Chapter Twenty-Four: Damn, It's a Person!
Billowing sand and dust obscured all vision.
Through the haze, a lone figure battled amidst the yellow sands against a host of colossal beasts.
His exosuit was completely shattered, and his shield had been stowed away.
Though he wore no power armor, his face was still protected by the suit’s mask, supplying him with oxygen and fresh water.
Jiang Taichu was drenched in blood, engaging the earth beasts with his bare hands. At times, his strength seemed to falter, but his formidable constitution and razor-sharp Earthen Dao Sword allowed him to turn the tables and slay his foes.
High above in the distance, several mechs arrived, their particle radars active, scanning the sandstorm below.
“What is that thing?”
“A new earth beast, perhaps? Battling for Beast King?”
The squadron of mechs landed on a distant mountain ridge, wary of approaching.
Within the rolling dust, massive silhouettes of earth beasts loomed—by a quick count, at least twenty or thirty.
With so many earth beasts, only someone courting death would approach.
Their own mechs, like Jiang Taichu’s, were outdated models, able to operate for three hours at best.
“That looks like a person?” one pilot remarked over the comms.
Another gave a startled shout. “It really does! Could an earth beast clan have spawned a humanoid beast?”
“A humanoid earth beast? If earth beasts could take human form, then the Star Spirit of Taifeng Fortress would have been resurrected by now!”
One pilot scoffed, “Earth beasts barely manage basic sentience, let alone humanoid forms. If they were smarter, they wouldn’t be on our dinner tables.”
Every star fortress possessed a Star Spirit—the formation spirit of the great killing array at its core.
Though there were rumors that Taifeng’s Star Spirit merely slumbered, lacking energy to awaken, most took these tales as idle amusement.
If any Star Spirit still existed, Blue Star would have claimed it long ago.
“So it’s not an earth beast—could it really be a human? Are you suggesting a Qi Cultivator?”
“I’d sooner believe in a mutant beast than a Qi Cultivator.”
The others chimed in—what Qi Cultivator would show up in a backwater like this?
They’d have long since moved to more lucrative regions or off-world mining zones.
“Actually, it might be another alien species,” someone mused. “Didn’t they say there’s a Stonefolk tribe on Taifeng?”
“Stonefolk? That’s plausible. They’re a terrestrial clan too, and they’re known to fight earth beasts for territory.”
“The spiritual fireworks earlier must’ve been from their battle, which triggered the array.”
Mentioning the Stonefolk, the group nodded in sudden understanding—it all fit.
The Stonefolk were renowned for their strength and prowess in close-quarters combat. This kind of melee certainly matched their reputation.
“If it’s a Stonefolk, then the Stone Heart soon to come will be quite the prize,” one pilot declared.
“We’ll all be competing for it. My mech’s energy reserves are still full—I just got here.”
“Damn, I need to buy a new energy cell when I get back.”
One after another, the mechs soared away, leaving just three behind.
With their dwindling energy reserves, if they couldn’t hold out until the battle ended, someone else would claim the spoils.
After a moment’s hesitation, the remaining three also departed—after all, it wouldn’t take long to make a round trip.
Jiang Taichu was oblivious to being watched.
The distance was too great; their particle radars couldn’t reach him, and he had no means to detect them.
He hardly cared, anyway—spiritual energy coursed rapidly through his body, filling him with an exhilarating tremor.
It was as if his body held boundless strength; the Sublime Dao Body Refinement Technique was advancing by leaps and bounds, faster than cultivating in any training chamber.
He reveled in this wondrous sensation, the image of the “Sublime Dao True Lord” battlesuit flickering in his mind, as if guiding him forward.
With the suit’s blessing, his cultivation speed doubled.
Time slipped by—an hour, two hours…
Far away, those watching in their mechs were growing restless. “It’s been three hours. I’ve already recharged once.”
“Same here. Even a Stonefolk would be exhausted by now, right?” Anxiety spread among the others.
Even the legendary Stonefolk, for all their strength, would tire after such prolonged combat.
The dust storm thickened, but through the gloom, they could still make out that figure, still locked in battle.
Earth beast blood had pooled, staining the ground a golden hue.
“If we wait any longer, it’ll be nightfall. Forget the Stone Heart—I’ll settle for dragging back an earth beast corpse to break even.”
One pilot dove from the sky, heading straight into the swirling sands.
The others followed suit—their energy reserves were running low, and they didn’t want to wait any longer.
As Jiang Taichu fought the beasts, he sensed the incoming mechs. His gaze sharpened, and he flung his Earthen Dao Sword with a snap.
The pilot, just about to collect an earth beast corpse, was startled by a blaring alarm. He jerked his mech back violently.
With a crash, the Dao Sword landed before him, splitting the earth and sending stones flying.
Jiang Taichu leaped from atop a beast’s carcass, landing with such force that the ground caved in beneath him, his calves sinking into the earth.
“What do you want?” Jiang Taichu’s cold voice cut through the comm channel.
“Holy—he’s human…”
The mech pilot was struck with terror and bolted. A human? A Qi Cultivator?!
The rest, just arriving, caught sight of Jiang Taichu, his battered exosuit barely hanging off his bronze skin, and felt a chill down their spines.
One man—his armor destroyed—had fought earth beasts for over three hours?
A cultivator of the Qi Path?
Or a body-refining master who had taken internal cultivation to its limit?
Suddenly, wind howled—a massive earth beast lunged from above, maw agape, fangs bared for the kill.
Jiang Taichu reached out with both hands, seizing the beast’s jaws. He ignored the rows of razor-sharp teeth.
His arms tensed, spiritual energy exploding.
With a thunderous crash, he swung the massive beast’s body, smashing it hard into the earth.
The ground trembled, fissures spread, rocks and dust flew, obscuring all sight.
“That’s a body-refining cultivator, no doubt about it.”
“Boss, we mean no harm—we’re leaving!”
The mech pilots didn’t hesitate; they turned tail and fled.
Jiang Taichu frowned slightly, drew his Earthen Dao Sword, and deftly gutted the earth beast.
He found the stone core, thrust his right hand into the carcass, and tore out a core the size of his palm.
To the mechs, this was a terrifying sight.
In the blink of an eye, the distant mechs had all vanished.
“Just a bunch of opportunists,” Jiang Taichu mused, unconcerned.
At this point, he truly feared no one below the Qi Cultivation level.
Here, only semi-automatic rifles were allowed—nothing could breach his defenses.
Of course, he wasn’t invincible; powerful earth beasts could still be dangerous, but he had Little Tai, his fully automated battlesuit, as protection.
After the recent commotion, he no longer fought blindly—he began collecting the earth beast corpses.
He packed the bodies into his backpack, dispatching any beast that approached.
By the time he’d finished, dusk had fallen.
“Time to head back. I’ve gained plenty today. Tomorrow I’ll leave some pills for my little brother, then head to work at the company.”
Jiang Taichu ordered, “Little Tai, flight mode.”
Golden armor enveloped him instantly, powerful thrusters launching him skyward. In a flash, he disappeared into the horizon.
He arrived at the Star Hall, now deserted—everyone else had gone home.
Jiang Taichu passed through the Celestial Gate’s projection, returning to the Jade Spirit Treasure Pavilion.
“I thought you’d never make it back,” Su Yue remarked in surprise as she saw him. “Don’t tell me you ran out of energy and walked all the way back? And where did you get that armor?”
“I wrecked your suit. These three are what I picked up, and I’ve got some earth beast carcasses for you as well—name your price.”
Su Yue took the backpack and blinked in shock. “Did you rob someone?”
“In a manner of speaking. Who asks about provenance in the planetary graveyard?”
“Not me.”