Yunling Village – Dawn
The first scream came with the sunrise.
Smoke rose quickly. Houses cracked under flames. Children cried. Dogs barked and then went silent.
The sky, once clear, darkened with ash.
They came in cloaks of deep azure. Faces masked. Eyes cold. Their formation was precise, methodical—like harvesters in a field of wheat.
These were Azure Initiates, elite inner sect disciples. Each one stronger than the Watcher Li Shen had killed.
They didn't speak.
They didn't need to.
Their purpose was simple:
Erase all roots.
⸻
Li Shen – Eastern Cliffside
He saw it all from above—the fire, the smoke, the dying.
The old carpenter's home collapsed under a talisman blast. A boy he once shared bread with was struck down while fleeing.
His fist clenched. His whole body trembled.
[Soul Thread Sense: Area Mode – Active]
[Threats Detected: 7 Azure Sky Initiates (Qi Foundation – Peak to Mid Stage)]
[Non-combatants Detected: 53 – Rapidly Falling]
[Estimated Combat Viability: 0.07%]
There was no path forward where he won.
Not in strength.
Not in numbers.
But there was a path in resolve.
And he walked it.
⸻
In the Village
Initiate Kuo Lan dragged a crying woman by the hair. His palm glowed with azure fire. "Speak. Where is the boy?"
She sobbed. "I don't know! Please—we don't know anything!"
He raised his hand.
A sudden burst of crimson flame struck his chest, sending him flying.
The villagers gasped. Heads turned.
Standing at the village gate—cloaked in torn robes, body wrapped in bloodied cloth—was Li Shen.
[Skill Activated: Flame Palm – Rank 3]
[Root Unseal Progress: 12%]
"You're looking for me," he said softly.
"You found me."
⸻
The Fight Begins
They came at him together—four Initiates, each with combat arts refined over years.
Li Shen didn't dodge. He moved through Soul Thread Sense, weaving between the gaps before the attacks were even finished forming.
His body couldn't survive direct blows—but he made sure none landed.
Every strike was aimed at pressure points, joints, and artifacts. Every palm used just enough qi to destabilize.
He wasn't trying to win.
He was trying to wound, to buy time—and to adapt.
[Devour Protocol: Minor Threads Absorbed (x3)]
[Skill Fragment Acquired: Talisman Break – Rank 1 (Unstable)]
[Adaptive Trait Progressing...]
Still, it wasn't enough.
One blast clipped his shoulder, tearing flesh to the bone.
Another shattered his ribs.
He staggered.
Kuo Lan, recovered, grinned and raised a talisman etched in blood.
"This ends now, freak."
⸻
But the Root Responded
Li Shen fell to one knee. Blood poured from his mouth.
He looked up. His vision blurred.
And then... he stopped breathing.
Time slowed.
[WARNING: Host at Critical Condition – Life Support Protocol Engaged]
[Forsaken Root Activation Threshold Reached. Initiating Evolution.]
[Unsealing Progress: 20% → 40%]
[New Ability Awakened: Shadow Root Form – Limited Duration]
[Trait Evolved: Adaptive Reflexes – Real-time Combat Thread Prediction (Short-term)]
[Qi Efficiency: Doubled Temporarily]
Li Shen stood again—his blood vanishing into the air like smoke, his skin flickering with faint black roots that pulsed beneath.
His eyes shone silver.
⸻
Slaughter Beneath the Ash Sky
In that moment, he was a shadow reborn in flame.
Every movement struck before the enemy moved.
Flame Palm evolved—condensing to Crimson Lance, burning through their talismans like paper.
He moved faster than their eyes. Hit harder than their guards could withstand.
He didn't fight like a cultivator.
He fought like a force of nature.
In minutes, four Initiates lay broken.
Two dead. Two fled.
Only Kuo Lan remained.
Terrified.
Desperate.
He threw a Forbidden Seal—
Li Shen caught it midair and crushed it with one hand.
"No more roots," Shen whispered. "Not yours."
He drove a burning palm through Kuo's chest.
⸻
Aftermath
The fires in the village died down.
The remaining disciples had fled into the trees, bloodied and afraid.
Villagers hid behind broken walls, in the temple, beneath carts. They looked at Li Shen—not with fear.
But with reverence.
He swayed on his feet, barely conscious.
But he stayed standing.
[Host Vital Signs Stabilizing]
[Root Unseal: 40% – Mid Tier Awakening Achieved]
[Title Earned: Defender of the Lost]
[New Trait: Spiritual Anchor – Your presence calms fear in the weak-willed.**
Li Shen looked around at the wounded, the burnt homes, the dead.
And he knew.
This wasn't over.
The Azure Sky Sect wouldn't stop.
But neither would he.