The mist stirred.
There was no warning. No ripple of qi.
Elder Lianhua **appeared**.
One moment, the space before them was empty; the next, she stood there—robes pale and unadorned, hair bound simply, her presence calm yet so profound that even the mountain itself seemed to quiet in response.
Li Tianmu stiffened instantly and stepped forward, lowering himself into a deep bow.
"This disciple greets the **Ancestor**."
Elder Lianhua inclined her head slightly, acknowledging him without ceremony. Her gaze passed over Li Tianmu only briefly before settling on Li Qiye.
"We will depart now," she said.
No explanation.
No hesitation.
Li Qiye straightened at once. "Yes, Elder."
Li Tianmu hesitated, then spoke. His voice was steady, but the sincerity behind it was unmistakable.
"Ancestor," he said, bowing again, "regardless of your reasons, the fact remains that you have chosen to lend your hand when the Li clan stands on the brink."
He paused, then continued firmly.
"For that, this junior offers his gratitude. If there is anything I can do—any task you wish fulfilled, any request at all—so long as it lies within my ability, I will not hesitate."
The wind passed softly through the spirit trees.
Elder Lianhua did not answer.
Her expression remained unchanged, her gaze already turning away, as though his words had been heard—and weighed—but required no response.
Li Tianmu straightened slowly. He did not appear offended. Only thoughtful.
He turned toward Li Qiye, his tone softening.
"I would have followed you back," he said quietly. "If this were any other time… I would not hesitate."
Li Qiye said nothing. He already understood.
Li Tianmu shook his head faintly. "But I have only recently stepped into the **late stage of Qi Refining**. Compared to what awaits you, my presence would not change the situation."
He let out a slow breath. "I would only become a burden."
From within his robes, Li Tianmu drew out a **small storage pouch**. Its edges were worn, clearly something he had kept close for a long time.
"This," he said, extending it toward Li Qiye, "is all the aid I can offer."
Li Qiye accepted it without question.
"Inside are spirit stones, recovery pills, and several talismans I saved from sect assignments," Li Tianmu continued. "They aren't much… but they may buy you time when it matters."
Li Qiye closed his fingers around the pouch, his grip tightening slightly.
"…Thank you, brother."
Li Tianmu smiled faintly. "Survive. That will be thanks enough."
Elder Lianhua had already turned away.
"The path is open," she said calmly.
The air before them **folded inward**, space compressing like silk being drawn through a ring.
Li Qiye took one last look at his brother.
"Take care," Li Tianmu said.
Then, without further delay, Elder Lianhua stepped forward—and Li Qiye followed.
The mist swallowed them whole.
When it cleared, the peak was silent once more.
Li Tianmu stood alone beneath the ancient mountain, clutching his sleeves as the weight of what was coming pressed heavily upon his chest.
The peak was silent again.
Too silent.
Only the wind moved, brushing past the spirit trees, carrying traces of refined qi that should have felt calming. Instead, they grated against his nerves.
His hands slowly clenched at his sides.
*If only…*
If only he were stronger.
The image rose unbidden—his father, seated at the head of the clan hall, composed and unyielding even in old age. The elders standing beside him, pillars of the Li clan for generations.
All gone.
Slaughtered.
By something that should not have existed.
Li Tianmu's jaw tightened.
An unknown beast. A creature that defied reason. One that crushed Foundation Establishment cultivators as if they were nothing more than stepping stones.
And he—
He was still only at **Qi Refining**.
A bitter emotion surged in his chest, sharp and burning. Rage. Helplessness. Shame.
*If I had been there…*
The thought died before it could finish.
He knew better.
Even if he had been present, he would have changed nothing. At most, he would have added another corpse to the pile.
His nails bit into his palms.
"This world…" Li Tianmu murmured under his breath.
The cultivation world was not righteous.
It was not fair.
It was filled with **monsters wearing human faces**, immortals who viewed mortal lives as dust, demons and beasts that shattered the natural order without restraint.
Power decided truth.
Strength dictated survival.
Those without it were trampled—by fate, by sects, or by things that crawled out from beyond understanding.
Li Tianmu lifted his gaze toward the distant horizon, where clouds rolled endlessly beneath the heavens.
"If I wish to protect anything," he said quietly, his voice steady despite the storm in his heart,
"If I wish to survive…"
His grip finally loosened.
"I must become stronger."
Not someday.
Not when it was convenient.
Now.
The mountain wind howled softly, as if acknowledging the vow.
And far away, beneath the same sky, forces older and darker than reason were already stirring—unaware that a cultivator had just taken his first true step onto a path that would not forgive weakness.