I Bit Everyone and Became the Strongest Zombie Cultivator

"That's a lie, Young Master. I am sorry if I'm putting your friends in a bad light but that's pure nonsense,"

Sir Conrad sat opposite me as he gently spoke. Right now, we're in the castle in the middle of the Sky Kingdom, specifically in the dining area where we're served the best of foods. Natalia, Zenith, and the Fourth Battalion all sat around a long table with me on one end and Sir Conrad on the other. This is a formality, or rather, a tradition of the Tang Clan. The highest-ranked person in the room will always sit on one end of the table while the second highest in rank would sit on the opposite end. Most of the time, it's the head of the household and the esteemed guest who will sit on both ends but since my grandfather and parents are already dead, I have to take their spot on one end of the table.

For the first few minutes, I found it weird talking to Sir Conrad from afar but I eventually got used to it. And while we were talking and having a meal (I don't really know what time it is right now since it's always daytime in the Sky Kingdom), we got into the topic of the Gaudron Settlement.

I was then given a full-on lecture on the Mythic Beasts that reside in the Middle Plane. These three beasts are called Gaudron, Cryoga, and Quetzalcoatl. And just like any other legend about beasts, they have their territory that they're overseeing throughout the years, obviously. Gaudron, the Mythic Beast who rules the land, is said to be on constant hibernation, awaiting the time when he will be awakened by a master strong enough to tame him. He has the power of both the ground and magma, making him one of the most formidable Mythic Beasts throughout the dimensions. Cryoga, on the other hand, has rulership over the waters. It was said that those who abuse the resources of the sea would fall into despair when they meet Cryoga. Cryoga is rumored to roam around the seas of the Middle Plane as a guardian of the sea. It is also believed that Cryoga has the ability to partially beckon the power of the skies, summoning storms or hailstones. Last but not least is Quetzalcoatl who rules over the seas. A few members of the Tang Sect who reside on other Floating Islands said that they could get a glimpse of a huge dragon-like creature in the skies every time a thunderstorm happens. This Mythic Beast is believed to be the most powerful Mythic Beast in the Middle Plane. It has the power of lightning, as well as the power to change weather patterns with just a single roar. Everybody fears the Quetzalcoatl but few have actually seen it. I don't know whether I should believe the rumors or not but they can't be that far in strength compared to my Astral Lion, which is also a Mythic Beast.

That was just the summary of it. In reality, I, Zenith, Natalia, and the rest of the fourth battalion had to listen to an hour of a lecture from Sir Conrad about these Mythic Beasts. He then told us that it's important to know this because we might anger them accidentally. At least we'll be more aware of them from now on, or something along those lines.

After that not-so-boring lecture that basically hurt our ears from all the knowledge it contained, we then changed the topic to the Gaudron Settlement. I made a remark that Luxor believed the Gaudron settlement to be the final settlement to exist in the Middle Plane and that's when Sir Conrad voiced out his opinion.

"That's a lie, Young Master. I am sorry if I'm putting your friends in a bad light but that's pure nonsense," Sir Conrad said. He then stood up from his chair, grabbed a piece of paper from his storage ring, and laid it out in front of me.

The paper had a well-drawn map that resembled the Lower Plane but for some reason, it was a bit different in some places. Plenty of circles were drawn on the map and a few of them had X's on them. From what I could deduce from Sir Conrad's opinion, I'm guessing that this is the whole map of the Middle Plane... but what are the circles and X's for?

"This is the map of the entire Middle Plane and this right here is the Gaudron Settlement." Sir Conrad stated as he pointed near the center of the map.

"Why did it have traces of an X-mark on it?"

"Oh, we thought it was done for because of a coming horde but as it turned out, it managed to hold off the horde... well, I'm not really sure what happened but fortunately, the Sky Knights managed to get there in time and save it from the oncoming horde." Sir Conrad continued. "Before you ask me anything, let me just clarify that the Sky Knight's main job is to watch over the Middle Plane and protect the other Settlements who were suffering an attack. It just so happens that I suffered severe wounds a few hours ago while stopping another horde from overtaking another shelter. And when we heard the report that the Gaudron Settlement was being attacked, I was out of commission. The Sky Knights managed to get there on time after taking care of another settlement. It was thanks to you that the Gaudron Settlement survived, Young Master." Sir Conrad addressed.

"So, the Sky Knights volunteered to be the Guardians of the Middle Plane? With their power, why couldn't you get rid of all the rabid humans altogether?"

"Every subjugation requires a considerable amount of Qi Energy. Also, it's not just the Sky Knights who are doing this, Young Master. Other members of the Tang Sect who reside in different Floating Islands are assisting with the subjugation as well... it's just that, with the way things are right now, we can't get rid of the Black Spirit Sect here in the Middle Plane altogether."

"And why is that?" I asked, trying to figure out what their motives were.

"Once we do that, the Yan Clan in the Higher Plane would notice our existence and delete us from the Middle Plane, just as they tried to delete everyone in the Tang Clan in the Lower Plane. Once that happens, there won't be anyone standing in the way of the Yan Clan. They could easily take control of all the Planes. And that's why we could only resort to hit-and-run tactics when it comes to subjugating zombies."

So that's how it is, huh. So I'm basically tasked to rule these people who took it upon themselves to protect the entire Middle Plane while preparing for a war that could erupt at any moment.

Well, sounds like a perfect job for me as a former Sect Master.