Cultivation Nerd-Chapter 230: Why Do I Hear Boss Music?

With a thunderous roar, a force unlike anything I had ever felt ripped through the air. It wasn't just the noise but the raw, unrelenting power behind the roar that ripped through our beings.

The pressure hammered into me, leaving a deep ache in my chest as I struggled to steady my breath. The shockwave was so intense it felt as if my ribcage might shatter under its weight. Around us, the snow rippled and lifted in swirling clouds.

The roar wasn't merely the cry of a beast; it was a declaration that sent a shiver through the cultivators who had moments ago been basking in victory. We had trespassed into something far beyond our estimation.

Many cultivators stepped back, instinct overriding courage. I wasn't sure what it was, but every fiber of my being screamed at me to get the hell away from there!

As we retreated, the thinning army revealed the aftermath of our slaughter: the corpses of pups and Thunder Wolves tangled in a grotesque tapestry of death. The metallic stench of blood hung heavy in the frozen air.

Despite the gruesome scene, my focus remained fixed on the cavern. From its dark maw emerged a monstrous beast with blue fur and a unicorn-like horn jutting from its forehead. It was as large as a commercial airplane and looked like a towering mass of muscle.

Muscle alone usually meant little here since Qi could bridge the gap... but this creature, this Thunder Wolf King, was a different story. Its sheer physicality was a challenge that no amount of Qi could easily overcome.

The Thunder Wolf King's deep blue eyes glinted with an unsettling intelligence, a slit running through each iris like a crack in a gem. But what froze me wasn't just their beauty; it was the unmistakable emotion within them. Rage. Pure, seething rage.

A tidal wave of Qi-laden pressure radiated from the beast, slamming into us like an invisible avalanche. Breathing felt like inhaling stones and exhaling cement.

There was no mistaking it... this was the Thunder Wolf King!

I scanned the crowded army around me, realizing I'd never dodge effectively in such a confined space. I backed off further, my instincts screaming for distance.

Fighting the Thunder Wolf King? That wasn't my role. This was a battle for the clan elders and leaders. Still, as I retreated, my eyes remained locked on the beast. My gaze caught something in the shadows of the cavern that concealed half its body.

Blood. Was the Thunder Wolf King injured? Who, or what, could wound a creature like this?

"Humans…" The growl reverberated across the battlefield, low and deep, like the voice of a vengeful god.

The word froze everyone. From the corner of my eye, I saw faces pale as dread washed over the cultivators. Even the least educated among us understood the significance of a beast speaking our language.

A chill coursed down my spine, locking my muscles for a fleeting moment. Thanks to sparring with Song Song and her frequent bloodlust-infused training, I managed to shake it off quickly. While others stood paralyzed, I took the chance to retreat further from the front lines.

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This was bad. Really bad. A beast that could speak? That usually meant a Core Formation beast!

Above us, the sky darkened, shifting from day to night as black clouds smothered the sun. Thunder rumbled, and lightning crackled ominously. I ran, lightning crashing behind me and screams cutting through the air. I didn't dare look back.

No, it wasn't just fear. It was something deeper. Something primal.

Though I couldn't see it, I could sense it. The lightning wasn't random; it was alive, weaving through the battlefield like a predator hunting its prey. Qi signatures flickered and vanished every second, signaling lives extinguished in the chaos.

Despite the carnage, a part of my mind latched onto an idea. Arrays. The way the lightning moved sparked possibilities for creating more advanced formations.

Thanks to my head start, I reached the rear of the army, where the vanguard stood as a last defense. Nobody spoke, their eyes fixed on the destruction in the distance. I found Fu Yating and stood beside her, taking a moment to catch my breath and gather my thoughts.

For a brief moment, I felt like a normal human again. The cold seeped into my bones, the wind biting at my skin. But the sensation was fleeting, a ghost of something long past.

"This wasn't in the plan," Fu Yating muttered, wincing. "It looks like all three clans might get wiped out."

"There was another Foundation Establishment Thunder Wolf during the scouting mission," I replied. "If there's one, there might be more in the pack."

"We should just elope," Fu Yating said, a teasing edge to her voice.

I turned to her, finding a confident smile on her lips. Her father and family were out there, fighting and dying, yet she seemed unfazed. I didn't have time to unravel the mystery of my fiancée's composure, though.

The Thunder Wolf King threw its head back and howled, its voice a thunderclap of power. The storm above seemed to obey, lightning beams cascading toward its open maw and condensing into a glowing sphere of electricity.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath.

Running further was pointless; lightning would catch me no matter where I went. Here, at least, I had some chance of surviving behind others.

The wolf's eyes burned with electric ferocity, and the air around it crackled with unbridled energy. Then, with a feral snarl, it unleashed the gathered power. A beam of lightning, impossibly bright and wider than a bus, tore through the battlefield.

The ground exploded in its wake, snow and earth erupting in fiery bursts. Bodies were flung like leaves in a storm. Between us and the main army, a wall of blinding light and choking smoke rose, obscuring everything beyond.

The ground shook violently beneath us, an unrelenting tremor that seemed to reverberate through the earth's core. The deafening cacophony of destruction drowned out all other sounds, isolating us in a chaotic haze.

Were the rest of the army still alive? Or had they been obliterated in that attack?

Were we next?

Explosions continued tearing through the air, each reverberating like rolling thunder. Snow, dirt, ice, and shattered rock erupted in towering plumes, blotting out the pale light of the forenoon. The frozen river, once a glistening sheet of unbroken ice, lay shattered, its surface now a chaotic whirl of jagged shards and dark currents laced with ash.

Debris mixed with snow and surged upward, forming an unclear, mist-like shroud that spread across the battlefield. The world around us vanished into the churning gray haze, where the biting cold mingled with the acrid sting of ash, seeping into every breath.

Then came the shockwave, a formless, invisible force that slammed into us like a tidal wave. It threw many off their feet, ripping through the air with a roar that numbed our senses and rattled our bones. It left behind an eerie silence that felt unnatural and oppressive when it passed.

What could I even do at this moment? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

My instincts screamed at me to run, to flee this battlefield and save myself. But running alone wasn't a good idea; there could easily be a Foundation Establishment beast lurking, ready to pick off stragglers.

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Two smaller Thunder Wolves emerged from the cavern as the swirling haze began to settle. Smaller only in comparison to the monstrous, airplane-sized Thunder Wolf King, they were still as large as trucks. Their presence radiated power, their auras unmistakable: Foundation Establishment-level beasts.

The wolves wasted no time. They charged into the army, their movements blurs of raw, predatory speed. More explosions erupted as the cultivators scrambled to defend themselves. Without hesitation, I grabbed Fu Yating by the waist and leaped backward, distancing us from the chaos.

"We should really run," Fu Yating said, her voice devoid of the teasing tone from earlier. This time, she was deadly serious.

"Agreed," I said, keeping my voice as steady as I could. Without another word, I crouched, plunging my hand into the icy snow. The cold bit at my skin.

Dark, inky symbols emerged from the snow, unfurling like living shadows. They twisted and curled with a will of their own, forming intricate patterns that stretched outward in a widening radius. The cultivators around us instinctively stepped back, careful not to disturb the markings. Only Fu Yating stood still, unflinching.

I glanced up at her. Her face was expressionless, yet a bead of sweat rolled down her cheek. Her gaze held an intensity I rarely saw.

Was she scared? Perhaps. She was human, after all. The thought struck me as ironic. If Fu Yating wasn't orchestrating some grand scheme beyond my understanding, then she'd made a series of questionable decisions that now loomed over her like death, sharpening its scythe.

A faint mist rose from the dark markings, barely perceptible at first. The air shimmered as though reality itself bent and wavered around the array. A low hum of power began to build, growing louder with each passing moment. Everything paused for an instant; the battlefield, the thundering clouds above, and even the chaotic winds were suspended in unnatural stillness.

A sudden, sharp pull tore through me, draining my Qi at an alarming rate. My veins burned, the strain unlike anything I had ever endured. Yet the array continued.

The mist solidified, taking form above the battlefield. A massive translucent purple platform materialized, glowing faintly with ethereal light. It stretched across the battlefield, its sheer size casting a violet hue over the chaos below.

The drain on my Qi was immense. This array was designed for one purpose: to absorb lightning. It operated with brutal efficiency, siphoning energy from any lightning-based attack. Logic dictated that someone expending Qi to create lightning would tire far faster than I would maintaining the array.

But logic didn't bridge the vast chasm between Core Formation and Foundation Establishment. That gap was insurmountable; a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators would struggle to take down even one Core Formation opponent.

"Storms beyond, I call. Lightning, bend and break. I want your power, love your fury, your core. Thunder, freeze! Thunder Absorption Array!"

The chant felt cringe-worthy, the hand seals tedious, but I pressed on, trying to mitigate the cost of the array. It wasn't enough. Cracks spiderwebbed across the barrier within seconds, the strain too great.

Then it came, the lightning bolt. A colossal, searing streak of energy that struck the array with earth-shattering force. The barrier shattered like glass, unable to withstand the raw power. Before it dissipated completely, I redirected the absorbed energy toward the mountain.

The Qi was volatile, more than I could control. My last-minute effort only partially succeeded; the energy surged into the mountainside, sparking a thunderous explosion.

The mountain groaned, tremors rippling through its massive frame. Rocks tumbled, cracks spread, and snow began to shift. For a moment, I thought I'd succeeded in collapsing the cavern. But the structure held firm, defying my efforts.

My heart sank. All that Qi, all that effort… wasted.

Then I saw it. A cascade of snow, ice, and debris slid down the mountain. It wasn't a cave-in, but an avalanche, a massive, unstoppable wave that thundered down the slope. The snowy tide swallowed the battlefield, crashing into the monstrous beasts and sealing the cavern's entrance beneath its crushing weight.

My breath caught as I watched. How much snow had fallen? How heavy was it? I couldn't say. How much did snow weigh? I never thought about it!

As the avalanche of snow crashed down on the wolves, a tense silence fell over the battlefield. No one seemed to know what to do next.

I wasn't sure what the next move should be. If I were in charge, I'd have ordered a retreat. But…

I took a step back, scanning the faces of the cultivators around me.

"I'm going to prepare another array. Make sure to guard me," I said, my voice steady despite the uncertainty gnawing at me.

Fu Yating trailed silently behind, tugging at her robes as if trying to shrink into herself. She was clearly trying to appear inconspicuous, though she wasn't succeeding.

The snow crunched beneath our feet as we moved farther from the rear group of the army, stopping only once we were about fifty feet away.

Fu Yating, no doubt, understood the significance of our position. If things went south, this was where we'd make our escape.

As for the excuse I'd given the other cultivators about preparing an array? Maybe I'd follow through on it. For now, it was a way to keep anyone from thinking this was their chance to backstab me. I wanted to remind them I was still useful in this fight.

"It seems like the Thunder Wolf King has reached Core Formation," I told Fu Yating, the only person nearby. "I think it's a recent breakthrough, and the beast seems injured. Perhaps it was hurt during the process. It's likely weaker than a typical Core Formation-level beast."

An uncomfortable silence followed as Fu Yating stared ahead.

Could she see the battle from this distance? As a Body Tempering cultivator, that would be impressive unless she had some kind of technique to enhance her vision.

"What are your thoughts on this?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"It feels… strange," she said finally. "Seeing something barely at the Core Formation realm causing so much trouble. Core Formation cultivators weren't even considered rare in the Azure Frost Sect. They handled menial tasks like organizing inner sect tournaments."

I nodded, understanding her perspective all too well.

This was why I'd never want to lead a small organization like the Liu Clan. A single Core Formation cultivator could crush entire clans with minimal effort.

I shifted uncomfortably as some cultivators approached the snow-covered cavern. If the Thunder Wolf King had only recently reached Core Formation, it made sense why it hadn't attacked earlier. But if it had achieved this level long ago…

What if the Thunder Wolf King had kept humans alive, not out of mercy, but as a convenient food source for winter? Humans were, after all, self-sustaining livestock; feeding, watering, and herding themselves behind walls.

If that were true, then we were well and truly screwed. Worse, it might mean the Thunder Wolf King had fought another Core Formation beast and was injured in the process. That beast could still be lurking nearby.

"What a shitty, complicated situation," I muttered under my breath, glancing at Fu Yating.

How was I supposed to handle this?

"What do you think about striking a deal?" I asked her.

"Hm?" Fu Yating turned toward me, her expression curious.

I was confident I could escape this mess if I had to, even with my depleted Qi reserves. But I had a family to think about. No matter how this played out, there was a good chance the Liu Clan might lose everything.

"If the Fu Clan wins, can you guarantee my parents' safety?" I asked, leaving the rest of my proposal unspoken.

Fu Yating's eyes glinted with cunning as she smiled. "And what will you give me in return?"

"I'll try my best to spare your life when the time comes," I offered bluntly.

"Just my life?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

She'd caught the subtext; I hadn't promised anything more than a vague attempt.

"I could offer to spare your whole family if the Liu Clan wins," I said with a shrug, "But…"

I left the sentence hanging. Fu Yating was intelligent enough to understand that anything beyond what I'd already offered would be an empty promise.

"Honestly, I don't even care much about my family," she admitted. "They've shown their true colors recently, and I'm not in a forgiving mood. Besides, my family is the clan head's family, unlike yours. Asking you to spare them is impossible."

She wasn't wrong.

"Even sparing my cultivation would be a stretch if the Liu Clan wins," she added.

I hadn't considered that. It seemed Fu Yating had thought this through more than I had. Perhaps she'd anticipated something like this from the start.

"Well," I said, keeping my tone deliberately vague, "We'll see."

"Just make sure to act dramatic," she said with a smirk.

"You too," I replied. "In case the Fu Clan wins this."

"They won't," she said, chuckling softly.

Her laughter sent a chill through me, sharper than the cold wind.

What was wrong with her? Had she lost her mind?

Still, I kept my face impassive, raising a questioning brow. "Why do you think they won't?"

"Because the Liu Clan has you here," she said.

For some reason, her words felt heavier than they should have. The chill in the air seemed sharper as I turned my gaze back to the battlefield.

Whatever plans we made were just speculations. Ultimately, we might all be wiped out, rendering clan conflicts meaningless.