Chapter 386: Culling the Bandit Tribes
As the bandit tribesmen poured out of the hills, Kai waited for the inevitable. He lurked within a caravan of weaker cultivators, his bulk hidden by a shapeless Manticore tribe robe. They were a weaker splinter faction, returning to regroup with the others... and thus apparently an easy target.
It looked like the attacking group was one of the minor tribes he'd read about in the Bloodcoral archives: they were too small to exert their power on a region, so they hid in the Western Wilds and preyed upon the weak. This group allegedly overdosed on tattoos, weakening their overall potential but making them stronger than average cultivators of their stage. Unfortunately for them, this focus on raw strength usually meant they weren't subtle enough to see through shrouds, and didn't notice him waiting.
Given the reports of their atrocities, Kai had no qualms with what he was about to do.
When the bandits reached the side of the caravan, Kai vaulted into the air and unleashed a Tyrant's Claw. It tore a rift along the side of the group, tearing some of the enemy in half and knocking the others away. He landed on top of one, smashing the man into the ground, and then put his fist through a woman's stomach before she could stab him. His hand came out the other side as a claw.
He stepped away and Thunderbird's Wings let out a shockwave that knocked over several of the weaker bandits. After a month of fighting against weaker cultivators, Kai had realized there was a clear separation between stages when it came to his techniques like Thunderbird's Wings or Void Gaze: Qi Condensation cultivators would be instantly disabled or killed, Body Refinement cultivators would cough up blood, and Nascent Foundation cultivators would be stunned.
Speaking of which, there was a group of bandits that had circled around them to attack the caravan. Kai fixed them all with Void Gaze, doing his best not to hit the caravan's defenders as well. He could have finished them off, but better to let the Manticore tribesmen get involved in the fight so they could keep their pride.
While they fought, Kai moved in the other direction, continuing the slaughter.
After his Tyrant's Claw tore through one of the Nascent Foundation cultivators, the others finally broke, screaming and fleeing in the other direction. Kai launched after them, eyes burning, jaw extending into a maw. Part of him wanted to consume them whole, but he resisted the hunger since he wouldn't gain anything from it.
Instead he simply cut them down, then moved in a broad circle to eliminate the others who had fled. A few Manticore cultivators had been injured and one killed, but otherwise they had eliminated the enemy with few losses. While they cheered and roared to the heavens, Kai bent down to begin collecting the spoils.