Cultivation is Creation-Chapter 188: Overclock

The massive bird dropped out of the night sky like death with wings. Its talons were longer than my arm, curved like scimitars and probably just as sharp. The spiritual pressure it emanated was enough to make the air feel thick, like trying to breathe underwater.

I didn’t even have time to complete a thought before those talons descended towards my head.

Then something green blurred through my peripheral vision.

Yggy materialized from my inner world in an instant, its vine-like body expanding to wrap as its tendrils coiled around wings and talons, trying to redirect the beast's momentum.

Unfortunately, while Yggy was incredibly versatile, raw power wasn't exactly its strong suit. Trying to completely stop a Stage 8 beast would be like trying to catch a falling mountain with a fishing net.

But Yggy didn't need to stop it completely.

Just change its trajectory by a few crucial degrees.

The eagle's strike, instead of removing my head from my shoulders, plowed straight into the Stage 7 wolf that had been trying to take a chunk out of my throat.

The impact was... messy.

The wolf's lightning armor, which had been giving me so much trouble, might as well have been morning dew for all the good it did against the eagle's attack.

It didn't even get a chance to yelp.

One moment it was there, the next it was in several very distinct pieces, its spiritual core shattered into fragments.

"Master," Azure called out, "the eagle appears to be a Stormwing Raptor, a variant native to high-altitude mountain ranges. Their spiritual energy is concentrated in their wings and talons, allowing for powerful diving attacks. However, they're notably less maneuverable at close range, and their defensive capabilities are primarily focused on their forward-facing areas."

I nodded, already moving before the eagle could recover from its impromptu wolf-demolition exercise. Blink Step carried me directly in front of the beast, my fist already wrapped in layers of strengthening techniques.

This wasn't going to be my usual careful, measured strike.

The Shroud rune stayed inactive, its 20% power reduction too costly for what I had planned.

Instead, I drew on both the red and blue suns' energy simultaneously, feeling my spiritual essence spike by 50 units as their powers combined. The blue sun's energy masked the true nature of my attack just as effectively as the Shroud rune would have, though using it came with its own risks.

I'd been hesitant to tap into the blue sun's power ever since learning about that mysterious being who might be searching for Life Realm energy signatures. But I hadn't sensed any trace of such searches during this entire mission, and sometimes survival required calculated risks.

My Titan's Crest-enhanced Phantom Strike connected squarely with the eagle's chest, carrying enough force to shatter stone.

The impact sent visible ripples through the air, the ground beneath us cracking from the shockwave.

For a moment, I thought I might have actually ended the fight in one hit.

Then the dust cleared, and I saw the damage.

Or rather, the lack of it.

The eagle's feathers were ruffled, and there was a slight dent in its spiritual armor where my strike had landed. But otherwise? It looked more annoyed than injured.

I frowned.

The gap between Qi Condensation Stage 6 and Stage 8 was just too vast.

While I wasn't particularly worried about the beast being able to kill me: I had enough escape options to stay alive: actually defeating it would be another matter entirely. At least, not without some significant sacrifices.

"Master," Azure said, "your cultivation is currently at the peak of Stage 6. A breakthrough could occur at any moment, potentially providing the power needed to overcome this opponent."

I nodded, acknowledging the point while keeping my eyes fixed on the eagle. But I didn't immediately push for breakthrough.

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Each advancement in cultivation level came with an instant replenishment of qi reserves: basically a full reset to peak condition. Right now, I'd barely tapped into my qi, relying more heavily on the red sun's energy for most techniques.

No, it would be better to save that breakthrough for the perfect moment.

When used right, it would appear as though my qi capacity was more than double what anyone would expect. And I had a very specific plan for maximizing that advantage.

"Yggy," I called out mentally, my spirit companion immediately perking up at my voice, "I need you to weave the Overclock Rune in my inner world."

The Overclock Rune was one of those "break glass in case of emergency" type techniques: the kind that pushes energy output way beyond normal limits for a brief period. The backlash wasn't pleasant, usually resulting in extreme exhaustion and potential physical damage, but at least it wouldn't permanently cripple me or burn away my life force.

I probably should have prepared this rune myself earlier, anticipating the need for this type of trump card during a beast wave. Fortunately, Yggy had proven remarkably skilled at rune inscription, so better late than never.

My vine-like companion dissipated, returning to my inner world to begin its work. I allowed myself a small smile. I just needed to stay alive long enough for Yggy to complete the rune.

Once that was done, this overgrown chicken was going to learn why targeting the supposed stage 6 cultivator was a bad choice.

The eagle didn't give me much time to contemplate strategy.

It shot forward, golden eyes blazing with killing intent. Its wings left trails of cutting qi in the air, each beat creating crescents of force that could slice through stone.

I activated Blink Step, appearing twenty feet to the right just as those crescents carved deep gouges in the ground where I'd been standing. The eagle adjusted instantly, its wings folding as it dove toward my new position.

This time, I met its charge with Aegis Mark.

The hexagonal barrier materialized just in time to catch its talons, but the impact still sent me sliding backward. I used the momentum, letting it carry me into a controlled roll that put more distance between us.

"The wing joints," Azure advised. "Stormwing Raptor focus most of their defensive reinforcement on their primary feathers. The joints are relatively vulnerable."

Good to know, but hitting those joints meant getting past those qi-enhanced wing beats first. Each one was generating enough force to shatter boulders, the air literally distorting around the points of impact.

I launched a spray of razor leaves, not really expecting them to do damage but needing to control the eagle's movement options. It was forced to bank right, giving me a moment to reposition.

The beast's counter-attack was devastating. It swept both wings forward, creating a cross-pattern of cutting force that left nowhere to dodge. I had to burn another Blink Step charge to avoid being diced into pieces.

I appeared above it, using the relationship between the two suns’ orbit to adjust my trajectory in mid-air. Not enough to look like actual flight - that was one ability I preferred to keep hidden unless absolutely necessary - but enough to make my movements unpredictable.

My scorpion tail lashed out, aiming for one of those supposedly vulnerable wing joints. The eagle twisted with impossible speed, nearly catching my tail between its beak. Only a desperate burst of Red Sun energy let me pull back in time and land on a half-destroyed tree trunk.

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"Azure,” I called out internally. “Any potentially lethal capabilities I should know about?"

"They can compress air into solid projectiles," he replied. "Usually saved as a trump card when- incoming!"

I threw myself sideways just as the eagle's wings swept forward again. This time, instead of cutting qi, they launched what looked like dozens of air bullets. Each one hit with enough force to punch clean through the tree trunk I'd been standing on.

"Like that," Azure finished.

We continued this deadly dance for what felt like hours but was probably only a minute. The eagle's attacks grew increasingly frustrated as I kept slipping away from its killing blows, while I focused on landing small, cumulative hits whenever openings appeared.

Then everything changed.

The eagle suddenly broke off its attack.

For a moment, I thought it might actually retreat: but then I saw where it was looking.

Yan Ziheng.

The formation practitioner stood behind the Symphony Shield, completely focused on maintaining the formation and ensuring that the weaker beasts were not getting through.

My eyes widened as I understood the eagle's strategy.

It wasn't just being clever: it was being cruel.

Either I'd be forced to abandon my defensive fighting style to protect my teammate, or I'd have to watch Yan Ziheng die horribly.

A classic "heads I win, tails you lose" scenario.

The eagle moved with devastating speed, crossing the distance to the Symphony Shield faster than most cultivators could blink. I activated Blink Step instantly, but even as I teleported, I knew I wouldn't make it in time.

The beast's strike hit the formation like a meteor impact.

The Symphony Shield, for all its innovative design and careful construction, shattered like glass under the concentrated power of a Stage 8 beast's full attack.

Yan Ziheng had just enough time to look up, his eyes widening in horror, before the backlash of the broken formation sent him flying backward.

He hit the ground hard, blood spraying from his mouth. His robes were torn, revealing ugly bruises already forming across his chest. The impact had probably broken several ribs, and the qi fluctuations in his meridians suggested internal injuries as well.

I appeared behind the eagle, my scorpion tail and Phantom Strike launching simultaneously.

The beast managed to twist away from my punch, its spiritual armor deflecting most of the force, but my tail slipped through its defenses just enough to deliver a cut along its neck.

Not deep enough to kill, but deep enough to deliver a strong dose of neurotoxin.

The eagle's movements became slightly sluggish as it retreated, its qi flaring as it tried to burn away the poison. It wouldn't be enough to stop a Stage 8 beast, but it would slow it down. Buy me the time I needed.

"Master,” Azure called out. “Yggy has completed the rune."

I smiled as I sensed the new pattern stabilizing in my inner world.

Finally.

It was time to end this.