Yu Di took a deep breath. He didn’t like what he smelled. Mud, dirt, a mix of rain, and worst of all, the stench of a mortal that tried to fight an Immortal. But he needed to take deep breaths to recover as much Qi as he could.

  Yu Di knew that if these priests had actual cultivator training, they could blast the ground with a number of techniques they would have learned from their sects and taken Yu Di out. But the one thing he noticed with these Immortals was that they were not trained at all. They barely knew how to properly utilize their powers as well as the lowest servant disciple of the outer sects in any of the sects back home.

  This gave Yu Di the small advantage in knowing that these priests can only manage direct, frontal attacks. They had no finesse.

  “Please let High Priest Kutan go,” the priest said.

  “If you were in my position, would you?” Yu Di asked. “Actually, if you were in my position, I think you might just kill this man for the greater good of the city. I bet you four have seen this idiot do worse things for the city than I ever could even as the Menace of Miryana.”

  The priests didn’t respond.

  “Just kill him already,” Kutan gasped.

  Yu Di had his hand over his throat, but he guessed it wasn’t hard enough to shut the man up.

  “We can’t sir,” the priest said. “If we fire on him, we’ll hit you as well. Abbot Lokenatha would kill us in horrible ways. He ordered us to keep you safe at all costs.”

  “Why is that?” Yu Di asked. “Why does the abbot care so much for this weasel?”

  The priests didn’t answer.

  Yu Di loosened his grip on Kutan. “Make them tell me.”

  Kutan’s lips curled up for a second. “I’ll tell you nothing, scum. You four better tell him nothing.”

  Yu Di shut him up again. “Well, tell me or I will make him suffer.” He pushed one finger against Kutan’s chest where his dantian would be. This caused tears to fall down the man’s face. “Your abbot told you to protect him right? Telling me would lessen his suffering and protect him.”

  The priest looked to his colleagues and nodded. “High Priest Kutan is Abbot Lokenatha’s successor. When the abbot ascends with the Goddess’ powers, he plans to make him the new abbot.”

  “This man? You would be willing to follow this man’s orders? There’s got to be something else you’re not telling me.”

  “There are rumors that say he’s the abbot’s son. Once the abbot claims the Goddess’ power, he would be the true ruler of this city in both name and strength. We can’t disobey him.”

  “No matter how wrong you think he is.” Yu Di was tired of hearing those words. So many sects he’s seen in his travels have done something similar. Obeying the strong because they have to and never fighting back. “Well, this makes a lot of sense now. Better to be the evil at the top than the suffering weak at the bottom.”

  “Please let him go,” the priest said. “We’ll let you go afterwards.”

  “Until this brat orders you to capture me right after or kill me. I’m too old to play these games.” Yu Di looked to the sky and out into the distance. There was no help coming for him. The heavens have abandoned him here, in the mud, holding onto a second generation brat, and a whole host of enemies coming this way.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Yu Di said. “If you four could go to the very edge of the city on the opposite side, I’ll let him go. That way, it gives me a head start.”

  The priests looked at each other and nodded. Three of them ran off right away.

  “How do I know you won’t kill him the moment we leave?” the remaining priest asked.

  “It’s the same way that I know you will honor my demand. A little bit of trust.”

  The priest hesitated.

  “If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t chase you nor do I have any particular life or death grudge with Kutan.”

  The high priest squirmed in Yu Di’s grip.

  “I can feel your colleagues are honorable at least. They are at the city’s edge.” Yu Di tightened his grip on Kutan, forcing him still. “However, if you don’t go as well, I’m not sure how long I can hold onto him without ending his miserable existence.”

  The priest nodded and ran off right away.

  Yu Di knew the priest could feel their presence as easily as he could feel theirs. It wasn’t hard in a mortal city like this. Soon all four priests reached the other end of the city.

  Just in case, Yu Di pushed out his senses to see if there were any other cultivators around. The priests might keep their word. It didn’t mean a third party would.

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  Satisfied that he found nothing, Yu Di released Kutan, allowing him to scramble away.

  “I’m going to kill you,” Kutan said.

  “Maybe next time.” Yu Di summoned a flying sword from his storage ring. This one was thin and light, the one he used for when he needed to escape. He willed all the renewed Qi into the sword and shot away from the priests and Kutan.

  Yu Di knew that if he wanted to, he could escape the city right now. The barrier’s technique was laughably simple for someone like him to overcome, especially now in the second realm. He had the technique down and he doubted someone like Fatima would be guarding it herself. Which gave me a lot of leeway to manipulate it.

  However, there was a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. It wasn’t that it would mean abandoning Vimala, someone he so desperately wronged, but also abandoning the city to a fate worse than death. Yu Di did this to the city. He was the cause for their misery and death. Now he also had a chance to fix all that by helping Vimala.

  Yu Di jumped off his flying sword and made it continue flying toward the outer sector of the city. He made sure it made a couple of twists and turns through the city before embedding itself at the top of the barrier. Then he cloaked his Qi with a special ring from his storage ring.

  Yu Di really hated doing this, fighting the urge to simply run back to his daughter. He remembered in the past, there was never a time he didn’t run from a conflict, especially when it didn’t benefit him. This time, he not only decided to stay, he was also very underpowered compared to his enemies.

  Yu Di cracked his knuckles and used an illusion technique over his entire body, changing him into a burly native man with a long beard, tanned olive skin, and green eyes. It was time to get to work to save this city.

  Curse unlocked: 1.3% lifted.

  Yu Di took out his jade tablet.

  Current Power: Realm 2, Stage 1, Level 2 (Manipulation)

  Remaining Lifespan: 1 years, 4 months.

  Current Status: Cursed (24.0% lifted)

  Overall Power: Fourth Realm, End Stage, Peak level (Demigod)

  Damn, he lost another two months of his life. Yu Di really needed to learn to control his Qi use when he got emotional. At least it didn’t curse him further.

  Yu Di couldn’t believe his eyes though. Almost a quarter of his curse has been lifted. He could feel the restrictions easing off his Demigod body. How high could he go?

  With some quick calculations, could he reach the third realm like this? If he could, then most of his problems in Miryana would disappear.

  Yu Di chuckled. His mind was already racing with the potential level ups yet his more rational mind reminded him that the higher the realm, the harder and longer it takes to unlock.

  Hitting the second realm was child’s play once the curse unlocked. The second realm was vast. It required a lot more fundamental understanding of the Dao and all these physical forces that it took him a few decades to go through. And that was with a better understanding than most and his own cultivation manual that he developed with his peers.

  Yu Di dreaded the idea of going through all that again, but at least he knew how and what to expect.

  First, he needed to consolidate as much of his power as he could right now. He’d have to go back to the inn, pick up Vimala and head somewhere secluded. It might slow them down by a day or two, but they should have time.

  Yu Di strolled through the streets at a leisurely pace. He made sure to not talk with anyone for fear that his accent would give him away. He couldn’t believe that even after living here for over fifteen years wasn’t enough to make him sound more native. Then again he never tried.

  The marketplace was sparse now. By that Yu Di meant that he could walk through the streets without tripping over a vendor’s goods displayed on the streets. He did notice most of the people traveling were native born.

  That made Yu Di clench his fist, thinking about all the people abused by Kutan and the abbot. He knew that this was war, but harming innocent civilians, especially the women and children, was despicable. Not even the most ruthless or demonic cultivators would do that without reason.

  Then again, two armies were vying to take over the city, both with third realm cultivators. Yu Di doubted that the abbot could do much against that sort of power without the Goddess’ help.

  Yu Di made his way slowly toward the caravanserais. He made sure to loop around a few times in case he was followed and to check to see if the inn was under surveillance. With his Demigod senses, he couldn’t sense anyone ready to spring a trap on him if he entered.

  Yu Di made a careful entrance into the main building itself. Where once he saw many rich, foreign merchants hanging out in the lobby, eating their comfortable breakfasts made by Vimala, it was empty now. There was a man working behind the counter. He stood taller than Yu Di, light robes covering a well built physique. His brown eyes tracked Yu Di as he entered.

  Both men stared at each other, neither willing to speak first. Their eyes locked on each other, their bodies completely frozen, ready to take action.

  Yu Di scanned the man again, using his Demigod senses. He should have done that in the first place, but didn’t want to be caught doing so. It was also rude.

  “My fellow countryman, we don’t need to keep pretending,” Yu Di said in his native language.

  The man smiled. “Close the door behind you quick.”

  Yu Di did so and walked to the counter. “What’s—”

  The man stopped him with a hand up. He pointed to the back room where Yu Di had the conversation with Vimala and Ying Fusu.

  Yu Di nodded before walking back there. It had been so long since he was last here. Much of the foodstuffs looked pretty much the same. The only difference was that there was a trap door that led down that he didn’t see before.

  It was expected since Ying Fusu had tunnels going everywhere. This might even be the one that led to the Goddess’ secret. Although Yu Di doubted it. If that was the case, Ying Fusu would have retrieved the secret years ago.

  Once down the stairs, Yu Di noticed it was another storage. This time instead of food stuff, they stored weapons. Weapons of all kind were down here from the mortal weapons to weapons that reached into the second realm. There was even a third realm artifact hanging on the wall that was donut shaped.

  A quick scan told Yu Di that most of these weapons would be useless to him, although the donut artifact could prove useful. If his analysis wasn’t wrong, it would create a shield around a group of people that would hold for as long as people poured Qi into it.

  The principle was similar to Shah al-Rahman’s barrier, but different in the scope. This could only reach a few people at most, not something that can trap an entire city.

  A cough sounded in a dark corner.

  Yu Di froze. He had forgotten to check to see if there was anyone in here. Such a rookie cultivator mistake. He turned slowly toward the stranger.

  Yu Di saw a ghost. It was Ying Fusu!

  “I thought you were dead,” Yu Di said.

  “The news of my death,” Ying Fusu said with a gravelly voice, “was greatly exaggerated.”

  Yu Di felt an avalanche of Qi press down on him, freezing him in place. This pressure came from Ying Fusu. How? The man only registered at the first level of the second realm, slightly below Yu Di.

  “I’ll make sure yours is more permanent though,” Ying Fusu said.