Chapter 22 Stealth-Based Mission

Tan Rei's movement was pure instinct. His sword flashed out, trailing pale blue light as he crossed the space between them. The blade drew a perfect arc through the air, deflecting the worst of the debris while his other hand yanked Qin Yi back from the devastation.

"Tan Rei!"

The shout rang with indignation from the rear lines. "How dare you interfere with Senior Brother Qin's technique!"

The formation, its burning harmony shattered by Tan Rei's intervention, began to collapse. Threads of spiritual energy snapped like burning strings, the backlash sending ripples of destructive force through the connected cultivators. Four of them managed to retreat in a stumble, but two of them collapsed, their faces pale as the rebounding energy struck their meridians.

Before they could fall, shadows flashed past.

Tan Rei's group.

The two seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator's of Tan Rei's group swiftly caught the affected cultivators and helped stabilize their spiritual energy. But their aid only seemed to fuel the anger of those watching from the back.

"Unnecessary!"

"Senior Brother Qin had everything under control!"

"First they refuse to help, now they make things worse!"

The front line cultivators, however, remained tellingly silent.

They had felt the beetle's killing intent firsthand, seen the way the stone fragments had torn through the air like flying swords. Their expressions were grim as they maintained their defensive positions, eyes never leaving the beast.

Qin Yi doubled over, a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The crimson tempest that had surrounded him moments before had dispersed, leaving him looking haggard. His eyes, however, remained sharp as he evaluated the situation.

If I had continued...

The thought wasn't pleasant.

The formation would have protected him from death, yes. The combined power of seven cultivators would have ensured his survival. While he could not say with confidence, if he continued his attack he would have definitely inflicted substantial damage to the beast.

But the cost...

He could see it clearly now. His companions were scattered, and their meridians shattered by the backlash of a disrupted technique. Himself, half drained to the point of uselessness in future battles.

It wasn't enough to kill a beast of this level. If he had struck, there was a high possibility that some of the six wouldn't have lived, and there was a great risk of possibly destroying the Thunder Silk.

With how things stood, it was too much of a high risk.

His gaze drifted to the very rear of their group, where the situation had deteriorated further. Two cultivators were now openly arguing, their faces red with accusation:

"You've taken three breaks since we started!"

"Because some of us are actually fighting instead of hanging back!"

"Oh? Is that why I saw you dodge behind Senior Brother Mao every time the beast charges?"

Further back, three cultivators sat in meditation, supposedly 'recovering their spiritual energy'. But their expressions showed more frustration than concentration, and their defensive positions suggested they were using recovery as an excuse to avoid the front lines.

Now with this moment of forced respite, his eyes had opened to the reality of the situation. This was not the disciplined military of his hometown, this was a merely a forced collected group of cultivators.

When things are going well, nobody would complain and follow his word.

But when things are going south, people's true colors begin to show.

"Senior Brother Qin!" One of his rear guard allies rushed forward. "That Tan Rei, he dared to—"

"Silence!" Qin Yi cut him off, his voice carrying an edge that made everyone freeze.

He wiped the blood from his lips with deliberate slowness, his gaze fixed on the beetle. The beast's horns were still crackling with energy, but it stood still instead of acting wildly.

It appeared to having a moment of respite, just like their group.

The chamber fell quiet except for the soft hum of electricity and the labored breathing of exhausted cultivators. In that moment of tense silence, the sound of arguing from the rear became painfully obvious.

It wasn't until they felt the stares of those in the front lines and noticed the heavy silence that the two arguing cultivators stopped their bickering and fell quiet.

Seeing everyone's cold expression and Qin Yi's demon expression made them scared out of their wits. They wanted to apologize, but they didn't dare speak.

Qin Yi let loose a rough snort, and then spoke to Tan Rei,

"Your terms?"

***

Sometime before…

The chamber's irregular terrain proved both blessing and curse. Rocky outcrops that could shelter a normal cultivator presented an absurd challenge for Zhao Lingfeng's massive companion. The Stone Claw Bear, bless its earnest heart, continued to squeeze its bulk behind rocks. The problem was, it didn't seem to be able to tell the difference between a large stone and a boulder.

Zhao Lingfeng had to mercilessly slap the bear many times and point behind a rock where it was actually feasible to hide.

Fortunately, the bear eventually understood.

Well mostly.

It was somewhat of a miracle that the back line cultivators did not notice him.

Through the shadows and ambient light of fungi and scattered talismans, Zhao Lingfeng watched the ongoing battle from his vantage point. The beetle's lightning illuminated the chamber in stark flashes, creating a constantly shifting array of shadows and light that would make stealth either impossible or remarkably easy if one timed their movements correctly.

Like that old stealth game where you had to move between searchlight patterns, Zhao Lingfeng mused. Though I don't remember the protagonist riding a bear that thinks it's as stealthy as a cat.

The plan they'd devised was relatively simple, though its execution would require precise timing.

Tan Rei would integrate themselves with Qin Yi's group, negotiating and try and help join the battle. Once they are accepted into Qin Yi's group, they would position themselves in a key position to provide an opportunity which would be signalled beforehand by Tan Rei.

They would wait for the perfect moment, when the beetle's attention was fully occupied, then launch a coordinated attack to temporarily disrupt its lightning abilities.

That was where Zhao Lingfeng came in.

His role was to circle behind during the chaos and secure some of the Thunder Silk while everyone was occupied. If he was discovered early, the backup plan involved him joining Tan Rei's group for a standard coordinated assault. They decided that it was better to not inform them beforehand of Zhao Lingfeng's existence in case variables arise.

Not ideal, but better than no plan at all.

No respawn screen if I'm spotted, Zhao Lingfeng reminded himself. Just a harder fight ahead.

The bear shifted beneath him, making a grinding sound that might have been a question.

"Patience," Zhao Lingfeng whispered, patting its stone-armored flank. "Remember what we did before? "See beast, don't go. No beast, move slow."

The bear's small eyes lit up with understanding.

It was really fortunate that prior to meeting Tan Rei and the others, he and the bear had done hours of preliminary experience of stealth, avoiding and not disturbing beasts along their way down here.

The first few times almost got Zhao Lingfeng killed due to the bear picking a fight!

Another flash of lightning illuminated the chamber. In that brief moment, Zhao Lingfeng caught glimpses of Tan Rei's people taking their positions, serving as distractions as Tan Rei was making discussion with Qin Yi.

The bear began to move, then froze as Zhao Lingfeng gently tugged at its fur. "Wait," he breathed. The beetle was faintly crackling with electricity. Three heartbeats later, it tackled forward, momentarily forcing everyone's attention to look at the front.

Now.

The bear lumbered forward with surprising grace, its heavy steps muffled by the noise of the battle.

They reached the next outcropping a formation of rocks that might, if one squinted and had a very generous imagination, conceal their bulk.

"Looking good," Zhao Lingfeng encouraged as the bear attempted to make itself smaller by hunching down. "Very... stealthy."

The next section was much more difficult.

He glanced at the chamber's perimeter and understood that going around these structures was too risky.

It would take some distance until a relatively feasible cover would be found.

As Zhao Lingfeng pondered whether to take a detour or not, he felt the world moving.

"Oi!" he chided in a whisper.

But the bear did not stop, giving off the attitude of "Leave it to me."

The first section was a roughly cube-shaped boulder that had split down the middle, creating what might generously be called a 'cave'… if that cave was meant for a small animal like a fox. The gap was about three feet wide and perhaps four feet deep, with a flat top that made it resemble a natural stone box.

The Stone Claw Bear, channeling the spirit of every household cat that had ever encountered a too-small cardboard box, had somehow stuffed itself into this space. Its massive body was folded in half, with its stone-armored rear end sticking out one side like an oversized loaf of bread that refused to fit in its container.

Zhao Lingfeng, forced to embrace his mount's enthusiasm, found himself practically lying flat against the bear's back. His legs were splayed awkwardly to either side as the bear's body compressed itself, and he had to tuck his head down enduring the scraping against the stone roof.

The bear's head and front large claws poked out the other side, nodding to itself as it surveyed the battlefield with what it clearly believed was exceptional stealth. The sight was exactly like watching a cat that had convinced itself it was invisible simply because its head fit into a box, despite its entire body being clearly visible.

"Finally I'm free."

Zhao Lingfeng craned his neck, ready to shake off the debris…

Then.

Zhao Lingfeng's gaze locked eyes with someone.

That someone was out of all people… Qin Yi!!

Time seemed to freeze.

The sounds of battle faded into the background as the group leader and beast tamer locked eyes across the chamber.

Zhao Lingfeng felt cold sweat trickle down his back, but his face remained carefully neutral.

Nah.

It was frozen.

He could see Qin Yi's eyes appear to bulge in real time from the shock as he took in the reality of what he was seeing.

The bear, completely oblivious to this critical moment, was busy playing stealth and slowly approaching the next structure with swagger.

Only making this awkward scene go on longer…

Don't move and keep cool, Zhao Lingfeng thought desperately. What's the detection meter? Hell if I know! I'm not moving, so he can't see me! That's how it works right? This mechanic is called hidden in plain sight!

With deliberate slowness, maintaining eye contact the entire time, Zhao Lingfeng gave Qin Yi a single, dignified nod and turned away. His expression in that moment had remained perfectly composed, as if there was absolutely nothing unusual about a human riding a massive Stone Claw Bear as they attempted to play a stealth-based mission in the middle of a battlefield.

Qin Yi: …

From there, Zhao Lingfeng guided it to the next rocky outcrop, a little extra silently towards a single thin boulder that rose from the ground like a standing stone. It was barely wider than the bear's head. Yet somehow, the bear had managed to press itself against this rock and was attempting to hide behind it while standing completely sideways, as if it believed turning itself into a vertical bear-shaped line would make it less noticeable.

The end result looked like a massive Stone Claw Bear trying to impersonate a particularly unconvincing stone pillar.

Zhao Lingfeng said nothing, his cultivation senses prickling him that Qin Yi was still staring at him.

Qin Yi: ...

Finally, when they were out of 'direct line of sight', Zhao Lingfeng let loose a large breath and his shoulders slumped in relief.

The bear peeked back at him.

It gave a little wiggle and wildly smiled at him.

Stone Claw Bear: I did good right?

Zhao Lingfeng, slowly, raised a thumbs up, his hand shaking from internal conflict.

Since there was no death scene, respawn, or besieging by cultivators…

Mission accomplished?