The morning mist in Luoshui Village had not yet lifted when a scream of death tore through the air.
"RUN! IT'S A BOUNDARY WARDEN!"
A cultivator from the Venomous Leaf Sect fell, his right hand severed by a bloodstained iron wing that slashed through the air like a cosmic blade. Toxic green blood sprayed from his wound, scorching the ground into blackened crust.
Ye Lin stood in the heart of the destruction, his body—one that should have been lifeless—moving with stiffness. The iron butterfly wings on his back fluttered slowly, each motion leaving red trails in the air like open wounds.
"No..." He tried to speak, but the voice that came out was no longer human—it was the rumble of a thousand whispers from other dimensions.
The wounded cultivator reached for his sword with his remaining hand. "Listen, monster! Our sect has slain three Boundary Wardens before you! You're just—"
Before he could finish, one of Ye Lin's wings shot forward like a spear, impaling the cultivator's chest.
[ABSORPTION INITIATED]
Ye Lin felt something horrifying take place. The man's Qi poured into him—but not just energy. Memories, emotions, and fragments of soul followed.
Alien images flooded his mind:
An underground altar chamber with blood-carved murals of the same butterfly etched into his back
Five cultivators hanging from the ceiling, their corpses blooming with red crystals
A masked man whispering: "Each Boundary Warden born will become our stairway to true immortality…"
"No!" Ye Lin yanked the wing back. The cultivator collapsed, his body now shriveled like a fruit drained of all its juice.
But the damage had been done. His iron butterfly wings trembled with delight—and for the first time, spoke in a clear voice:
"[WE WANT MORE.]"
Far away, atop the Venomous Dragon Mountain, an ancient bell rang on its own.
Elders of the Venomous Leaf Sect rushed into the main hall. On a map of spiritual energy formed from sacred mist, a red dot pulsed violently.
"The fourth Boundary Warden has awakened," hissed the Patriarch, clenching his fist. "Prepare the Sacrificial Rite. This time, we will not kill him."
He looked at his disciples, his yellow eyes gleaming wickedly.
"We will become like him."
Ye Lin had no idea what danger was now taking shape behind the scenes. All he knew was:
Each time he absorbed energy, his inner world expanded—and the part of him that had once been dying faded further away.
In the sudden pool of blood that appeared at his feet, his shadow now had eyes made of black crystal.
"[WHY DID YOU STOP?]" the shadow snarled. "[WE NEED MORE FOOD!]"
But Ye Lin looked down at the human hand still left on his body—the hand that once held his elderly mother's.
"No," he growled, voice fractured between man and something older. "I won't become your monster."
The iron butterfly emitted a horrible sound, like stretched metal snapping under strain.
And so began the battle between the Boundary Warden... and the last fragments of his humanity.