and pondering for a few seconds, Fall Night went back to cleaning the meat and preparing the fire.
While Fall Night was doing all this, Purple Night didn't say a word. Just staring at Fall Night preparing to roast the meat and recover his strength for the next day. Neither said a word since the conversation about monster tiers took place several days ago.
Purple Night tapped her small pouch, and two talismans appeared. Waving the two talismans in the air. Soon they form a sound barrier around Purple Night. Fall Night looked over to what Purple Night was doing. Obviously, Fall Night moves a few feet away from the location of Purple Night.
When the sound barrier vanished, Purple Night called Fall Night. Even if currently, both Purple Night and Fall Night didn't see eye to eye. They're both in the same unit and needed to cooperate with each other for better or worse.
"Death Sword and Jagged are coming. We will go over the map and plan our next set of moves when they come here." Purple Night spoke flatly.
Fall Night didn't say anything and just nodded to let Purple Night know he heard her. Then went back to roasting the meat and started to cook up some soup on the side.
Fall Night cooking wasn't the best; at the same time, it wasn't the worst. After eating his full and Fall Night, he left some food for the rest of the Quiet Storm As Fall Night walks up to the pond.
"What are you doing?!?"
Fall Night looks back to Purple Night and remains silent. Continuing to walk to the pond and stopping 20 feet away from the edge. Fall Night took off his cloak, his shirt, and the undershirt.
Tossing them to the side, Fall Night started to look down on his chest. Examining the wound that Purple Night left on him.
'I need more power!' Fall Night spoke to himself.
Fall Night took a fighting stance with no one around. He slowly extended his right palm and brought the right palm back and extended his left palm.
At first, Fall Night slowly sent out palm strikes one after another. After several minutes, a bubble began to appear around Fall Night. The faster his palm strikes came out, the more the bubble appeared more solid. One could say that Fall Night palm strike looks eerily like the formation made of palms.
A glow of dark essences started to shine a little bit brighter. This was the time that Fall Night was waiting for. Fall Night went into a horse stance and twisted his body to the right, and a palm strike went into a 45-degree angle. The bubble around him crumbles like wet sand being hit by many tide waves.
Purple Night watching this scene of Fall Night training was not strange. She saw the Fall Night train every night regardless of how tired he was. However, something seems a little different.
'What is that seal on his back?' Purple Night, she said silently to herself.
Feeling that his power was increasing too much for Fall Night liking. He took out a strange rock and placed it on the side of him. Stopping his training, he began to meditate to calm the boiling energy in his body.
The strange rock was absorbing a lot of energy that was coming off the Fall Night body. Purple Night tried to see what that strange rock was but was unable to see it. Her angle was not good enough to see the object.
However, she saw something more baffling. The seal on Fall Night started to move like it was living. It slowly covered 1/3 of Fall Night back and began to take over more than half. In less than thirty minutes, the seal looked like it was going to move to the front. However, the seal started to regress faster than it was advancing.
After another thirty minutes, the seal looks non-existent and untraceable. If Purple Night told Death Sword and Jagged what she saw tonight.
They both would not believe her. Because they both knew Purple Night words were tricky and hard to believe at any given time. About 2 hours passed after Fall Night finished his meditation session when both Death Sword and Jagged arrived.
When they saw Fall Night without his cloak and shirt. They thought both Purple Night and Fall Night fought again, and they missed the golden opportunity to watch Fall Night's fighting style. When they walked up to Purple Night. Both Death Sword and Jagged saw no new injuries on her. In addition, no sign of struggles took place either.
"What happened here? Something feels off with the surrounding element essences?"
"Death Sword, Fall Night just finished his meditation session and soon will be awake."
Purple Night pointed at Fall Night, where he still sat 20 feet away from the edge of the pond.
'Oh? Why did he go that far to train, Purple Night?'
"We had a little misunderstanding of how the rules work in our unit. He should completely understand now, Death Sword." Purple Night's voice was a little cold when she replied to Death Sword. However, Death Sword didn't care how she responded as long as he got the answer.
"Who cooked the food?"
"Jagged, the food was prepared by Fall Night. You should try it first to see if he wants to kill us or not." Purple Night giggled as she responded to Jagged.
"As you know with my cultivation method. Eating is a way of life. I have been trying to eat you, Purple Night. Unfortunately, Death Sword kept telling me to stop. Sigh. What a pity." With a mocking tone and dejected body language displayed by Jagged.
"Hahaha. If poor little old raggedy taggedy Jagged wants some of this juicy little baddie. " Purple Night giggled before speaking again.
"All Jagged had to do was ask, and I would let him feast himself to death." When Purple Night spat out those words to Jagged. His spine is frozen in terror.
He knew he messed up and Death Sword was going to let him get beaten up. Maybe worse this time than the last time. Before, Purple Night could make a move. Everyone looked in the direction of Fall Night and saw he was pulling in large amounts of essence from several elements.
What shocked them the most was when the essence was about to be absorbed. Fall Night took out a container and locked the essence inside. What is more baffling is why Fall Night would do this. Instead of quickly refining the essences and growing stronger. When Death Sword thought about it. It made sense why Fall Night did not absorb it right there at that moment.
How could he allow unknown people to protect his life for minor or major breakthroughs? That was the 1st thought that came through Death Sword's mind, just like it came to Purple Night and Jagged. Unknown to them is Fall Night could not absorb the essences of those elements. Because his power was about to go out of his control, and there was no way he would allow them to see anything close to his real fight ability.
Fall Night was glad he packed several essence containers. He brought 2 small containers, 4 medium-sized containers, and 1 large container. The one Fall Night used was 1 medium-sized container.
Putting it away into his dimension bag. Fall Night got up and started to put back on his shirt and cloak. Everyone was staring at him like they just found a golden ticket. Death Sword walked up to Fall Night with no intention to ask. He stuck out his hand for the container that Fall Night put away. Fall Night stares at Death Sword and remains quiet.
"Are you going to hand me that container full of essence, Fall Night?"
"Oh, you want the container or the essence, Death Sword?"
"I want the container that is full of essence. So you can stop playing dumb with me, Fall Night."
"So you want this container?" Fall Night took out the container full of essence.
Death Sword could feel a strong amount of sword intent in that container of essence.
"Good. At least you know your place and what should be done. You will have other opportunities if you are strong enough, Fall Night."
"Right, Death Sword."
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
Boom!
"What have you done, Fall Night!!!" Death Sword! yelled!
"Death Sword, you told me to give it to you, and I did. You never informed me in what condition I needed to hand it over to you." Fall Night stares coldly at Death Sword.
Right when Death Sword grabbed his second sword, a palm strike came out of nowhere. This was Fall Night's first time unleashing Heaven Cleaver palm strike. The space around both Death Sword and Fall Night was distorted. Death Sword quickly retreated and was not because he was scared of Fall Night.
However, Death Sword could not shake the feeling like something was off. Death Sword nodded three times in a row. Looking at Fall Night with contempt for breaking the essence container. Meanwhile, Jagged finished off the Golden Bear cub legs.
Drooling at the soup that Purple Night just finished. Even if Purple Night did not care for Fall Night. She appreciated his cooking more than Jagged and Death Sword. In a flash, Death Sword cut the half-uneaten torso of the Golden Bear cub.
Then he sliced the head off and grabbed the torso he just cut. Even if Death Sword was busy with Fall Night, how could he not see what was going on? He was no fool. He was going to have his fill on this Golden Bear cub meat and fat too.
Fall Night looks at the three of them. Knowing that he condenses his black mask out of his own energy. He should have the ability to remove the mask at any time. For them, how were they going to eat the food? This was another reason why Fall Night cooked food. To see how they are going to eat with their masks. Death Sword is looking at Fall Night directly with a knowing smile. The Death Sword mask seems like it came alive and bit into Golden Bear cub meat with no difficulties.
"You should know each one of our masks has different restrictions on them and different abilities. We may not know your abilities and restrictions on your mask. But, in the grand scheme of things, it really does not matter."
Death Sword continues to eat the meat, looking at Fall Night intensely. Death Sword was pissed that Fall Night broke that container of essence. Purple Night had already established that might be right. Whoever has the biggest fist dictates how and whose words hold weight in commands of the unit. This time around, Fall Night got the best of Death Sword.
Fall Night will now have to tread more carefully with his new unit. Everyone made their own space where one could be somewhat comfortable and get some rest. Fall Night climbed up a tree and felt like he could understand some laws in the Misty Rain Forest. However, he would have to come back at a later date and see if he could uncover this strange feeling he got.
Fall Night could feel a cold intent lock on him from two different directions. One was from Death Sword, and another was from Jagged. Purple Night did not even bother since she would be traveling with him more than the other two.
Soon, Fall Night fell asleep when he got used to the stare of the two. Neither of them made a move during the night. That doesn't mean they let their guard down for a moment.
The next morning, Purple Night, Death Sword, and Jagged could not find Fall Night anywhere.
"Mhmmm... I wonder if he really did leave or went hunting."
"What are you mumbling for? Speak up so everyone can hear you, Purple Night?"
"Death Sword, I have seen Fall Night do this several times. This is nothing to me." Purple Night responds smoothly.
Death Sword nodded slowly. Jagged apparently not liking the fact that Fall Night moved freely and he had to be stuck to Death Sword's hip.
Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.
Fall Night came out of the bushes with two baby Emerald King Snakes. He took out a knife and began skinning the snakes like he did to the mature Emerald King Snake.
In less than 45 minutes, Fall Night skinned both youngling snakes. Placing most of the meat in his dimension bag. Getting ready to grill the meat and preparing to make a small soup with the blood essence of the youngling Emerald King snake. Jagged walks over to Fall Night with no good intentions.
"After you finish cooking that snake meat and soup. Give it to us. And you can make more when you get to the closest city, little nighty night."
Fall Night keeps on prepping the meat and soup. Not listening to Jagged. Jagged is looking at Fall Night with an amused smile behind his mask. About an hour later when Fall Night finishes making the food. A large machete swung at the meat and Fall Night.
Fall Night grabbed the pot of soup and moved away from that attack. Jagged took the meat and got ready to eat it. Until the same palm strike that came out against Purple Night swept like a hurricane towards Jagged feet. Looking at the attack, Jagged laughed at that attack, not feeling the danger this attack posed.
"You stupid fool! Move!" Yelled out from Death Sword. He feels something different from the last time this palm strike came out. However, it was too late for Jagged to move. Being flipped in the air like Purple Night.
This time, Fall Night paused for a second and then unleashed a [Heaven Clever] that distorted the space around Jagged.
The space crumbled like a sandcastle being hit by unrelenting tide waves. Death Sword saw the effect of that palm strike and frowned.