Cultivation is Creation-Chapter 185: The Howl

My parents' house felt different in the dark.

Empty buildings have their own kind of silence, but this was something else entirely.

The familiar rooms where I'd grown up: well, where the original Ke Yin had grown up: felt like they were holding their breath, waiting for something. The shelves of fabric samples, the half-finished robes on the mannequins, even Mother's sewing basket in the corner... everything seemed to be watching, anticipating.

Or maybe I was just projecting.

After all, I was the one anticipating a massive wave of spirit beasts about to descend on my home.

"Yggy, time to go back," I said, and the vine creature gave what might have been a disappointed wiggle before dissolving back into energy and returning to my inner world.

I would bring it out when its appearance would be most impactful.

"The spiritual pressure is still increasing," Azure reported. "The leading edge of the wave should hit within fifteen minutes."

I nodded, running through a mental inventory one last time. New runes tested and functional? Check. Formation arrays properly anchored and charged? Check. Emergency supplies in my storage ring? Check. Paranoid suspicions about Chu Feng's mysterious behavior? Oh yes, definitely check.

I retrieved the warning tablet from outside, tucking it back into my storage ring as I headed toward the village gates.

The streets outside were eerily quiet.

My footsteps echoed off the empty buildings, making me feel like the last person in the world.

Well, almost empty buildings.

I caught occasional glimpses of movement in upper windows: the few villagers who had refused to evacuate, mostly elderly folk who claimed they'd "rather die in their beds than hide in a cave."

There were always a few in every village, though fortunately most had been convinced to leave after some rather graphic descriptions of what spirit beasts could do to unprotected mortals.

"Master, you’re unusually quiet," Azure observed.

"Just thinking about how many cultivation novels start with the protagonist's family getting killed by spirit beasts," I replied. "Really not interested in triggering that particular plot point."

"Ah, going for the 'protect the hometown' arc instead of the 'revenge journey' one?"

"Exactly. Much better character development opportunities, and significantly less traumatic."

The defensive positions came into view as I approached the village entrance. The various teams were already in place, their qi signatures forming distinct clusters in the spiritual landscape.

The River Team to the east, where Su Yue's fire-attribute energy created a warm glow in my spiritual senses.

The Mountain Team to the west, the Yan Clan cultivators maintaining that carefully understated presence that somehow managed to be more conspicuous than any obvious display of power.

And at the center, the Valley Team: our main defensive line anchored by the Heavenly Jade disciples. Their pure yang energy created a bright spot in the spiritual landscape, like a miniature sun waiting to rise.

Wei Xuanyu stood at their center, his recent defeat apparently doing nothing to dim his qi signature. If anything, he seemed to be radiating even more energy than before, though perhaps with slightly better control.

"Cutting it a bit close, aren't you?" Liu Chang's voice came from my left as I approached the gathering point for the Mobile Response Team.

Our leader stood with perfect posture despite the late hour, looking for all the world like he was about to attend a formal ceremony rather than face thousands of spirit beasts.

"Had to make sure everything was secured," I replied, taking my position in our formation. "Wouldn't want any beasts sneaking past and finding my mother's fabric collection. She'd never forgive me if her silk got ruined."

A slight smile crossed his face. "Your parents made it safely to the shelters?"

"Eventually. After checking their inventory three times and packing enough supplies to survive a year-long siege." I shook my head, remembering their stubborn insistence on proper preparation. "I think they're actually more worried about their shop than the spirit beasts."

"Family," Liu Chang said with understanding. Then, more seriously: "You and Yan Ziheng will be our final line of defense. If anything gets past the main formations..."

"I know." I met his gaze. "Nothing reaches the shelters. Nothing."

As the member with the lowest cultivation level (officially, anyway), I wouldn't be expected to hold the front lines. Plus, my formation expertise made me more valuable in a support role.

"The formations are ready?" he asked.

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"All anchors placed and charged. Five hundred spirit stones distributed across the three main arrays," I confirmed. "Though I still think we should have used more for the mountain-side defenses."

He shook his head. "We need to conserve resources. The wave might last days."

He had a point, though I didn't have to like it.

That was the thing about beast waves: they didn't politely announce their duration in advance. Sometimes they were over in hours, sometimes they lasted weeks. The longest recorded wave in sect history had gone on for three months, though that one had apparently involved some kind of cosmic alignment and an angry dragon, so hopefully we wouldn't have to deal with anything quite that dramatic.

"The good news," I said, trying to stay positive, "is that the formations are actually more efficient running on spirit stones than personal qi. Saves us wasting qi maintaining formations that could instead be used for battle.”

"And the bad news?"

"Other than the thousands of spirit beasts heading our way? The formations won't be able to handle sustained assault from anything above sixth stage. One good hit from a seventh stage or higher..."

"Hence the defensive positions," Liu Chang nodded toward where the other teams were taking their places. "Though I notice you've arranged the formation barriers behind our lines rather than in front."

I grinned. "Noticed that, did you? It's actually a bit of tactical psychology. If the barriers were in front, cultivators might be tempted to rely on them too much, let their guard down. This way, they know they're the first line of defense.”

"And if something does break through?"

"They have to get past both the cultivators and the barriers to reach the village. Plus, our people can step back into the barrier's protection if they need a breather. The smart ones will fight from just inside the boundary: their attacks can pass through, but the beasts' can't."

He raised an eyebrow. "Clever. Though I suspect you have another reason."

"The barrier also gives us a fallback position if things go wrong," I admitted. "And... it's between the beasts and the evacuation route to the caves."

"Ah." His expression softened slightly. "Protecting your family?"

"Everyone's family," I corrected. "The whole village is up there."

He nodded, understanding what I wasn't saying. It's one thing to fight knowing you might die: that's just standard cultivator career hazards. It's another thing entirely to fight knowing that if you fail, everyone you've ever cared about dies too.

"Try not to die," he said, meeting my gaze. "I’ve taken a liking to you.”

The sincerity in his voice and the sad look in his eyes caught me off guard.

“You too," I replied softly. "We've all got people worth coming back to."

***

A minute later, I arrived at my assigned position, where Yan Ziheng was already waiting. The young Yan Clan formation practitioner looked somewhat less composed than earlier.

"Senior Brother Ke," he greeted me, though I noticed his eyes constantly scanning the darkness beyond our perimeter. "The formations are holding stable?"

"For now." I took up position beside him, my own senses extending to monitor the array network. "Though we won't know how well they'll handle actual combat until the fighting starts."

He nodded, then added in a lower voice: "I hope if anything does break through, it's below the 7th Stage of Qi Condensation."

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I turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. Coming from a seventh stage cultivator himself, that seemed like an odd concern. "Worried about taking on something at your own level?"

He gave a slightly embarrassed shrug. "I'm... not exactly a combat specialist. My family encouraged my interest in formations because they thought it would keep me away from the front lines."

That was refreshingly honest. Sometimes I forgot that not everyone in the cultivation world was a battle-maniac protagonist type who could fight three realms above their level. Some people just wanted to study formations and live peaceful lives.

"Well, that's why we work in teams,” I gave him a smile. “You handle the formations, I'll handle any beasts that break through."

He gave me a skeptical look. "You're only at the sixth stage..."

"True," I agreed cheerfully. "But I'm also paranoid, which means I have about fifty different ways to run away very quickly if needed."

That earned a laugh from Yan Ziheng.

"One day we'll be able to weave formations, then we'll having nothing to fear fighting on the frontlines."

I had to smile at his enthusiasm. "That's level four and above territory. We've got a while to go before we can manage that."

He nodded, but I could see the gleam of enthusiasm in his eyes. Formation specialists were all the same: give us a chance to test our arrays in real conditions and we get as excited as alchemists with a new cauldron.

We continued discussing formation theory as we waited, a conversation that was probably inappropriately academic given the circumstances. But I supposed everyone had their own way of dealing with pre-battle tension. Some meditated, some checked their equipment repeatedly, and apparently, some discussed the theoretical applications of pentagonal array structures in defensive formations.

The first warning wasn't a sight or a sound: it was a pressure. Like the moment before a massive storm breaks, when the air itself seems to grow heavy with potential violence.

"They're close," I muttered, channeling qi to my eyes to enhance my night vision. It wasn't a difficult technique, barely more complex than basic qi circulation, but using it for extended periods could drain your energy reserves. Still, better tired than blind when facing spirit beasts.

Then came the howl.

It wasn't just loud: it was supernaturally powerful, carrying enough qi to make my bones vibrate. For a moment, my entire body locked up, muscles freezing in place as the sound washed over me.

A paralysis technique, and a powerful one.

The beast responsible had to be at least 9th Stage Qi Condensation.

I pushed my qi through my meridians in a rapid circulation, breaking the effect before it could fully take hold. Around me, I could see other cultivators doing the same, though some took longer than others.

"That was... stronger than expected," Yan Ziheng breathed, his face slightly pale.

"Just wait," I muttered. "I have a feeling that was just the opening act."

I was right.

Spirit wolves poured out of the darkness like a living flood. Their fur was various shades of grey and black, but their eyes... their eyes glowed with spiritual energy, creating an effect like hundreds of paired lanterns moving through the night.

They were beautiful, in a terrifying sort of way. Their movements were perfectly coordinated, each beast knowing exactly where it needed to be in the pack formation. These weren't just animals: they were spirit beasts, as intelligent as they were deadly.

The first wave hit the defensive lines like a breaking wave. Su Yue's steam barrier turned dozens of them into cooked meat instantly, while the Heavenly Jade disciples' jade-colored lightning created a curtain of death across the valley entrance. The Yan Clan team... well, I wasn’t able to tell exactly what they were doing, but the sounds were impressive.

Most of these wolves were around Qi Condensation Stage 3-6, dangerous to mortals but manageable for trained cultivators. But mixed in with them were larger specimens: Stage 7 and 8 beasts that moved with frightening speed and power.

And at the back...

I saw it then. The Alpha. It stood head and shoulders above its pack, its fur so dark it seemed to absorb light. Its spiritual pressure alone was enough to make the air feel thick: definitely Qi Condensation Stage 9.

But it wasn't looking at the battle. Its gaze was fixed on something behind us, up in the mountains. Was it looking toward the evacuation caves? Or...

The Sacred Grove.

The shrine.