After a few days.
Outside Rai City.
Four figures soared above the treetops, each wrapped in thick layers of Spirit essence.
Their robes, dark grey with the Iron Mountain Sect's sharp crest on their backs, rippled in the wind.
All four were Foundation Building cultivators—battle-hardened experts with years of experience between them. But even they weren't prepared for what they would find.
They had been sent a few days ago to investigate the sudden silence of four sect elders who had been tasked with killing a seemingly miniscule threat named Aksai. The mission had seemed simple—track him down, deal with him, and return.
But at this point, as they landed in a quiet, eerie clearing just beyond the old forest path, their steps faltered.
The first to touch the ground was Elder Jian. He was the oldest among them, with a long scar across his cheek and a steady gaze. As his boots pressed into the soft dirt, his eyes lifted—and froze.
