The ability to chain techniques together, to use two in concert while fighting, was the only thing that made what I was about to do possible. That and the fact that [Falling Cherry Blossoms] was not only an illusion technique, but it also had a martial component to it.

The fog that gave form to my illusions also allowed me to pepper the area with a blizzard of ice, small cherry blossoms falling like snowflakes, giving shape and form to the constructs.

That ice was more than what it appeared. Each cherry blossom had a damaging effect as well as a slowing effect that left a debuff on any creature it touched. The denseness of the field of fog, supported by the fabric I had released, made the swirling figures and blinding blizzard confusing for the lizards. What I was creating was made easier and given substance because the pool of water I found gave me enough moisture that I could unleash a snowstorm throughout the narrow confines of the cave system.

I had no affinity with fire, but ice could burn just as harshly. The screaming fury of Compsognathus was offset by the dying wails of pain and agony as those cherry blossom petals landed on flesh, inflicting wounds of dead skin as frostbite tenderized even the armored skin of each lizard.

This attack was a backdrop to the real one, the damage each beast took from the cherry blossoms almost incidental to the real carnage that was taking place. As I fought to meet the tide of incoming beasts, as I danced between one technique to the next, chaining each martial form together, I left only death in my wake. The blood I spilled added to the easily available water I was using to unleash my storm of cherry blossoms.

It had gotten to the point that I had to stop and transfer butchered bodies into my spatial device. I wouldn't have bothered, focused as I was on killing, but it proved necessary. The bodies had begun to pile up and impede the beasts from reaching me. Gathering the bodies wasn't exactly time wasted, the leather, bones, and meat could be used. I had a town full of people who could make use of the carcasses to craft armor, weapons, potions, and food.

The area I could affect using [Falling Cherry Blossoms] was limited, not even as far as the quarter-mile distance I was able to observe, with my perception extended in a sphere. But the effect was implacable and unavoidable. Finally, I began to move forward. With each step I took, each twisting advance I made, I chained one attack after another, the blizzard of ice I was able to unleash moving with me.

I became the epicenter of the storm.

The only difference between this storm and one of wind, rain, and lightning I unleashed across clear skies was location and make-up. Snow and ice worked better in this confined space than rain and lightning. Something I'd realized after my forced battle with Daniel.

So far, I had only had to contend with the lizards. The draculae were either so much deeper within the cave system that the noise of fighting didn't concern them, or they were waiting. Waiting to see if I would risk working my way down into the bowels of the cavern system.

The tier-three Desmodus draculae had enough intelligence to strategize, to watch, and learn. It could weigh the risks to itself and its colony by letting me descend. The most effective way for it to do that was to watch and see how I handled the Compsognathus. It would sacrifice those beasts, and that might make things simpler for it when I got closer.

They could only be a drain on its will, a distraction that it could do without if it came to a direct battle between us. And by forcing me to fight and kill my way forward, the creature would be fresh for battle while I might have depleted my Qi.

It had no compassion and little care for the beasts I slaughtered. The tier-three beast had forced them to submit, to stand as guard between the outside world and the inner cavern. I was just clearing the way. They weren't even used for collecting food for the draculae, their ability to hunt the type of prey the bats consumed limited. They were sacrifices, early warning systems at best, and the draculae only began to stir and take notice once I had almost eliminated them.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The first bat to attack died instantly as I flowed between [Catch the Moon] and [Moon Opens over Water]. My Tessen moving in synchronized motion, snapping shut so that I could use the razor-sharp edges of the tines, my arms crossing as I reached the apex point of the leap from [Moon Opens over Water], arriving at the perfect location to intercept the bat. The Tessen, now in blade form, cut through the neck of the creature easily, killing it instantly.

The carven system wound through passages and open caves, and as I worked my way down I maintained my blizzard of ice. The cherry blossoms were just as effective against the bats. I still remained cautious. I had made my way farther away from the initial cave I'd selected than I'd originally planned. But without the draculae engaging, decimating the tier-one and tier-two Compsognathus had been remarkably straightforward.

The power of [Falling Cherry Blossoms] to confuse, slow, and damage gave me an advantage that the beasts simply couldn't overcome. Even the bats were unable to retreat or flee, their will suppressed by the tier-three draculae that directed them to stand firm. They had been commanded to guard, and no matter how many I massacred, they would follow that directive.

As I progressed further into the cave system, as more and more draculae were afflicted by the ravages of [Falling Cherry Blossoms], I began to notice an interesting phenomenon. The bats' ability to communicate and fly using sonar sent ripples throughout the eddies of wind and air that I could perceive.

Once I realized what the changes in the air meant, did I began experimenting with those changes, deflecting and reshaping the wind to muddle the echoing sound that they responded to. It was only when I embraced the [Dao of Movement] that I understood what was happening.

The atmosphere was made up of tiny particles, particles that vibrated when sound was created. It was this vibration that allowed the draculae to utilize their sonar. Because this vibration was another aspect of movement, as I concentrated on what I was seeing, my ability to affect that movement became more precise.

It became easier for me to distort the sounds that were being released and smother the echoes that were being used by the bats' sonar that allowed them to communicate, see, and fly.

With their ability to see compromised by the changes to sound vibrations, any hesitation I had about confronting the tier-three Desmodus draculae was lost. Without its vision to allow it to navigate the cavern system, it would be a sitting duck.

Confident in my growing abilities to end the draculae threat once and for all, I began heading deeper and deeper into the tunnel system. Not so quickly that I ignored my environment or allowed myself to be overwhelmed.

And not so quickly I failed to notice the pockets of Cinnabar, the scattered outcroppings of spirit stone along the way. Nothing stood out as truly valuable. The spirit stones were low quality at best, and there simply weren't enough to make this cave system profitable enough to support my territory for longer than a year or so.

But it was worth harvesting. I would have it mined, but the location of the cave system and the poor soil and ore quality meant it would not be suitable for me to plant the spirit stone seed I had. I had planned an expedition to the mountain range I controlled, but I had hoped when I found evidence of spirit stones in this area that trip might not be needed.

I would have to continue with that plan. I thought the prefecture that had mined jade might be a good starting place to search for a location to plant that seed. But there was no rush. I had a bounty of cores I could spend for now. Enough to cover a decade or two for my entire territory.

My newfound ability to control sound made my fight with the bats anti-climactic. I'd thought it might and admitted to a small regret. The tier-three was reduced to screeching in fury, unable to even locate where each attack was coming from. Not a challenge at all.

I had the safety to be precise and take my time when killing the beast. Tier-three beast parts were worth a lot of contribution points in the Sect, and since it was the only beast I intended to trade, I wanted to maximize my profit. No one in my territory could make use of it, and I still had a use for Sect contribution points, even if I was now considered a roaming cultivator.

I needed to set up a library for my Dojo, and the techniques and manuals I could purchase with contribution points were the cheapest and fastest way to do that.

A last few moments of looting, and I was ready to leave. I had mistakenly allowed the fog and ice I controlled to settle. A mistake I soon rectified, the stench from the bat guano so horrendous that I could barely breathe.

I didn't even bother to stop and try to collect some of the Spirit Stones on my way out. Someone else could deal with that. The smell that lingered on the back of my throat had me retching. Bat shit tastes like… Well shit.