Yin Hu sat on the porch. Legs crossed. Hands leaned back and propping him up as he looked directly into the pitch black. He had never seen a night sky this foreboding. So dark it could have been ink. Then again, he had been in this cultivation world for only a few months of time.

He had no clue what was normal or what was strange.

Nor would he judge.

But this was strange even for cultivation bullshit. A tier above anything else. The night had not been dark and gloomy when it started. The moon bright above their heads. Cloudy, yes, but not pitch black made perfect for the odd escapees and their attempts to get away. The world conspiring to help them out in any way possible.

Yin Hu didn't believe that. He couldn't. How'd the entire night change the way it did? None of it made sense. Again, he relied on his assessment of this being a cultivation world. Bullshit happening left and right. There was no need for careful thought of weather phenomena and night patterns.

He could leave that to someone else.

Jun shifted next to him, moving to sit better and get more comfortable in the long cloaks he had given them. Clearly uncomfortable with all three of them not doing anything for some time now. Shui had fallen asleep, with her head on Jun's lap. They had been sitting here for a few hours after sunset. The day after the whole Dong ZhenKang debacle. With the hustler ruining weeks upon weeks of hard work he'd put into the girls mentals in only a few minutes.

"A-Ancestor? Is everything alright?" Jun said. She blinked at him, hand under Shui's head to prop her neck better. "Is there something wrong with the moon? O-Or maybe is there an enemy hiding somewhere in the shadows of a building?"

She can't see it? How? It's right there. How could anyone miss the thick ink black darkness.

Yin Hu shook his head slightly. "Everything is fine. No enemies."

He shifted in his own cloak. All three were pitch black and heavy enough to make it impossible to tell their shape other than height. Thick hoods too. But it was not uncomfortably warm. If anything the cloaks were breathable and very easy to fall asleep in. Alas, Shui knocked out quicker than he could notice.

The cloaks, like most things in his rice bag, had a particularly scary name. Having received a bundle of five of them.

Yin Hu let the system notification appear again.

The Five Kin - Murders of Kings, Assassins targeting the Conquering Dragon Emperor - A group of five brothers renowned for their skills to assassinate their targets with none the wiser. Killing kings in the dozens. Only their hubris brought their demise.

Targeting Emperor Qui Hua - The Dragon Born Son, Greatest of his Generation, Master of the Infinite Strikes Blade, Conqueror of a Thousand Empires.

They killed Qui Hua. Then died by slipping into a basic curse trap that sapped their life energy. Draining them of their spirits. Killing them slowly. Torturing them for a century before their final demise. Finally finding rest in their deaths.

Yin Hu's plan had been to leave the city and rush to the nearest city. He had not considered a very small, but probably the most vital piece of information. He had no clue where said nearest city was. Not a single idea. For all he knew, it could have been ten thousand miles away. Or a single day's travel.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Or the fact that it might just be another Demonic Cultivator stronghold that would target them anyways.

They would be forced to make a one shot attempt at getting to the current righteous sect block. No stops in between. Not unless they were forced to. Which he did not expect. He had, quite literally, anything he could want for in his spacial rice bag. No issues of stopping for food. Water. Clothes. Weapons. Resources. Tents and pavilions for privacy. He wouldn't have been shocked to find a motion sensor machine gun in there.

Not that there was one. He checked. Quite thoroughly too.

"Jun." Yin Hu said.

She turned to him. Giving Yin Hu her full undivided attention. Waiting for him to speak.

"Do you by chance know the layout of the current map? The world doesn't look as it used to back in the primordial eras." Yin Hu hoped she didn't ask questions. He needed information. Especially if he intended to make a decision. "Where are we currently?"

Yin Hu pulled out a large piece of paper, quill, and ink. Sliding them over to Jun for her to give him as much information as she had. Hoping it was enough.

Jun carefully put Shui's head down. Yin Hu pulled out another cushion and handed it to the older girl. Who, in turn, put it under Shui's head to prop it up. They didn't need the little girl crying all day about how her neck hurt during their hasty retreat.

He watched her grab the quill. Dip it into the ink and begin to draw out the map as she knew it. The longer she took the more surprised he became at her knowledge and understanding of the layout of the world. Had she been taught cartography? Was this a skill she implicitly had that no one noticed? A talent?

It took her a few more minutes before finally finishing. There were large parts that were missing around the areas she understood, but this was better than he had expected. She had an idea of the basic layout around this town, the cities, sects, and clans. Stretching all the way to a forest on one side and an area she put large 'X's on. Before writing the word Righteous Sects on the other side of it.

"This," she pointed to the far west of the map. "This is where we are at. Silver Mountain Gang." She pointed at the North East of the map. "This is the Hu Clan as I remember it. Where we used to be at least."

"What are the X's?"

"It's the war front. A constant battle between massive armies of the Demonic Sect and the current Righteous Sects. Where do you want us to reach, Ancestor?"

Yin Hu took a moment to think. The map seemed large. The north had triangles that depicted mountains that stretched the majority of the way. He assumed that was where all the sects were. When he thought about sects, he always thought about them being in mountains.

The Hu Clan being on one too, but deep within the Righteous sect lands only further proved it to him.

Maybe we can work our way back to the original Hu Clan. See if there were any remnants or surviving members I could adopt as my disciples too. Speed up my goals of a thousand nukes.

For now, he pointed at the largest city near the border he could find. "Here. Can we cross the battle lines? Or are there ways to get around it."

"There isn't a way. The battles are fierce and the number of spirit beasts has increased to feast upon the bodies," Jun shook her head. "Me and Shui made the mistake of crossing the lines before the battles truly became a line. It had been back and forth for some while before. Not anymore. Anyone that strays to close is killed without consideration. Not unless you are part of their armies."

Yin hu rubbed his beard. Studying the map and thinking of different things. It did not look good. He didn't want to stop at any Demonic Cultivator city. Can't go north where all the sects and clans were. Nor could they attempt to sneak past the battle fronts.

Well, I can. I'd make it without issue I think with all these special weapons and items. But doing it with Shui and Jun would get one of them killed. I can't have that.

His only choice was going south and then swinging back around. Jun had drawn out pointy trees. A lot of them without a single other demarcation. No towns. Cities. Attempted clan markers. Nothing but thick forests.

Exactly what he was looking for.

"What about here?" Yin Hu pointed at the forest in question. Not seeing Jun reeling back at the very idea of going anywhere near that area.

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