Each of the seven senses could be said to be equally important. Still, the one that was more used than the others was the Qi Sense.

The Qi sense perceived the fluctuation of qi, both natural and personal. Thus, it allowed a cultivator to perceive any qi-related being or object.

So when a cultivator's senses expand, one would be basically concentrating on the surrounding area with their qi sense while using the others for confirmation and identification of every presence.

Because of this reason, most concealment talismans, treasures, or abilities were aura and qi concealing foremost, with only the rarest and advanced masking one's image as well.

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Bai Qi's senses still had not caught on anything except the pack movements, so he decided to take a look outside by himself. But Bai Ze's grip on his shoulder was also powerful enough to make even his strengthened body creak, so liberating himself came first.

"Bai Ze!" Noticing that she had fallen into some stupor, Bai Qi shouted. But it was as if the beast girl had not heard him at all.

Seeing no other way with how Bai Ze was at the moment, Bai Qi slowly exhaled and then quickly sidestepped while releasing some qi around her hand. Making him able to slip from her grasp, and as he did, Bai Qi circled her and peeked outside.

It was already late evening, and there was neither sun nor moon in the sky. Even so, it did not take long to find out the so-called swarm. Indeed, it was hardly possible to miss the cloud consisting of uncountable beings obscuring most of the sky. Beings radiating with all the rainbow colors. Beings that made Bai Qi instantly retreat inside and activate the array at full force.

Bai Qi inwardly exclaimed while recalling the appearance of the beings.

An elongated body, no longer than a couple of inches, formed from what appeared to be crystal. With a pair of wings resembling the ones of a bat growing from where the head should be. Except for the light that they exuded, the creatures did not look menacing at all. But Bai Qi knew that the Beastmen were right to fear them.

A [Tunshi Crystal Parasyte] or [Astral Sweeping Crystal Bat] was something that any cultivator that traveled through the Astral Road without using a Gate knew. Bai Qi included.

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One of the few creatures that could live on pure Astral Qi, the [Bat] followed and sometimes even attacked cultivators but wasn't a threat to any traveler. Indeed, how could a creature with no cultivation and a physique hardly equivalent to an Earth-realm cultivator be a threat to an Immortal?

Ramming being their only mean of attack, even a simple aura cover would block them. Thus, they could hardly be considered a danger even to a Warrior Lord if such low-level cultivator somehow managed to enter the Astral Road. But that was the case with a single, or at the worst, a few of the bats. A swarm was considered dangerous even for Immortals below the True Immortal realm, as the creatures were practically unkillable without one's attacks incorporating Dao Laws.

The reason for their resilience came from the [Tunshi Crystal] that the bats used to cover their bodies. This crystal naturally formed in the Astral Void, so it was impervious to qi.

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"Bai Ze, damn, Bai Ze!" Bai Qi needed to find out more about the swarm. And most importantly, to find some reason for [Astral Sweeping Crystal Bats] to be even present on the plane.

But she did not react to his shouting. Neither did she respond even when Bai Qi shook her. She wasn't unconscious, but she wasn't conscious either.

Bai Qi had no answer to it.

But he had no time to dwell on the matter either, as however good was his array, it could only defend them for a few minutes if the entire swarm attacked. Bai Qi knew that he had to search for an answer, and so forcefully calmed himself and looked at the situation in a detached manner.

Bai Qi found this latter possible. Indeed, if they knew about the swarm and were still alive, there had to be some way to avoid being the Bats nourishment.

Bai Qi ran through others ways he could use to contact at least a single beastman in the camp. Spirit or even Saint beasts couldn't use qi transmission, so they could not answer him even if Bai Qi sent them one.

***

It took a few minutes, but Bai Qi found a way to connect with Bai Rui. The manner was unorthodox, but it did allow him to establish some semblance of communication between him and the camp.

{Wu Guang?! Where are you? And how are you contacting me? No, that's not important. Is Bai Ze with you?! Quickly come to the camp!}

{Bai Rui, how does the pack defend against this swarm? Is there any way to avoid being attacked?} With time being of the essence, Bai Qi ignored everything else and only asked what he needed. He had used the blood connections between the sisters to set up a direct communication array. And it could fail at any moment, as he had made it in haste.

{The elders make us gather, and we all merge our auras into a shield with the power of the [Ancestral Song]. No swarm has been able to breach it. But, where are you?!} She managed to answer, but then the panic got the better of her, and Bai Rui began asking unneeded questions again.

{I see, so no other methods except defending. How long does it usually take for the swarm to disperse? And what happens after that? Explain quickly!} Bai Qi again ignored her questions and asked his own.

{By the Ancestors! You two are in your home!} Bai Rui suddenly exclaimed, making Bai Qi inwardly curse. The array in front of him was already losing its luster, and he needed to know.

{Bai Rui, calm yourself! We will be safe. Just say for how long I have to keep the protection up!}

{...Until the swarm feeds enough. From three to four days} Bai Rui's said in a deadpan voice.

{Got it. I will manage. Don't worry. I will send you a qi transmission every few hours} Bai Qi spoke with short phrases, attempting not to stress the failing array before himself. With no receiving equivalent on Bai Rui's side, it was already surprising for it to have even activated. What to say, work for a few minutes. He wryly smiled as the though crossed his mind.

***

Bai Ze snapped from her stupor suddenly, almost in the same way as she had fallen into it. She did not know how much time had passed, and it took her a few breaths to even understand where she was. And recall what had happened.

Looking around, she found that the interior of Wu Guang's room had changed. Golden and blue hues filled it, coming from talismans, runes, and a complex assortment of lines that connected each of them.

Wu Guang himself sat in the center of all of it, his aura surrounding him closely and connected to each line via a barely visible aura strand.

"..." She opened her mouth to speak to him but immediately closed it. She almost slapped herself. What if she distracted him?

***

Bai Qi noticed that the girl had awoken from her strange state. And so opened his eyes and slightly turned his head to face her.

"You can speak and move around, don't worry. All of this is a secondary measure, for the case that the outer protection is destroyed"

Bai Qi inwardly added, feeling how the protective array, on which he had placed all of the qi storing amulets and even the aura gathering orbs he had, was waning again. The strands of aura that Bai Ze saw weren't part of his secondary measures, but a way to constantly replenish the amulets and orbs. And while she had no manner of knowing it, Bai Qi had already spent almost half of his reserves.

The Astral Sweeping Crystal Bats had attacked suddenly. Just a few moments after the communication with Bai Rui was cut. Thankfully only a part of the swarm had chosen to attack his array, with most of it moving towards the camp and the brightly shining aura shield that covered it.

"I'm sorry" Bai Ze apologized with an ashamed expression. She felt guilty for freezing before. And somehow felt that if not for her, Wu Guang could have reached the camp before the swarm attacked.

"For? You tried to make me run, but I was too slow" Bai Qi simply shrugged.

"I am still sorry. If not for me recalling..." She fidgeted a bit as her ears lowered.

"Don't be, and there is no need for you to tell me anything" Bai Qi stood up and lightly smiled.

"How long?" She suddenly asked.

"An entire day" Bai Qi answered after guessing what she was asking about.

"Damn!" Bai Ze groaned.

***

It was only an entire day later, on what was the second night of their siege that Bai Ze opened to Bai Qi about what memories had made her fall into that state.

"As you saw in the camp, there are only a few of my kin. But it wasn't like that before..."

Her story was as old as the heavens themselves. Even so, Bai Qi could not help but feel sympathy for the fate of the [White Hill Cats].

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The Bai bloodline was one of a [Mist Cat], a common Spirit Beast that was native to the Sky Tear Sect region. Over time, some Spirit Beasts became Saint Beasts, and during that transformation, another one occurred. One that turned them into the Beastmen that they were now.

Beastmen gave birth to Beastmen, and slowly, the only thing that connected them to the beast was their blood. Several dozens of years later, just as Bai Ze was born, they were forced to move to the [Steel Fang] region.

Time passed, and from a small group, they became a small war pack as the hundreds of others that lived in the region, formed not only by their bloodline members but also other close-minded beastmen.

Still, Bai Ze's family was slightly different even from their own race, as their bloodline wasn't just the one of a common beast but one that had a mix of the greatest of the sacred beasts, the [White Tiger].

Once in a few generations, their primordial ancestor Bloodline, the legendary [White Tiger] would awaken in some form. Members of the generation that was blessed by the ancestor were sent to undergo a ritual known as [Blood Call]. A ritual that would allow them to commune with the ancestor and learn to manifest some of its power. And a ritual that required them to travel to where they were born.

But as they started the journey, just three years ago, they crossed paths with the swarm. Being just a few Saint Beasts and having no experience dealing with Astral Sweeping Crystal Bats, and were forced to run.

Regretfully, only four of the initial thirty managed to run away...

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"I can not forget how the damned bats sucked the qi from one after another!" Bai Ze roared as tears glistened in her eyes. And then, concluded in a deadpan voice, "The memory haunts me every day, but seeing them now..."

"I am sorry for your loss" Bai Qi could only say. He understood how she felt, but he also knew that the cultivation world was as cruel as this and even more. The only thing that could avoid someone from such a fate was to be strong enough to beat any danger back, and even so, not even the strongest cultivators lived forever.

Seeing how Bai Ze slowly sat down on the floor while trying to hide her tears, Bai Qi felt an uncharacteristic pang of tenderness. And so, Bai Qi asked himself the same question that had surfaced in his mind a few hundreds of times already