Morning mist veiled the stone path that led into the old valley. Silent Stone City, once a bustling hub of trade and a center for cultivators' training, was now nothing more than a forgotten ruin swallowed by moss and tree roots. The buildings that once stood proud and mighty had crumbled, leaving behind echoes of a long-lost era of power.
Li Yun stood at the entrance of the ruins, gazing at the broken gate that now stood only halfway tall. In his hand, the old scroll from Zhiya trembled softly—an eerie resonance, as if this place bore a connection to his family's past.
He stepped inside.
A chilling aura greeted him. But it wasn't a normal cold. It was the cold of decayed spirituality—residual energy from battles long past, still lingering in the air.
Step by step, Li Yun walked through the narrow corridor between collapsed structures. On one of the walls, he saw a carved emblem: a three-eyed bird—the symbol of the Crimson Sky Clan.
"So it's true... This place did belong to them."
But before he could investigate further, a soft, mocking voice echoed from the shadows.
"Who would've thought... you actually came here."
Li Yun turned sharply. Emerging from behind the ruins were three figures clad in black robes, each bearing the symbol of a blood claw on their chest.
"The Night Blood Pavilion..." Li Yun murmured.
Their leader—a sharp-eyed young man named Hei Yue—smirked. "That scroll doesn't belong in your hands. Hand it over, and maybe you'll leave here with your bones intact."
Li Yun drew a deep breath. He glanced briefly at the ruins, then back at them.
"I'm not searching for it on anyone's behalf. I seek it to learn the truth of my clan."
Hei Yue chuckled. "Truth? This world cares nothing for truth. Only the strong have the right to speak. The weak—like your clan—are erased from history."
Fury surged in Li Yun's chest. But he remained calm. "Then let's see if I'm strong enough to preserve my history."
The battle erupted.
Li Yun dodged the first strike with agility honed from years of sect training. But his enemies were no ordinary disciples. They were legacy hunters—trained to kill swiftly and mercilessly.
One of them unleashed a thorned shadow technique that swept the area with spiritual poison. Li Yun barely managed to deflect it. But as he was pushed into a corner, he pulled out the blood scroll left by his father.
Upon opening it, a crimson light burst forth, forming a spiritual shield around him.
It was a bloodline protection seal.
Hei Yue narrowed his eyes. "So you really are a direct descendant... Fascinating. All the more reason to erase you."
Li Yun knew he couldn't hold them off much longer. Without hesitation, he took out the Blood Ignition Pill Zhiya had given him.
Without thinking twice—he swallowed it.
His body trembled violently. Blood surged in his veins like boiling fire. A blazing crimson aura erupted from him, soaring into the sky like flames. In an instant, his power surged by two levels, surpassing his normal limits.
His counterattack turned feral and terrifying.
With a single palm strike, he sent the first attacker crashing into a stone pillar. The second he kicked into the rubble, fracturing the ground.
Only Hei Yue remained.
They clashed fiercely among the ruins, until Li Yun finally landed a full-force blow to his opponent's right shoulder. But the pill's effects had run out. His body faltered. His knees buckled.
Hei Yue, though injured, still stood. "Brave... but courage won't save you from death."
As Hei Yue raised his final weapon
Swoosh!
A thread of spiritual silk shot out from the distance, coiling around his wrist.
From behind the ruins, a soft but cold voice rang out. "I thought I told you... don't go dying so easily."
Yan Zhiya appeared, clad in deep crimson robes. In her hand, a spiritual formation seal glowed brightly.
In a flash, Hei Yue was forced back by the overwhelming pressure of Zhiya's superior spiritual aura. He stared at them, seething.
"You'll regret this."
And in a swirl of black mist, he vanished.
Li Yun collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. His body wouldn't move.
Zhiya approached without a word. She opened a small pouch and handed him a recovery pill. "I told you not to use that pill recklessly... But I suppose it saved you."
Li Yun gave a faint smile. "You always show up when I'm about to die."
Zhiya glanced at him. "And you're always about to die."
They both chuckled softly.
But beneath the ruins, a deep crimson formation began to pulse... as if waiting for the right person to awaken it.