Chapter 185: Natalia Schirchstein

Skill: Zombie State Reversion (new skill!) 

— Required skills: Zombie Insight, Blood Control, Blood Transfer, Virus Control

— With the Insight you have on the Zombies, and the skills of manipulating both the blood and the virus, you now have the power to revert an infected back to being a human.

<Notice! This process is not guaranteed! Based on the control of the user, one could either bring back a zombie to human or kill it.>

Skill Conditions— can only be used once per Qi Core a day. 

Skill Qi Consumption— Very High(Skill Consumption can either be very low, low, average, high, very high)

In short, I only have one measly attempt in reversing Natalia's state. As mentioned in the Skill Description, the Skill Qi Consumption of the Zombie State Reversion is very high— which defines that I could only use it once and my Qi Core is depleted. Well, I could use more Qi Cores in trying to revert my other disciples to their human form... but not only would it put me in danger, it might also destroy my Qi Cores as well. 

It wasn't well explained before but a Qi Core can only exist if there is Qi Energy available, depleting one Qi Core puts it at risk. Worst-case scenario is, it will cease to exist and you won't have a way to bring it back. Fortunately for me, I have enough Qi Cores to risk one, but if I were a regular run of the mill cultivator,  I might as well be on a suicidal mission just to revive a human from being a rabid human. 

But if it's Natalia, it's worth the risk. I have five Qi Cores and I'll think of a sure-fire way to save her with minimal consequences. 

Without further ado, I approached the mountain where my Tang Sect was founded. The moment I stepped into the territory of the horde, I immediately felt a pressure that rivaled mine. It wasn't as strong as the Guardian in the Void Tower Dungeon, nor was it more extreme than my Master Shi Yanmei, but it was as powerful as mine, making me almost kneel to the ground as the brunt of the pressure pushed me to the ground. I breathed, relaxing my Qi Cores as I tried to steadily gain an advantage of the pressure. After all, with pressures like this, one could leap one or two stages higher since it matches the pressure I'm used to. 

And here I am, under the assumption that these rabid humans are different from the others. But as it turned out, they were highly territorial just like everybody else! Without a second to spare, I dashed through the pile of literal corpses, trying to save some precious time in my expedition to save Natalia. 

"In any case, how could she still look dazzling even though she's already a rabid human? Her stomach is ruptured and all but if I set aside that thing, she still appeared as beautiful as ever." I incredulously stared at her. 

In my haste to get to Natalie's location, I didn't notice that they have already begun their assault. A glint of azure light flashed from Natalia's eyes as a screech could be heard in the vicinity of the mountain. I knew that the screech was some sort of signal to commence an attack on a possible or unwary intruder. But little did I know, it was actually a buff that lets the surrounding rabid humans borrow Natalia's power. And it was by a significant amount! In the beginning of my quest, I thought  Natalia would be the only one problematic amongst the group. But right now, all of them were almost as strong as Natalia. 

Just how effective were her buffs? How does she do that? 

With those questions at the forefront of my mind, the first wave of the horde relentlessly came at me, throwing their bodies without a sense of decency. Unlike the other rabid humans who just want a bite from a human and nothing else, these rabid humans are different. They're extremely determined to stop me at all costs!

"Stop playing hard-to-get, Natalia," I muttered as my teeth slammed on each other.  I was running too fast that I almost bit my tongue off. 

<You have activated the Skill: Ferocity> 

<You have activated the Skill: Rage> 

<You have activated the Skill: Killing Intent> 

<You have activated Berserk Mode>

<Notice: Would you like to activate the chain skill: Strong Will?> 

<Yes/No> 

<You have activated the Skill: Strong Will> 

<Strong Will activation is successful> 

<You have entered Controlled Berserk Mode.>

<Would you like to activate the chain skill: Virus Madness?> 

<Yes/No>

<You have activated the skill: Virus Madness> 

<Virus Madness activation is successful> 

<You are now currently in the Beyond Transcendence Realm. For more specifics about your rank, please refer to the Middle Plane Ranking System.>

Ever since the System leveled up, its notifications were much more specific than before. My understanding of skills and their usage were nothing compared to the understanding of the System so calling it chain skills definitely helped me in my pursuit of greater skill combinations. With that out of the way, I was three or so Realms Higher than Natalia herself. This should be easy.

The only downside of using a lot of skills simultaneously is the amount of Qi Energy consumed by the second. At most, I only have about five minutes before my body would get left behind, increasing the chances of my Qi Energy running amok. At least the amount of power I gained lessened the amount of time for me to complete this personal quest. It's just a matter of bringing down the horde as soon as I can or else it will be too late.

I also need a considerable amount of Qi Energy and a fully functioning Qi Core so I could bring Natalia back. That's why I can't afford a window of failure. I have to keep track of my time and accomplish everything on schedule.

Albeit being Stage-8 or higher, the rabid humans have no oomph in them. As I swayed my hand, a huge outburst of wind erupted, sending the rabid humans away as if they were shredded paper being tossed from atop a building. They groaned and tried to fight back but it was to no avail. Coming face to face with a lesser power has never been so satisfactory on my end.

A series of elemental techniques and skills showered upon me next, like a volley of meteorites that wiped off a certain type of creature off the face of the planet. But no matter how quantifiable their attacks were, I effortlessly dodged it. It didn't even touch a single hair on my body.

"Is that the best you could— "

Bam!

I was sent flying a few hundred meters before I skidded to a halt. I scampered back on my feet as I tried to sense what had hit me.

"Are you freaking kidding me right now?" A smirk overwrote the complete confidence of a grin I plastered on my face as I saw a figure clad in cerulean raiment. A translucent scarf hung over her head like a royalty bearing the crest of a pure clan. Even with the hole on her stomach, she still appeared as divine as ever.

It was Natalia, for some reason, she has achieved a breakthrough to who knows what level. But judging from her strength, I'd say we have the same level of cultivation, or she's slightly superior to me. Whichever the case, I'm fairly certain that I'd have greater difficulty in reining her in before my Berserk Mode expires.

Another screech came from her mouth and with it, the whole mountain froze with clear ice. I could've sworn she screamed 'let it go' but it was probably just my mind trying to take things lightly. And after the mountain froze to its core, the skies darkened, and a blizzard ensued.

In such a short time, she has created a domain advantageous to both her and her army of rabid humans. She really is a formidable opponent.

I clenched my fists and unleashed a flurry of attacks as I tried to gauge her speed, but not only did she dodge all of them, she dodged them so gracefully that for a moment, I thought I was attending a performance of an expert danseuse. I held my breath... she really is breath-taking.

No! Get it together, Yongrui.

Since it was my time to show off in front of my famous disciple, I activated my Fiery Qi Core and my Original Qi Core which had the wind element. A flame enwrapped my hands as the darkened skies parted. A gust of warm wind filled the fifty-meter radius with me in the middle.

The rabid humans have no idea what was happening but as for Natalia, she was screaming her lungs out, fully aware that what I'm about to do next would wipe out her entire rabid human army in one fell swoop.

"What happens to pure oxygen if you ignite a lighter?" I said, snapping my fingers as the fire in my hands erupted a little bit.