Against The Heavens 56 The Demon's Offer.

Cultivators were divided into realms, Demonic beasts into ranks, and weapons and armors were divided into grades. What decided an items grade was its materials as well as what arrays were engraved into it. The grades that Li Yang knew of were Mortal, Spiritual, Earth, and Heaven, each grade was further separated into Early, Middle, Late, Peak. The spear Jing Yimu had given Li Yang was a Mortal grade weapon of the middle stage, perfectly suitable for the strength he had shown at the time. At the time of Li Yang's death, his golden sword had been at the late stage of the Earth grade.

Once Li Yang had picked up provisions and a decent weapon, he quickly made his way out of the city, heading in the direction of the Cloud Wilderness. Li Yang had no intention of testing his luck and seeing if he could find a caravan that went in the direction of the Cloud Wilderness, he had a much simpler plan. After creating a bit of distance from the city, he veered off the road and found a spot where he could not be seen from the road. He pat Jinwu and Shenlong, speaking in a low voice.

"You two can either fly next to me or hold on tight, it's up to you."

After he spoke, he bent forward slightly, his entire body tensing up as his muscles rippled. Crimson flames and azure lightning, both tinged with a hint of gold, started coursing around Li Yang's body. He had activated not only the flame strengthening technique of Jing Yimu but also his own lightning strengthening technique, his speed and strength drastically increasing. Jinwu and Shenlong both grabbed on tight, their eyes flashing with excitement.

Li Yang glanced at the two of them, checking that they were ready. Once they nodded their heads, he kicked off the ground and shot forward. The earth beneath him was torn open from the force of his movements, his body turning into a blur that was a mixture of azure, crimson, and violet. Li Yang could have fused with Jinwu and use his wings to fly, but that would be a little slower than his running speed when he used all his might, so he decided that running was the best option.

When he had hitched a ride with the caravan that was heading towards Cloud's End City, the entire trip had taken him five days. Of course, had they not taken a break twice a day, the trip would have gone quite a bit faster. Li Yang's running speed was far faster than the caravan, and he also didn't need to take any breaks, so the time it took him to reach the outskirts of the Cloud Wilderness was only a single day of constant running.

But the Liang tribe was located a small distance into the Cloud Wilderness, so Li Yang did not stop running after reaching the outskirts. He kicked off the ground and jumped up, grabbing onto a branch and quickly climbing up one of the trees. The trees in the Cloud Wilderness could easily reach several thousands of meters in height, towering above the ground. The trees in the outskirts had yet to grow that tall however, most of them only being around 100 meters in height, but that was already plenty tall.

There were fewer Demonic beasts in the treetops, and it would be easier for Li Yang to scout the area from up high, which was why he decided to travel the rest of the way by jumping from tree to tree. Before Li Yang could decide on how to proceed, he had to gather a bit more information about the people that had entered the Cloud Wilderness, especially how strong they were and how many there were.

Li Yang continued to jump from tree to tree, keeping a close watch on his surroundings. Only when he started getting a bit deeper into the Cloud Wilderness did he stop, crouching down on a branch. He closed his eyes and raised his arms, his palms facing each other, lightning dancing around his fingers and slowly forming a small orb between his palms.

Once the orb had grown to the size of his head, Li Yang opened his eyes and clapped his hands together. The lightning quickly dispersed, spreading into the surroundings and vanishing from sight, a myriad of information filling Li Yang's mind.

What he had used just now was a tracking technique from his previous life. The technique would spread lightning into the surroundings, forming a constant perimeter around the user. The lightning would resonate with the electricity that coursed through most living beings, allowing the one who used the technique to know about anything lurking in the surroundings.

Right now, Li Yang could only cover about 1000 meters in every direction with his lightning, and even that was only because he was so familiar with the technique. But that was also enough for the current him, allowing him to save some time on searching for anyone that might know some information. But even with the tracking technique active, it still took him some time to find anything other than some hidden Demonic beasts. After all, the Cloud Wilderness was unbelievably vast.

It was only after searching for almost six hours that he finally discovered someone human. His technique discovered two people, but one of them was on death's door, the electricity flowing within his body almost having crawled to a halt. Li Yang made his way closer to the two, his brows furrowing slightly. He recognized the location that the two people were at, it was one of the places where the flames of the Torch Dragon had landed after they were sent flying from a clash with the Golden Crow flames.

Li Yang stayed at the top of the trees as he moved stealthily, making sure that he kept himself hidden as best he could. He quickly made his way to the charred clearing where the two people were discovered, he could tell that one was lying on the ground while the other was pacing around the clearing. Li Yang stopped once he reached a tree at the edge of the clearing, his eyes narrowing when he saw the two people in the clearing.

There were two men in the clearing, one lying on the ground with severe injuries, while the other was pacing nervously and muttering to himself, his face pale and dyed with desperation. The man who was pacing around was a youth who seemed to be in his twenties, he had short and needle-like orange hair, green eyes, and was clad in a crimson robe embroidered with an emblem that featured a lone flame torching the sky.

The man lying on the ground was middle-aged and had rather rough features, his skin tanned and rough, he had long black hair that was dirtied with blood, and was clad in the hide of some animal. The reason Li Yang's eyes narrowed when he spotted the two people was because he recognized the middle-aged man, he was a farmer from the Liang tribe, Liang Jie. Li Yang had only rarely interacted with him, occasionally getting some vegetables from him.

Li Yang checked the body of Liang Jie, using the electricity within him to scope out the injuries. He had several broken bones, his ribs shattered and stabbing into his lungs, his organs were bruised and ruptured, his skull smashed somewhat. He was alive for the moment, but he would not last much longer, it was clear that he had received a brutal beating. The youth that was pacing around had some blood on his robe and hands, so it was clearly he who had inflicted the wounds. Li Yang temporarily moved his focus away from Liang Jie, his eyes landing on the youth as he strained his ears to pick up what he was muttering about.

"...Already been here for half a G.o.dd.a.m.n year. f.u.c.k, if I don't produce any results soon, the clan might punish me for being incompetent. s.h.i.t, I only agreed to this because it was said to be an easy mission. Even the guides from these f.u.c.king tribes are useless, maybe I should just find Senior Brother Qiu and tag along with him, at least that way I can have someone to share in the blame."

The youth continued to mutter back and forth about whether or not he should head towards this senior brother of his, so Li Yang decided that it was time to take action. Li Yang didn't say a word, simply raising his right arm and pointing towards the youth. Arcs of azure lightning coiled around his finger, forming a small spear that shot towards the youth.

The youth had a cultivation that was a little above Li Yang, having carved his sixth rune and entering the late stage of the Xiantian rune realm. Li Yang, on the other hand, had only carved five runes, carving the fifth one while he was traveling towards Cloud's End City. But even if the youth had carved one or two more runes, Li Yang was confident that he could still kill him easily, especially if he fused with Jinwu.

The youth's ears twitched as the spear of lightning got closer, quickly turning towards Li Yang with a shocked expression. He raised his arms, a large hammer adorned with flames appearing in his hand, blocking the path of the lightning. Li Yang simply sneered, the lightning suddenly dipping down and moving beneath the hammer. It dug into the leg of the youth, his veins and bones charring from the high heat as the lightning moved through his body.

The lightning scorched the youth's arms and legs, rendering them useless as he collapsed to the ground, his expression turning horrified. Once his arms and legs were useless, Li Yang jumped down from the tree, casually moving towards the youth. He didn't even have the chance to say anything before the youth let out a shout that contained a mixture of anger and fear.

"I am Huo Bo, how dare you do that to me?! Name yourself!"

Huo Bo's face was red from shouting, but Li Yang could see his eyes trembling. Since the insides of his arms and legs were completely roasted, he was lying sprawled on the ground, so he looked rather comical. Li Yang stopped in front of him, tilting his head slightly after hearing his name.

"Huo Bo, someone from the Huo clan?"

Li Yang could not help but raise an eyebrow and sweep Huo Bo with his eyes. Someone like this was from one of the three clans? Huo Bo's eyes lit up when he heard Li Yang's question, quickly nodding his head as best he could.

"That's right! Now..."

While Huo Bo was nodding his head and trying to say something, Li Yang interrupted him by kicking him in the mouth, shattering two of his teeth. After Huo Bo shut up, Li Yang walked to Huo Bo's left and placed his foot on his back, speaking slowly and calmly.

"I really don't care, so please shut up. I am going to ask you a few questions, and you are going to answer them truthfully. If you refuse to answer, or I believe that you are lying, I will torture you, understood? If you answer properly, it won't hurt too much."

Hearing Li Yang's voice, which was so calm that it was almost chilling, Huo Bo did not dare do anything by repeatedly nod his head. Li Yang gave a slight nod of his head, his lips curling into an appreciative smile.

"Good. First question, how many people have entered the Cloud Wilderness in this half year?"

Li Yang could not help but be a little suspicious when he saw Huo Bo. Why was he searching all on his own, and why was someone so weak sent to look for the body of a Golden Crow and a Torch Dragon? Huo Bo stammered slightly, but he quickly responded.

"A...About 15 groups of people, each containing between five to ten people!"

Li Yang's suspicions grew when he heard the response. That few people had come? Li Yang would not have been surprised if several thousand people came from each clan. But he could not be completely sure yet, so he continued to ask.

"Okay, what is the cultivation of the strongest person who has entered here?"

This was the most important piece of information to Li Yang. If the ones who had arrived were too strong, he would have to be very careful with his actions. Huo Bo was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking over his answer before he called ut.

"The highest cultivation belongs to Senior Sister Yazhu and the others, having reached the early stage of the Ascending Foundation realm!"

Li Yang tilted his head slightly after hearing Huo Bo's response, his eyes glancing at Shenlong. Shenlong uncoiled himself from Li Yang's neck, slithering down his body until he reached Huo Bo's back. He sank his teeth into Huo Bo, arcs of lightning infiltrating his body and delivering pain that could almost be called soul-crushing. Huo Bo immediately started screaming, his voice growing rough and hoa.r.s.e as blood started to flow up his throat.

"I'm telling the truth! I swear! Please believe me!"

Li Yang stopped Shenlong after a short moment, giving Huo Bo a chance to vomit up some of the blood that had pooled in his throat. His lips could not help but curl into a happy smile when he looked at Huo Bo, his answer had basically confirmed his suspicion, but he decided to ask another question just to be sure.

"Why have all of you entered the Cloud Wilderness?"

Huo Bo did not dare be a single second late in his response, lest he feel that terrible pain again. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Li Yang's smile, so he knew that Li Yang would not hesitate to torture him some more.

"We don't know! The clan's got information that something strange had happened, so we were sent to look for anything suspicious and told not to come back until we found anything!"

Li Yang could see terror and desperation in Huo Bo's face, so he knew he was telling the truth. Upon having his suspicions confirmed, he could not help but let out a chuckle. But Li Yang still had more questions, so he continued to talk.

"Heh, no wonder the strongest cultivator is only someone at the early stage of the Ascending Foundation realm. Alright, only two more questions now. Which clans and sects have sent people, and have you done anything to the Liang tribe?"

Since the strongest person sent had only reached the Ascending Foundation realm, it could only mean that the clans and sects had no idea what had happened here, otherwise they would not have sent such weak people. But this was good news to Li Yang, as it would make things much easier for him. Huo Bo tilted his head somewhat in confusion at Li Yang's question, but upon seeing his expression, he quickly responded.

"Clans and sects? Besides the Huo, Duan, and Tian clans, there are also the Yuan clan, the Zhong clan, the Heaven's Gate sect, the Roaring Soul sect, the Puppet G.o.d sect, the Myriad beast sect, and the Endless Horizon sect! I don't know exactly which tribe this Liang tribe is, but all the tribes within this area were placed under the control of the Huo clan, the Tian clan, the Puppet G.o.d sect, and the Heaven's Gate sect!"

Li Yang listened to Huo Bo list the sects and clans with a calm face, after all, he knew basically nothing about the various sects and clans. But upon hearing the name of two particular sects, his eyebrows could not help but raise, a mutter escaping his lips.

"Heaven's Gate sect, Roaring Soul sect? So those old things are still around, huh? Tell me, comparing the sects and the two other clans with the three great clans, how do they fare? And what is the highest cultivation within any of the clans and sects?"

The Heaven's Gate sect and the Roaring Soul sect also existed while Li Yang was still alive. They were a peculiar bunch who continued to argue about whether or not it was best to cultivate the soul or to cultivate the body. Li Yang had a neutral relationship with both sects, but there were, of course, some people within the sects he had better or worse relationships with. Huo Bo's face twisted slightly, an expression of slight shame appearing on his face as he spoke out.

"They are all about even in strength, it's just that the three great clans are more known because of the role they play in protecting the continent! And...and I really don't know about the strongest in the sects, I am just a weak little n.o.body!"

After Huo Bo finished responding, his face had reddened somewhat from the shame he felt at calling himself a n.o.body. But Li Yang still only looked at him with a calm gaze. He gave a slight nod, Shenlong sinking his teeth into Huo Bo again, lightning filling his body as he started to let out shrill screams.

"PLEASE! I REALLY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!!"

Li Yang nodded at Shenlong after letting Huo Bo taste a bit more torture, signaling him to stop. Huo Bo was no longer able to hold his head up, his face sinking into the dirt beneath him as he started to vomit up blood and the contents of his stomach. His eyes were b.l.o.o.d.y, the blood vessels in his eyes exploding from the pain. Just when he thought Li Yang had believed him, he heard Li Yang's reply.

"I know. I never really expected you to be able to answer that question."

How could someone like Huo Bo possibly know anything about the actual power level of the clan? Just like he said, he was a weak n.o.body. But Huo Bo had, after all, brought someone from the Liang tribe. to the brink of death, so Li Yang wanted him to feel some pain. After hearing Li Yang's casual response, Huo Bo could not help but let out an aggrieved mutter.

"Then why did..."

If Li Yang had believed his words, why had he still tortured him like that? But before Huo Bo managed to finish his sentence, Li Yang increased the force in his foot, Huo Bo's spine releasing creaking sounds as Li Yang let out a nonchalant sound.

"Oh well, I have no more use for you."

Huo Bo felt his ribs and bones creak under the pressure of Li Yang's foot. He heard a slight sound coming from above him and knew that Li Yang had pulled out his weapon, preparing to end him. He hurriedly called out, his voice panicky as he tried to force his body to move.

"wait, wait! You said I could live if I answered!"

Cultivators valued their word and their face quite a bit, so very few were willing to lie or go against their own word, which was why he felt safe when Li Yang told him nothing would happen if he answered. But Li Yang quickly dashed his hopes, calmly repeating what he had said earlier.

"No, I said it wouldn't hurt too much, I never said I would let you live."

From the start, Li Yang had never planned on letting Huo Bo live. Even though the person he had killed was someone Li Yang rarely interacted with, it was still someone from the Liang tribe, one of Liang Zhou's people. Huo Bo's heart froze when he heard how calm Li Yang was, his voice turning low as he begged.

"Please, I am begging you!"

Huo Bo's voice was hoa.r.s.e, not only from the pain and screaming but also from his slight sobbing. He used to take such pride in the fact that he was from the Huo clan, but facing Li Yang right now, all that pride was gone, replaced by bone-chilling terror. In response to his begging, Li Yang merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Go ahead, I don't really care if you do."

Li Yang swung the sword he had bought in Cloud's End City down, severing Huo Bo's head from the rest of his body. His eyes were completely calm as he did it, not even flinching when blood splattered onto his robes. To Li Yang, the lives and happiness of those close to him were the most important things in the world. But reversely, the lives of those that weren't close to him meant practically nothing to him.

The only reason he felt a bit of anger at the impending death of Liang Jie was because Liang Zhou, someone he considered a friend, would be sad to hear the news of Liang Jie's death. After beheading Huo Bo, Li Yang picked up Huo Bo's interspatial ring, putting it into his own. He then walked over to Liang Jie, who was looking at him with somewhat dull eyes. Li Yang crouched down next to him, not mincing his words in the slightest.

"You are dying, there is nothing I can do to stop that. Do you have any last words?"

Liang Jie's eyes lit up slightly when he heard Li Yang's question. He weakly reached out with his arms, grasping onto Li Yang's robe and staining it with a bit of blood that was on his hands. He opened his mouth to talk, but his punctured lungs prevented him from saying more than a few trembling words.

"You...The...Tribe..."

He only managed to speak three words, but from the desperation and hope in his eyes, Li Yang was able to easily guess what he was trying to convey. Li Yang gave a solemn nod of his head, placing the tip of his sword against Liang Jie's chest.

"Don't worry, with me here, no one can touch the Liang tribe. You can rest in peace."

Liang Jie had a relieved expression after hearing Li Yang's a.s.surance, his b.l.o.o.d.y lips forming a smile. He had seen how easily Li Yang dealt with Huo Bo, so he felt confident in leaving everything to him. Liang Jie closed his eyes, and Li Yang drove his sword into Liang Jie's chest, piercing his heart and giving him a swift death, sparing him the slow death that his injuries would result in.

After ending Liang Jie's life, Li Yang stored away the corpse within his interspatial ring. He had to return the body to Liang Zhou after all so that he could give him a proper burial. Li Yang swept the charred clearing one last time, making sure there was nothing he had overlooked. Once he was certain there was nothing else, he turned towards the direction of the Liang tribe, speeding towards it.

Since he was now focusing on heading directly towards the Liang tribe, it did not take him long to reach the village where they lived. But as he entered the village, he could not help but be a bit surprised at the lack of people, seeing no one. He activated his tracking technique, spotting a large group of people located at the northern part of the village.

Li Yang made his way through the village, soon spotting the group of people he had detected. They were all gathered around the platform where the affinity ceremony was performed, with a somewhat exhausted Liang Zhou standing atop the platform and talking to the crowd. Not only Liang Zhou looked tired, but the people in the crowd also looked exhausted, their faces and eyes red.

Li Yang swept the crowd, but he did not spot Liang Xinyi, the girl who was to be Liang Zhou's wife. Li Yang had quite a bit of experience, after all, so he could guess at what was going on, the clans and sects had probably taken quite a few people from the tribes to act as guides and slaves while they searched through the Cloud Wilderness.

Li Yang was not worried that the people from the sects and clans would try to **** Liang Xinyi or the others, as they felt that the people from the tribes were too far below them. He was more worried that they would kill them whenever they felt annoyed or angry.

Li Yang's thoughts started moving as he looked at the crowd. He could help them now, but what in the future, when he wasn't here? What would Liang Zhou do then? A thought quickly appeared in Li Yang's mind, his lips curling into a ferocious and somewhat demonic smile as he started walking towards the crowd and spoke up.

"Those are some awful faces you have there, all red from crying too much, like a bunch of children."

The group of people quickly reacted upon hearing Li Yang's voice, turning towards him, some in shock and some in anger. But upon spotting Li Yang, they could not help but turn dumbfounded. Li Yang had returned to the tribe? But why did he suddenly feel so different, so sharp and ferocious? Liang Zhou's face lit up with a glimmer of happiness when he saw Li Yang, quickly waving him over.

"Li Yang! You have..."

Liang Zhou was somewhat shocked to realize that he was completely unable to see Li Yang's cultivation, but he did not pay it any heed at the moment. Before Liang Zhou got to finish what he wanted to say, Li Yang stretched out his hand holding his open palm towards Liang Zhou as he spoke, the smile on his face causing a slight shiver to run up the spines of everyone in the area.

"Did you lose something? Or rather, was it taken away from you? If it was taken away from you, then what you have to do is already decided, is it not? Anyone who took something from you, bring them down and crush them, take back what is yours. Tell me, Liang Zhou, do you want me to help you take back everything?"

The people around the platform did not know what Li Yang had done in the one year he had been gone, but when they looked at the smile on his face and heard his offer, they could not help but feel like he was a demon looking to strike a deal with them.