The attack would have been a killing move if it hadn't been for a weird confluence of events that allowed me to escape.

Storm had noticed the man and directed a lightning blast at him as he had equipped his spear to attack, the lightning she'd released hit at the same time the cultivator launched his killing blow.

Cinder who had traveled with me had sped up when I had. I hadn't noticed, but her decision to follow me allowed her to notice his actions in time to act. She had released a powerful defensive array that her master had given her, targeted to protect me. The defenses settled around me the barest second before he had unleashed his technique. The array she had used was powerful enough that it could withstand the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator's abilities, barely.

But the most effective interference came from the triad of spirits that had signed a contract to protect this place and these people. They had recognized my Authority. The essence of world energy for this land was permeated with my energy signature, and an attack against me, within my lands, was an attack against the land itself.

The spirits had already begun to act before I'd arrived. The moment the ship had bombarded the docks, it had gathered energy to defend. It had taken a few moments for them to marshal their energies as wounded as they were. But that was to be expected. Nature was like that, slow to anger but once whipped into a frenzy there was no choice but to bunker down and endure.

The spirits of Ocean and Wind were forces of nature given will and intelligence, in order to unleash the elemental fury, they commanded, required they partake of the world's energy. Acceptance and permission from the world itself, more appeasement to the nature of each spirit than sacrifice. Now that they had acted, the Nascent Soul cultivator would have no choice but to defend himself against the unrestrained forces that both spirits controlled.

The three divergent responses were enough to deflect the fire imbued spear, completely negating the cultivator's attack and giving me time. This missed attack gave me time to embrace the [Dao of Movement]. With the defensive array that Cinder had evoked nestled against my skin like a suit of armor, I was as protected as I could be. Not completely, whoever this man was, he was powerful enough he could eventually force his way past the array's defenses, but it would take time and energy.

Cinder's Master was a Nihility Realm cultivator. As far beyond the abilities of this Nascent Soul Realm cultivator as he was above me. I would owe both Cinder and Elder Tum a favor after this. As well as a few cores to replace the array that she had donated. She had been smart enough to retreat once the array had been activated, having acted to her own detriment.

Some might have thought her retreat cowardice, but I was grateful for what aid she had given. These were my lands, and she had already risked her life by helping. If this battle was lost, he might have ignored her in the aftermath. Her aid was certain to anger the cultivator enough that he would now track her down if he prevailed. She had risked her life, more than could be expected from a newly forged relationship.

The River Spirit wasn't able to affect much during this battle, the Spirit was constrained by location, bound by its natural inclination to follow the restrictions that every river was confined by. It could lend power. Water was, after all, a shared commodity with Ocean, but it could not act directly. But Ocean and Wind were free to act, even with River's constraints and limitations.

The waves that I had stirred up by calling storm, became more focused, as the Ocean Spirit claimed those waters. They were no longer random responses to the lashing of the storm; they became directed and guided by the Ocean Spirit. The water and waves converged, controlled by that immense will, concentrated into a wave that swallowed the tide to form a defensive wall.

Instead of hundreds of waves crashing against the shore, the ocean stilled until that one wave was created and moved at the command of the Ocean Spirit. A wave of such height that the harbor itself was drained, boats at dock resting on the ocean floor. The wave solidified moving into a position to protect the town. The spirit stationed its creation to block the ship that was lobbing beast core explosives, protecting the dock and people from any further bombardment or attack.

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The Wind Spirit not to be outdone, began twisting and wailing, collecting water from the ocean as it did. First one, then two, then twelve waterspouts of sizable proportion were formed as the power of that wind was unleashed. Each waterspout more powerful than the next, each served as seedstock as the Wind Spirit merged with each twister it had formed together. Twelve became three, each of the remaining tornadoes equal in power. Waterspouts, as powerful as any land tornado that had ever formed.

Where the Ocean Spirit had moved to protect and guard. The Wind Spirit moved to attack. Storm and I supported each of the creations, the spirits had unleashed, by feeding and fueling each twister with the addition of our Qi. Storm added as much lightning Qi as she could, while I funneled water, air, lightning, ice, and fog Qi into the constructs.

The addition of our Qi to the equation became apparent as the twisters morphed under our efforts, each tornado taking on an awareness and intelligence. Lightning, hail, and fog giving added power to the constructs, as well as obscuring the raging size of elemental fury from the Nascent Soul cultivator. Each twister growing and transforming with our offering of power.

The air and water Qi I added was accepted by Wind in a matter that I had not thought possible, it used my Qi to give shape and form, to sculpt the water and air that was raging at wind speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. It gave each twister a face and a voice. The power of my Qi giving the Wind Spirit a way to transform its creations, to imbue them with pseudo-life and allow a sentient spirit to manifest completely.

Seeing the twisters transform into Elementals, I quickly shared those same Qi offerings with the Ocean Spirit, delighted to watch as it accepted my gifts and transformed into its own type of Elemental.

It was hard to tell how the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator felt about the way things were developing. His mask effectively hid any emotions that might flit across his face, and he was too well protected by his own Qi defenses for my perception to gauge any emotions he might be leaking, but he had to be concerned. At least concerned enough that he wasn't trying to attack me.

The activation of the contract between the town and the triad of Spirits was enough to change the course and flow of battle. On my own, I would have been killed quickly, but now I had a real chance at surviving. Not only surviving, but winning.

The twisters that the Wind Spirit was controlling had aggroed on the Nascent Soul cultivator as soon as it had given the Elementals life. Attacking with a fury that matched the rage that Storm had felt when she saw me attacked.

To see nature contained and focused like this was enlightening, and only possible because of my [Dao]. My activation of the [Dao of Movement] had allowed me to slow time and space, or at least my perception of it. That change was enough to allow me to watch each attack as they formed and were delivered.

It was like watching a fight in slow motion, the Elemental storm creating appendages of water, wind, ice, and lighting to buffet the cultivator. His attempts to dodge often thwarted when the second or third twister responded. The three Elementals had him hemmed in, encircling him and forcing him to defend and attack as they advanced. It left no room for him to pursue Storm or me.

He wasn't helpless, his control over fire allowing him to form shields and firestorms that transmuted the raging water of each attack into steam. The Elementals ignored the changes his fire made, leaving me to gather the steam and add it to the power of the broader storm I had summoned.

Hot and cold air masses only served to funnel more destructive energy to the twisters, as more air circulated, and it added more mass to each Elemental. The cultivator, realizing he was only increasing the strength of his opponents, began using his movement skills to evade instead of attack.

He was fast, so fast that without the [Dao of Movement] I would never be able to track him. But the Elementals controlled the wind. That control was so precise that any ripple in the air current, any change in the flow, or deviation of wind as he moved, was noted. As long as we forced him to engage the Elementals in their domain, his movements could be tracked, the Elementals always moving to keep him surrounded and contained.

He was powerful, but not powerful enough. He would need to have reached the Immortal Realm to defeat the Wind and Ocean Spirit. His strength allowed him to choose to ignore the storm I had called. The energies, even heightened by the amount of water and wind that was naturally occurring in the area, were not powerful enough to make a real dent in his defenses.

But the ravages and attacks of Wind and Ocean made Elemental were devastating. The first time he failed to dodge, he realized it was the beginning of the end for him and this fight.

To survive, he would need to escape.

They stymied any attempt at escape. His proficiency with flight was fueled by Dharmic and Qi energy, techniques that allowed lift, but you could not outfly the wind. The storm that I had summoned had been co-opted by the combined might of the Triad and every attempt by him, to outrun the elementals determined to destroy him, was countered.