586: The Choice is Yours

The Choice is Yours

"Don't forget, we still have plenty of time and space to grow stronger. That is also plenty of time to make a decision. The Phantom of the North might be powerful but we will have killed all three Beast Gods and consumed their flesh by then. Not to mention, material to create stronger and better weapons. Time is on our side and the choice is yours, to kill or to befriend it."0

Ruishi Wang sat done when he was finished, patiently waiting for everyone to think things through. 

The hall slowly grew with discussion as they all weighed their options. And with the way that the lion-kin phrased it, they had the advantage both in numbers and potential.

Above all else, there was the territory of the North. 

Should they defeat this beast, that territory was open for the taking. Once that happened, the true battle would begin, a fight for supremacy. 

Time passed by and the talking slowly died down before coming to a halt. Once the silence settled in, someone voiced out their opinion. 

"I believe that we should kill this Phantom. The way I see it, the odds are in our favor!" they said. 

There was murmuring as others nodded in agreement but there were a few who formed an opposition. 

"No, befriending it would be better. Imagine if it were to become our ally? That power could be used to aid us. Do you even think we could gain as much strength by consuming its flesh? It'd be a waste!" they retorted. 

"But the North, all of that land. Once we kill it, that territory will be ours. Besides, what other threats do we need to worry about? We'll be the strongest force in these lands. Imagine what we can do with the power we have obtained, don't you think that we'll dominate the Humans and Demons?" the former suddenly said. 

A collective gasp and murmuring came out in response to those words as the opposition looked in shock.

"Are you proposing war? Not even a chance to speak with them once we activate the Teleportation Arrays? What kind of madness is this?" they cried out. 

"Madness? This isn't madness. Along with the Aureate Koi, we will have killed the three Beast Gods! These three were beasts that had lived for thousands of years, living disasters that we have feared since that Calamity! They were all-powerful in our eyes back then but not anymore! We've killed two of them and the third will soon be in our grasp. And with this fourth one, think of how powerful we will become? What do we have to fear?!"

As this one elder spoke out, they looked around before stopping before Ruishi Wang. 

"What do you think, Ruishi Wang? Should we not slay the Phantom of the North? Once we gain access to the Teleportation Arrays, should we not go and claim more for ourselves?!" he asked him. 

Ruishi Wang sighed but stood up and answered. 

"I had refrained from giving my own opinion because I believed that it would've been an unjust one. After all, my own son was attacked and threatened by the Phantom. It would not sit right with me to try to befriend the being that dared to hurt him. I believe that we must kill it."

He took a breath before continuing, taking this chance to look around. 

"As for the Humans and Demons, we should proceed with caution with this. After all, just because we've grown doesn't mean that they haven't grown as well. What if they end up being stronger than us? What then?" 

Ruishi Wang's questions caught the others by surprise and he took that silence as a sign to continue. 

"I believe that we should see what state they are in. We must know our enemy before we can think about fighting them. We can't just fight blindly. If they are too strong we can just bide our time and wait. If they're too weak, then we can lunge forward and take what we want."

He bared his fangs as he spoke whilst everyone felt their blood surge just a bit. The thought of fighting made them all tense up a bit. The greed and ambition were hard to disguise in their eyes. 

But the lion-kin hid his emotions quite well, hiding his glee as he felt his grasp over the council. 

"In any case, we shall set traps and wait for the Aureate Koi to come into our hands first. Then we can look towards the Phantom and beyond that."

The others nodded, and even those who were against much of this backed down. Certain matters came first but the Phantom of the North still lingered on their mind. After all, much wasn't known about it. What kind of terrifying beast was capable of producing such a devasting attack?

That very being was busy cuddling up with several warm bodies. 

In fact, they were out in the open, gazing up at the stars. Ming Yue laid on the soft grass with Hongyu, Liang Wei, and Hei Yue. They curled up together, relaxing under the calm night sky. Xiao Yin was elsewhere, perched on the roof of their home, overseeing everything. 

Ming Yue took in a deep breath and gently exhaled.

"Doing something like this... isn't so bad every now and then", she thought. 

The young woman looked at the little girl beside her, who had already fallen asleep, cuddling up to Liang Wei's large, warm body. There was a peaceful look on her face. 

"Hah, to think she wanted to go stargazing and now she's fallen asleep."

She chuckled before looking back up at the starry sky, quietly thinking to herself. 

"How long has it been since I've looked up at them? I can barely remember but the feeling never fades. It's still quite beautiful."

There was a smile on her face that slowly turned as she began to think of other things. Mainly the message that Xiao Yin came back with. 

"It seems like the Four Claws and Ao Qin have both agreed to keep in contact with me. I suppose I should send out Xiao Yin every few weeks or so", she thought. 

Ming Yue slowly sat up so as to not awaken Hongyu. 

"It looks like they're not going to head up North any time soon but... I didn't think that beast-kin I threatened would spread my existence as some phantom. They've defeated that giant tortoise as well. The Earthbound Tortoise, to think that it was a beast god like the Devouring Goose. Now they're looking for the Aureate Koi, which is the last one. Some sort of fish I'm guessing?"

Organizing the information together, she suddenly looked at the key to the teleportation arrays. 

"I suppose going home can wait, I don't actually have the resources to turn it on yet. I could go looking for it but... it's a fish. Trying to find it seems like it's more trouble than it's worth."

Just as the many elders of the tribes made plans, she had to keep moving. 

"I can't just continue to train and focus on the Lunar Storm Sword. Heading further North maybe? There's not much past those spires, I just need to finish the job on those roots and whatever insects are underneath."

What could she do? What was the best course of action for her?

Her eyes sort of flashed as an idea popped into her mind. 

"Maybe I could just expand my territory? If I'm supposed to be this 'phantom' to them, I may as well play the part. At least this could let me encounter and see just what other tribes there are. I could even come across Ao Qin and the others."

The more she thought the more this made sense, fortifying her defenses while keeping tabs on the beast-kin. While thinking, she heard s bit of splashing from the shallow pond where the waterfall fed into. 

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