Chapter 723: Meeting

Following the dramatic turn of events, an eerie silence blanketed the city. The enormous snake beast lay dead on the outskirts of the city, its lifeless eye staring vacantly into the sky. A huge chunk of the district was ruined, bearing the scars of the beast's rampage.

Although the beast had only arrived for a few moments and didn't even get a chance to attack, the amount of destruction it still caused was immense.

Alden sheathed his sword, his body covered in sweat and blood. His gaze fell upon the lifeless snake beast, then shifted towards where Norrick had made his last stand. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he registered the sacrifice his subordinate and team had made.

However, he couldn't help but think that this whole situation was strange now that he thought about it.

First off, he never ordered Norrick to hunt down beasts. Secondly, the man didn't listen even when he told him to stop.

Lastly, Norrick wasn't the type of man to commit suicide. If anything, he would've run as far away from the Rank 9 beast as possible.

'Strange.' He fell into thought as the image of a 9-tailed fox woman appeared in his mind. 'Could she have something to do with it? Did she charm him?'

Logic said no. They had only interacted for a few minutes at most, but he didn't see any signs of Norrick being charmed.

'Maybe an enslavement technique?' He thought, but that was even more ridiculous. From his knowledge, experience, and history records of the Battle Maiden Sect, not once have they ever enslaved people. Not to mention, most enslavement techniques are extremely complicated, even more so when using it on someone of a higher cultivation.

He didn't believe she could enslave someone from right under his nose in the span of a few minutes.

Even after giving it some thought, Alden still couldn't come to a conclusion, and since things needed to be done, he pushed it to the back of his mind.

He had to ensure the safety of his people and help start the repairs for the city. "Everyone gather around! Wounded to the center for healing! Others, assist in rescuing anyone trapped under the rubble!" he ordered, his voice echoing through the devastated city.

Despite the chaos and destruction, the remaining guards and cultivators rallied together, assisting Maria and her team in tending to the injured.

Through this, Maria's title as the 'Saintess' only became more renowned, and her name spread across the city like wildfire. Not only was she able to heal people so effortlessly, but even hidden injuries that they'd had for years were able to be cured!

Meanwhile, Mira watched the unfolding scene from her vantage point, a pleased expression gracing her features. 'Who knew scheming would be so effective?'

Even if the beasts didn't retaliate and stayed silent after the slaughter of many Rank 8s, she still managed to put the city on edge against them. She didn't know what sort of consequences that'll lead to, but she didn't really care.

At the very least, Maria was able to further her reputation.

'...No wonder Aelina has gotten so lazy.' Mira muttered. If Aelina had heard her, she definitely would've smacked Mira upside the head, saying that she wasn't lazy, just patient. 'Having the ability to sit back and do nothing as the world moves according to your wishes... How slothful. I should tell her to get off her ass and work when I get back.'

She still very much preferred facing her problems head-on. It was much more efficient and less head-ache inducing.

'But, if it can help shift my troubles onto someone else, then maybe it's a skill worth learning.' Mira mused.

Now that she'd finished her job, Mira disappeared from her location and headed for Maria's mansion. She thought about trying to steal the snake's corpse, as it'd make for a decent bloodline, but figured that was too risky.

Alden wasn't the only Mortal Shedding Realm expert in the city, and she was sure they were eyeing the corpse, just like everyone else. The body of a Rank 9 beast was a precious treasure for most people, after all.

'Speaking of treasures. I should leave Maria with a farewell gift before I leave.' Mira thought with a slight smile.

At the same time, the very person she was thinking about was busy healing droves of innocent civilians.

Although the upper echelon of the city was made up of Soul Transformation and Mortal Shedding Realm experts, most of the city was filled with Foundation, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. There were even plenty of people in the Qi Condensation Realm, though they were rare.

Nonetheless, due to the destruction and fame, Maria was incredibly busy. Fortunately, she had created a technique for these situations. It wasn't nearly as effective as [Transcendent Restoration], but it got the job done.

[Healing Aura]!

Healing light spilled from Maria's hands, cascading over the wounded, mending bones and sealing wounds.

"Oh! Thank you very much, Saintess!"

"Oh my god! The Saintess healed me! Now, I'm sure to live another 100 years!"

"Hahahaha! The Saintess is really incredible! Now, I can go back to war! Hahaha!"

"Please let me be the father of your children, Sain-Urk!"

The air hummed with gratitude and reverence for the Saintess, her title echoing from mouth to mouth, spreading across the city like wildfire.

Maria merely smiled humbly and said, "No need for thanks. This is just what I should do as a citizen of Vorandis."

"OHHH! As expected of the Saintess!"

Meanwhile, Alden continued his work, coordinating the rescue and rebuilding efforts. But his mind never strayed far from Mira. The mysterious woman from the Battle Maiden Sect was more than she appeared, and he intended to look more into it.

As the day wore on, the city began to regain some semblance of order. Maria's reputation as the 'Saintess' solidified as she healed thousands of injured people. The respect and admiration for her were palpable.

After many hours of healing and going through numerous Qi Restoration pills, Maria finally took care of everyone who needed help and was able to return to the mansion alongside Rhydian and her subordinates.

***

While the city was busy rebuilding, deep in the mountains, a group of beasts in human form were sitting around a large table, silent. The atmosphere was tense as they all had dark expressions.

"I los~sst all my informants~ss in Vorandis~ss." A scaly figure with slitted eyes and a forked tongue hissed.

"Me too." x5

The place became quiet again until a rabbit beast spoke up.

"What should we do? Our casualties weren't small! We have to make up for this loss!"

"And how do you propose we do that? Destroy that city? What's even the point?" A hawk beast asked.

"He's right." A feline beast nodded in agreement with the hawk. "Remember. Our job is not to fight but to scout, inform, and steal. If we act out, especially now, the Great Clans will destroy us, not the humans!"

"..."

Only now did they remember that no beast clan would care about their petty squabble with the humans at this time. They were too busy preparing.

"Maybe we should prepare for the Primal Ascendence Convergence like the other Clans. We can still keep a few of our scouts active, but in order to make up for this loss, we have to send our most talented cubs there." A bull-like beast said, causing the others to stare at it.

It was the only beast here that wasn't suited for reconnaissance. However, they had equally as important jobs. When shit hit the fan, as it did in Vorandis, they were supposed to take charge and turn everyone's attention away from the spies and onto them. That way, they could escape and relay any important information.

Unfortunately, it seemed that someone was prepared for a few to escape and killed them anyways.

"Why are you all so glum? It's not like we didn't obtain anything from this." An owl beast in the form of a human said, "Information about the humans massacring our clans could help bring awareness to the Great Clans and make them more aware of things happening around the mountains. In fact, we might be able to charge a higher price because of this!"

The owl paused for a few seconds, then added, "This is supposed to be a secret, but I heard a Rank 9 Shadowfang was killed not long ago by a group of humans. Apparently, it was supposed to take part in the Primal Ascendence Convergence but died before it ever got the chance. Added onto this, and I'm sure the other clans will pay a premium for what we have to offer."

"..."

The others turned silent as they considered the owl's words. Although they made sense on the surface, they were wary of the owl's intentions by giving them this information.

Out of them all, it was by far the smartest and most knowledgeable. If it wanted to trick them, it wouldn't be difficult.

The owl sensed this and cooed, "Don't worry. This isn't a scheme. I'm trying to help all of us make up for our losses so that we can all, one day, rise up in this world."

"...Fine. We'll listen to you. But I think we should also recall our scouts and prepare for the Convergence."

"Agreed!" x5

With that, the meeting between the heads of the beast clans involved ended.