With the path clear, the carriage moves forward over the broken stone. The closer we get, the clearer the chaos becomes. Cries of death reverberate throughout the battlefield, the thick stench of blood fills my nostrils, making the air feel heavier.
"Stop the carriage!"
Yuexin suddenly shouts at the coachman, her frame already halfway out of the carriage.
Wenji glances at me, hesitant.
I wave my hand dismissively.
She already fulfilled her purpose. If she wants to die, so be it.
"Let her do what she wants."
Before the carriage even stops, Yuexin leaps out and runs straight towards the town, brushing past panicked townsfolk, shoving past civilians and soldiers alike.
"Father! Mother!"
I watch her figure vanish into the thick smoke.
I glance over at Wenji, signaling for him to advance.
The battlefield is in pure chaos.
Lan soldiers scream, their banners covered in their own blood as the Xu family presses forward with overwhelming numbers.
Yuexin rushes towards the Lan soldiers, her body covered in wounds as she battles her way through the scattered Xu army.
"Mother!"
She screams, her eyes glued to a woman in a tattered robe, blood sprinkled across her chest.
"!!!"
The moment she hears the familiar voice, the woman rushes towards Yuexin, her eyes desperate. A few Lan soldiers follow right behind her, ensuring her safety.
"Yuexin, my child! What are you doing here?!"
Her voice is worried, even angry, as she realizes the situation her only daughter has put herself into.
"Mother, why is Father not with you?"
Yuexin's voice is on the verge of breaking, as if expecting the worst already.
"He's hurt. The soldiers escorted him inside. It's not life-threatening, he just needs some rest."
She dives deep into her mother's embrace, the weight of everything that happened crashing down on her fragile figure. Tears run down her beautiful violet eyes.
Seeing this scene, the Xu family commander sneers, raising his spear high.
"Soldiers, press forward! We will end the Lan family line today!"
But then-
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy, armored footsteps echo from within the smoke, coming closer with each passing second.
From the smoke, banners rise. The Han family crest flutters in the wind as its army slowly enters the battlefield.
Xu soldiers freeze in their tracks, the commander in disbelief.
"The Han family? They dare?!"
The soldiers falter, their morale taking a heavy blow as they await new orders.
.
My boots sink into the blood-soaked dirt.
My Qi altered, but otherwise fully released. The aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator fills the battlefield, surprising Han, Lan, and Xu family alike.
[Fear instilled in 74 soldiers.]
[You've gained 222 points of Fear]
My robes flutter in the wind, the Crow Shroud manual in my hand. My eyes scan the battlefield, searching for fresh corpses.
My gaze lands upon dozens of them. Some bloodied, some dismembered, some seemingly stomped to death. But none of that matters.
I release threads of Qi toward every single fresh corpse, sinking it deep within their dantian. Moments later, the corpses convulse, and with a loud crack-
Craw! Craw! Craw!
Each corpse releases a pitch-black crow, covered in dark mist, that hovers above me. Their otherworldly, high-pitched shrieks are loud, with a sliver of Fear Qi infused within them.
[Fear instilled in 143 soldiers.]
[You've gained 429 points of Fear]
I walk towards the Xu army, each step bringing the thirty or so crows closer and closer to them.
"W-what is that…?"
One of their soldiers takes a step back, his voice terrified as he watches the skies.
"Monsters! H-he's summoning monsters!"
Another screams, dropping his weapons in an attempt to run away.
[Fear instilled in 65 soldiers.]
[You've gained 195 points of Fear]
The commander squints his eyes, the color draining from his face.
"A Foundation cultivator? With… a forbidden art?"
[You've gained 4 points of Fear]
Dread slowly settles into their minds, their will to fight heavily shaken.
Lan Family Lines
On the Lan family's walls, the soldiers grip their bows, unsure whether they should fire or not.
"I-is he an ally… or not?"
A soldier shouts to his commander, who seems just as confused as himself.
"Lady Lan! We need orders!"
Seeing the commotion, Yuexin quickly recovers herself, her gaze determined and resolute. She makes her way to the wall and looks at the surreal scene in front of her.
A young man, holding an eerie manual, stands between the three families, alone. Blood and corpses are scattered around him in all directions.
Dozens of dark, misty crows fly above him, their shrieks stabbing into the minds of all who hear.
[Fear instilled in 139 allied soldiers.]
[You've gained 417 points of Fear]
"Ye…?"
Finding it difficult to connect the man she knows with the man on the battlefield, she scans the Xu family lines carefully.
Every soldier below the middle stages of Qi Gathering drops their weapons, their figures shaking, kneeling, or fleeing the battlefield entirely, as if they had seen death itself.
Her eyes land on her own family, who were not much better off. The soldiers too close to the scene were shaking just as much as the Xu family, showing how ruthless the technique was.
"They attack indiscriminately…"
Calming herself down, she shouts at the Lan soldiers:
"Everyone below the middle stages, fall back! Do not get caught in the crossfire!"
Her eyes land on Ye, who is slowly making his way towards the enemy army.
Ye… just what are you?
.
.
.
[STATUS]
[Name: Han Ye]
[Age: 18]
[Cultivation: Terror Manifestation Realm - Early Stage ▸ Foundation establishment - Early Stage]
[Fear Points: 1305]
[Fear Points needed for the next stage: 1500]
[Techniques: Shadowless Step, Thousand Faces Arts (incomplete), Silent Pulse Breathing, Crow Shroud Technique]
Authors note: If you're enjoying the novel so far, please add it to your collections! Every single one goes a long way. Honest review will be Great too!
Powerstones: If we can reach 70 power stones in a week, I will make one more chapter a day for 1 week. Let's do it!
PS: I've managed to somehow break my finger. Writing is little awkward, but i don't plan to slow down or anything. We will see how it goes, honestly. I've written two chapters so far in this state, so unless it gets worse, y'all shouldn't notice a difference.