My Infinite Cultivation System-Chapter 69: Frostveil Ape

Alex leaned against the rough bark of an ancient tree, his eyes fixed on the translucent blue interface.

[Beasts: (1/12)]

[Ember: Level 9 Beast Saint]

[Cultivation Base: 40%]

He had sensed something earlier, a faint ripple through the bond that connected him to the little dragon. Now he knew why.

"His cultivation base was just seven percent when I contracted him," Alex muttered, his brow furrowing in thought. "But now it is forty percent. Is this related to my breakthrough?"

[Ding! Host is correct. With every three level breakthrough from the host, his pet beasts will break through to one minor realm.]

Alex’s eyes widened. A slow smile spread across his face, the first genuine smile in days.

"Damn. It is a mutual bonding. That is great." He reached up and scratched Ember’s tiny head, earning a happy chirp from the dragon. "If I was getting stronger at this rate, in just a few years, my pet beasts would have left far behind me."

The implications were staggering. He would never have to leave them behind. They would grow with him, fight with him, stand beside him for thousands of years if necessary.

But the exhaustion was catching up fast. His muscles screamed for rest. His mind felt like it was wrapped in cotton.

"I need to rest," he whispered.

He found a relatively flat spot beneath a massive tree, the roots forming a natural hollow. The forest sounds surrounded him, crickets and distant howls, the rustle of wind through leaves.

"Ember, guard me."

The little dragon puffed out his small chest. "Okay, master."

Ember began floating in slow circles around Alex, his orange scales casting a warm glow across the sleeping figure.

"Alex, wake up."

The voice cut through the darkness like a knife. Childish, clear, and inside his head.

Alex’s eyes snapped open. His body moved before his mind caught up, springing to his feet in a single fluid motion. Divine sense exploded outward, scanning every shadow, every tree, every possible threat.

Nothing. The forest was still.

Ember rushed to his side, wings fluttering anxiously. "What happened, master?"

Alex forced himself to relax, to breathe. He reached down and rubbed the little dragon’s head, feeling the warmth of his scales.

"Nothing, Ember." He smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Is everything alright here?"

"Yes, master." Ember nodded happily, though his small eyes still held concern.

Alex frowned. "What was that? Was it really a dream?"

[It was not a dream, dummy. I am your Soul AI.]

This time Alex’s eyes went wide. The voice was clearer now, intelligent and resonant, filling his mind like a second consciousness.

"My Soul AI?"

He pulled up the interface immediately, his fingers moving through the familiar motions.

[Soul AI: 51%]

"Whoa." He blinked at the screen. "I almost forgot about this one."

He had assumed the Soul AI would take years to fill, decades maybe. The knowledge he had possessed before entering the sanctuary had barely scratched the surface.

"How did you gain so much information that your database filled fifty percent?" he asked, genuine curiosity coloring his voice.

[The information from the Prime Sanctuary and the pixie was enough to fill this much. I am now connecting to the Law of Earth. Though it will take some time, but now I am fully connected to the Light Domain. And the Light Domain is in grave danger.]

Alex’s eyes turned restless. The casual curiosity vanished, replaced by something cold and sharp.

"Why is it in danger? They have more than six months worth of cores."

[Some extremely powerful monsters have appeared from a certain island. Their attacks on the barrier are draining the energy far too quickly. If this continues, only fifteen days to one month remain before the domain crumbles.]

His heart began pounding violently against his ribs. The sound filled his ears like thunder.

His mother was there. Anna was there. His master was there. The entire human race, millions of people, were huddled behind that barrier waiting for him to save them.

And he was here, trapped in this sanctuary, while time ran out.

"I do not have time for resting." His teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached. "Damn it. I was too careless to think that they could hold for at least six months. I need to hurry."

A tremendous urgency grabbed his heart and squeezed.

"Ember, get ready." His voice was low, controlled, dangerous. "We are going to hunt continuously."

"Yes, master." The little dragon’s wings flared wide, flames licking at the edges of his scales.

Alex’s mind raced through possibilities, calculations, strategies. "I will not be able to break through to the planetary realm anytime soon. So increasing my genetic strength can give me some hope."

He had noticed something else during his time in the sanctuary. A pattern in how the monsters behaved.

The truly powerful creatures did not come to the periphery. They stayed in their territories as if obeying some unspoken command. The real overlords outside the mountain range did not enter the mountains at all.

It was clearly a segmented region. Higher zones for stronger beasts, lower zones for weaker ones. A hierarchy carved into the very land.

"I need to clear out monsters and build a stronghold as soon as possible," Alex muttered.

Thirty-nine flying knives formed from his wristband, gleaming like liquid silver in the moonlight. They hovered around him in perfect arcs, waiting.

He had hunted carefully before, cautiously, always aware of the dangers above his level. But caution was a luxury he could no longer afford.

Boom.

His divine sense gushed out from his body like a tidal wave. He had never dared use it so fully inside the Prime Sanctuary before. It would attract attention. It would draw the powerful monsters straight to him.

But now he did not have time to think. He needed to kill.

Thousands of kilometers of forest, mountain, and river unfolded in his perception. Monsters appeared in his mind like stars in the night sky. Monarch level beasts, their auras burning bright. Saint level beasts, clustered in groups. Emperor level beasts, solitary and dangerous.

He did not sense anything higher. Not yet. The planetary monsters remained hidden, sleeping, waiting.

"Good."

His lips curved into a cold smile.

"Let us begin."

The thirty-nine flying knives vanished from his side.

With his saint level nine combat prowess, killing saint tier beasts was no longer a challenge. It was a massacre.

The knives moved like extensions of his will, silent and deadly. They pierced throats before beasts could roar. They shattered cores before owners could react. They moved through the forest like a storm of silver death.

[Ding! You have gained 900 Life Essence.]

[Ding! You have gained 1000 Life Essence.]

Thirty-nine saint beasts fell in the first moments.

Suddenly a presence entered his range of perception. A weight that made his blood run cold.

"Shit."

He grabbed Ember and vanished, leaving only the fading mist of his divine sense behind.

The planetary monster had sensed him. It was coming.

But Alex did not stop running. And he did not stop hunting either.

He moved like a ghost through the shadows, constantly changing positions, constantly killing. He would appear in one location, slaughter everything within range, and vanish before any powerful beast could arrive.

[Ding! The Ultimate Physique is evolving.]

[Level: 11]

[Life Essence: 0/100000]

[Gene Strength: 11x]

Alex gritted his teeth as he read the numbers. The requirement for leveling up had increased tremendously. One hundred thousand life essence just to reach the next level. And it would only get worse.

But he did not stop. He could not stop.

Seven days passed in a blur of blood and motion. The forests turned into graveyards. The rivers ran red. The nights were filled with screams and the cold light of flying knives.

Finally, Alex paused atop a broken cliff, looking down at the ruined landscape below.

[Ultimate Physique]

[Level: 15]

[Life Essence: 0/300000]

[Gene Strength: 15x]

[Name: Alex Moriarty]

[Cultivation Level: 48]

[Next Breakthrough: 6 days 23 hours]

[Combat Prowess: Level 9 Martial Saint]

[Strength: 233.5 Megaton]

He stared at his clenched fist, feeling the power thrumming through his veins. The numbers were impressive on paper.

With fifteen times gene strength, his base power of 233.5 megatons became approximately 3.5 teratons. His dragon transformation multiplied that by twenty, bringing him to seventy teratons. And with his Annihilation Sword Technique combined with Sword Intent, he could amplify that by nine times.

Six hundred and thirty teratons. Equivalent to a level nine Martial Emperor.

"Still not enough," he whispered to the indifferent stars.

"Rafael." He had named the Soul AI during these seven days, finding comfort in giving it a voice, a presence. "Tell me, how many planetary monsters are outside the barrier now?"

[Three right now. The other races have retreated from there for now. But each of the monsters is at the high level planetary realm.]

Alex’s chest tightened. Anxiety clawed at his insides like a living thing.

He sank down against a tree, his body finally surrendering to exhaustion. The alien sky stretched above him, stars scattered like shards of broken glass across the darkness.

Then he heard something. A low growl, deep and resonant, carrying through the night air.

Alex stood up instantly. Ember appeared at his shoulder.

Two kilometers away, slumped against massive boulders, a creature lay dying.

It was an ape. But its fur was white, pure white, glowing faintly in the moonlight like fresh snow. Ice radiated from its massive body, veins of frost spreading across the ground in intricate patterns. Deep gashes marked its chest and arms, silver-blue blood freezing the instant it touched the air.

[Name: Frost Veil Ape]

[Talent: Absolute Zero (Ultimate)]

[Rank: Mid Level Planetary Realm]

[Note: It is dying after fighting with a star realm beast]