Chapter 220: Shadows Lurking Within

The ear-deafening screech that filled the entire heavens was as ominous as the sound of the apocalypse itself. And as someone who could remain calm and composed even in life-threatening situations, I was surprised that my knees buckled at my own weight after hearing that screech. It didn't sound as powerful as I had expected and yet, my instincts were telling me to get out of the Sky Kingdom as soon as possible. The last time I ever felt this kind of danger was when I was caught between a territorial fight of two rabid human hordes. A screech wouldn't even amount to much compared to being attacked by two rabid human hordes at once and yet I wanted to run, I wanted to go to a safe corner and cower in fear as the screech continued to grow louder.

My spectators immediately fled from the scene as soon as they heard the terrifying screech that resonated throughout the area. Just like me, they were filled with fear. The only difference was that they openly showed that very same fear I felt. And here I am, trying to suppress my emotions while trying to figure out what's going on.

Grabbing me by the hand, Zenith immediately pulled me away from the open fields and into the residential area of the Sky Kingdom. I thought that maybe Zenith wouldn't be too afraid of the whole situation but when I happened to look at her face, she was wearing an expression that I never expected her to wear. Her eyes were filled with desperation and panic as she tugged at my arm while running at full speeds. Fortunately, I could keep up with her speed, otherwise, my arm would've been pulled off of its sockets.

Zenith and I found ourselves cowering behind a house that also contained cowering residents inside it. From a distance, we watched as the skies continued to darken in color. This transition was unlike daytime shifting to daytime. Instead, the sky is like a huge canvas, and a bottle of black ink is being splashed on it. The transition was too sudden that we didn't realize that the skies were already dark long before we were aware of the transition. And from a distance, a few of us could see the vague figure of a monster that hid behind the clouds.

"Is that, the Quetzalcoatl?" I asked.

Before anyone could address my question, however, the figure behind the clouds separated into two and now, there were two of them. I don't remember ever hearing about two Quetzalcoatl's existing in the Middle Plane. The last time I heard, there was only one of them, and it's only recently that I heard about the said story. Am I missing something? Or was I just not paying attention when they told me about the three Mythical Beasts in the Middle Plane?

"No, that's not the Quetzalcoatl... it's bigger than the Quetzalcoatl." Zenith muttered underneath her breath as she tugged at my sleeves. "I'm fairly certain, Master because I've seen what the Quetzalcoatl looked like before. Those two entities could be related to the Quetzalcoatl... but they're not it."

I could sense the nervousness welling up inside Zenith that I gave her a hug before I stood up. At least it calmed her down a little bit. Now, it's time to assess the situation and try to minimize the damage to the Sky Kingdom, assuming that these two monsters would attack.

"Zenith, try to contact Sir Conrad and everyone in the Sky Knights as soon as possible. If they cannot be reached, then please tell me as soon as you can." I commanded with a sense of urgency in my voice. Getting her mind off of things by telling her to do something else would be better than her idling around and panicking by herself. Besides, I shouldn't let her stay longer, otherwise, she would sense how nervous I truly am right now.

These monsters are not that simple. I feel an overwhelming and oppressive aura emanating from them. If worse comes to worst and I have to engage with them in combat, then I'm not sure if I'd survive the encounter.

Think, Yongrui, think. What can you do right now while you wait for backup?

Well, there was only one thing I could do.

While everyone was panicking and clamoring to get to a safer place, I stayed behind the house and accessed my System Inventory. I then claimed all the EXP Cards I have in there just so I could level up to 100.

<Congratulations, you've leveled up!>

<Congratulations, you've leveled up!>

<Congratulations, you've leveled up!>

<Congratulations, you've leveled up!>

<Congra... >

After that, I grabbed a dozen Essences for each of my corresponding Qi Cores and Elements. After neatly lining them up on the ground, I continued the cultivation I was supposed to do tomorrow. That's right, when in doubt, just go back to the basics and start cultivating. I should've done this a long time ago but I was rather taking it easy because I needed some rest. But right now, there's no time to rest. While I have the leeway to cultivate, I should maximize it as much as I can.

Blocking everything in my mind, I started cultivating all of my Qi Cores and Elements. Before, I would focus on each of my elements but right now, I decided to simultaneously cultivate them, making it a bit harder for myself.

The Essences, once again, started swirling all over me as Pure Qi Energy invaded my body. I could feel all of my Qi Cores expanding and it took all my concentration to prevent them from exploding. Hui-ying sensed what I was doing and told me I was crazy, but she opted to help me anyways. The System also joined in on helping me as well.

"Yongrui! I can't reach Sir Conrad! They just left for a zombie subjugation for a nearby settlement!" Zenith then came running towards me, bearing the worst of news.