I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

——

“Tsk tsk, mortals are truly feeble.”

“Indeed, just like those villages, wiped out in an instant—so dull.”

From the blazing Mei Ren Village, hundreds of shadows emerged, among them a few with cultivators seated upon their backs.

Their cultivation levels ranged from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation.

“If it weren’t for that guy Ye Yong teaming up with Tian Luo Sect to set an ambush, we wouldn’t have lost so many powerful magical beasts.”

“Don’t remind me. The elders had originally planned to unleash a beast tide on New Year’s Eve, flattening the nearby villages in one fell swoop. Now, with this incident, we can’t even observe the destructive power of the thousand-strong Golden Core magical beasts. What a loss.”

In truth, Bu Liu Village was not destroyed on New Year’s Eve as depicted in the novel. In reality, it remained unscathed, and Long Tian even spent the night there. The deviation stemmed from Ye Yong’s recent joining of Tian Luo Sect; during his first outing, a series of blunders diverted attention to Luo Feng Lin. The demonic sect had united their forces, only to fall into a trap set by the upper echelons of Tian Luo Sect, resulting in the annihilation of their troops, including the magical beasts cultivated by this Beast Mastery Sect.

59 Demon Cultivators and Beasts

The Beast Cult, a second-rate sect devoted to the breeding of demonic beasts, though its overall strength pales in comparison to the grand Blood Flame Sect, still possesses a certain method in the art of beast cultivation. Alas, as a second-rate sect, their voice holds little weight. When the alliance conspired to deal with Ye Yong, their sect was compelled to provide thousands of demonic beasts.

Breeding such beasts is no simple task. Only after the sect master of the Beast Cult, at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, pleaded with the powerful beings of other sects, was the number reduced to a mere thousand. Yet, even so, the instant annihilation of those thousand crystallized Golden Core beasts by the might of the Tian Luo Sect left the Beast Cult in deep sorrow, bleeding resources.

And so, they now toil to cultivate new beasts, seeking to mend their losses.

A cultivator at the second layer of crystallization, accompanied by over ten Foundation Establishment disciples, commanded a hundred or so Foundation Establishment beasts as they descended upon a humble village of mortals.

In the Middle Empire of the New Emperor, mortals are in no short supply. The five continents stretch vast and terrifying, with the territory of the human race occupying at least one-tenth of it. A typical small village boasts hundreds of villagers, while a medium-sized city can house tens of thousands. It can be said that in the lower realms, every second births many humans, and every second also claims lives; the lives of mortals are as fragile as grass.

Cultivators of the demonic sects often take pleasure in tormenting mortals, for the common folk are utterly defenseless. Before their demise, they emit strong waves of negative emotions, and to cultivate bloodthirsty, frenzied beasts, the best method is to let them kill, absorbing the hatred and resentment of humans to amplify their karma.

As for the feelings of the Beast Cult cultivators witnessing their fellow humans devoured and toyed with by demonic beasts? The answer is devoid of any compassion; only excitement and a satisfying sense of superiority.

After all, humans have a penchant for comparison among their kin, seeking a sense of superiority. As cultivators, they wield power, capable of dictating the life and death of mortals. Killing brings them no guilt, only joy.

“The map shows another village ahead. We’ve already flattened three; let’s take out two more before heading back, lest the righteous cultivators discover us and come after us,” a young Foundation Establishment disciple said, clutching a paper map, addressing the leader of the crystallized cultivators.

“Of course, no problem, Young Master Xu,” the crystallized cultivator replied, his tone respectful despite his several realms of superiority. Sometimes, the gap in status cannot be bridged by mere cultivation.

The cries of the villagers in Mei Ren Village had long ceased; all were dead, not a single soul left alive. The common folk, before the might of demonic beasts, are as fragile as tofu. The village lay drenched in blood, scattered with dismembered human remains, as the beasts drooled with bloodied saliva, moving under the rhythmic control of the crystallized cultivator’s drumbeat, advancing toward a certain direction.

——

Long Tian was beneath the bridge leading to the two villages, setting up explosive talismans. The talismans he had previously used against the Golden Core evil cultivators were all spent; he now inscribed new ones on the spot, using his own blood to continue the drawings until he deemed the setup sufficient to obliterate the bridge.

“Thud, thud, thud…” The footsteps of the demonic beasts grew ever closer. Long Tian moved downstream a short distance, hiding behind a rock, stealthily observing the cultivation levels of the demonic cultivators and their beasts, quickly discerning the overall strength of the group.

Under normal circumstances, Long Tian would not fear a second-layer crystallized cultivator and a dozen Foundation Establishment disciples. But with a hundred or so Foundation Establishment beasts in tow, his confidence waned.

Beasts are different from humans; their hides are tough, their flesh thick, and their numbers overwhelming. When they charge, one could be crushed or trampled to death.

Just at the right moment, as the first wave of beasts crossed halfway over the bridge, Long Tian detonated the talisman.

“Boom!” With a resounding explosion, the cries of the beasts, and the heavy thuds of bodies plunging into the water echoed, marking the official start of the diversion.

“What madness is this!? Who dares!?” The one called Xu Shao, who had just been seated atop the beast at the front, was caught off guard by the sudden chaos. He fell into the water, drenched, nearly crushed by the beasts tumbling down behind him.

Had it not been for the crystalline cultivator who swiftly fished him out, he would have surely swallowed more than a few mouthfuls of water.

“A sneak attack without showing your face, surely you can’t stir up much trouble, yet you wish to play the hero, you young fool.” The crystalline cultivator brought Xu Shao to the broken bridge, extending his consciousness: “Do not worry, Xu Shao, I will unearth the culprit.”

The destroyed bridge was not high, and the water was not deep; the fallen beasts soon scrambled to the shore. The crystalline cultivator struck the gongs and drums on his hands, while the beasts maximized their sense of smell, searching for any suspicious scent.

Long Tian remained submerged, his scent washed away by the flowing water. He could choose to continue hiding, but the demon cultivators would still set their sights on Bu Liu Village.

It was merely a few kilometers to Bu Liu Village; at the speed of the beasts, it wouldn’t take long to reach it. Following the scent, catching up to the villagers on foot would be no challenge at all.

“Do you demon cultivators only bully mortals? How shameless!” Long Tian attempted to provoke them through a pre-placed sound transmission talisman.

“Mortal numbers grow by the day; we are merely clearing out some useless trash, giving them a purpose. Yet you, trying to steal the spotlight while hiding away, truly make me laugh!” The crystalline cultivator discerned his position by sound, slapping the trees near the broken bridge.

One of the sound transmission talismans was destroyed, but it mattered not; Long Tian had others. He continued to taunt them, waiting for their full attention to be on him, until all the talismans were destroyed, then he deliberately revealed himself.

“Aha! Found you! Little pest!” The crystalline demon cultivator, seeing Long Tian was merely at the Foundation Establishment level, felt both anger and delight.

Anger, for suffering a loss at the hands of a Foundation Establishment, losing face before Xu Shao. Delight, for discovering this little pest, deciding to capture him and slowly torture him to death.

Long Tian feigned panic, turning to flee, while the crystalline demon cultivator rode a faster beast in pursuit.

Glancing back, Long Tian saw that the other demon cultivators had not followed, realizing he had not drawn all their ire, and thus resorted to his backup plan.

“Boom!” He detonated another talisman hidden on the other side of the broken bridge, causing the entire structure to collapse. Xu Shao, who had been poised to watch Long Tian’s capture, fell back into the water, igniting his fury.

“I will kill him with my own hands!” Not just Xu Shao, even the dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators shared this thought.

Being injured by the explosion was one thing, but being blasted into the water, becoming a drenched chicken, was something these self-important youths could not accept.

Seeing all the demon cultivators begin to command their beasts in pursuit, Long Tian breathed a sigh of relief, a smirk creeping onto his lips.

He had grown up in this area, and now, under the cover of night, with the advantage of terrain, he had plenty of ways to outlast them if they dared to chase.