"Behind every scar lies countless blood debts yet to be repaid."
---
Shen opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness.
What he felt wasn't cold—it was pain.
That numb, bone-deep agony.
Pain that came from muscles, bones, nerves—as if every fiber had been torn apart, smashed, and burned. Every breath stung like fire, every inhale seared his lungs like blades.
Clinging to the last thread of consciousness, he slowly sat up.
The cave was silent, save for his own ragged breath and the faint crackle of splintered wood and scattered stones.
He had blacked out.
The memory of the battle had grown hazy.
Xi Lin's shouting, the blast of explosives, Mu Youlou's fury… all of it felt like it had sunk beneath water, fading away.
"...It worked."
He muttered. Even forming those words caused sharp pain to shoot through his chest.
Leaning against the cold stone wall of the cave, he tried to stand. His legs trembled violently, nearly giving way.
His head spun, vision blurry—but he knew one thing:
He wasn't dead.
Gravely injured… but alive.
---
He didn't treat his wounds immediately.
Instead, he looked down at his chest.
A short blade had cut through skin, cracked ribs, pierced his lung, and the blood hadn't stopped.
Every breath felt like a knife. Every cough brought up flecks of blood.
He touched the wound, slowly peeled back the blood-soaked cloth wrapping it, and retrieved a small vial from his bag.
It was medicine Xi Lin had prepared in advance—meant to stop bleeding and dull the pain, not to heal.
Painkillers were just a delay. Real healing had to come from within.
---
Gritting his teeth, Shen forced the medicine into his wound.
His vision gradually cleared. The shadows around him sharpened. A sliver of strength began to return—but only barely.
He looked around.
This makeshift cave was a hiding place Xi Lin had picked for him.
Xi Lin…
His chest tightened at the thought. She wasn't a healer—but she was calm, decisive, and knew his condition better than anyone.
She was gone now—left to carry out the next phase of their plan.
He understood.
Xi Lin never offered words of comfort, not even when he was at his weakest.
What she gave him was always the same: action, plans, and purpose.
---
Shen took a deep breath—
And immediately burst into a fit of coughing, each hack jolting his ribs in raw agony.
> "Mu Youlou… you've lived too long."
He whispered, his eyes darkening.
Everything had returned to the beginning.
He staggered to his feet, wincing at the pain in his legs and chest. His heart thudded violently, a sign that his inner energy was nearly depleted.
All cultivators trained to circulate spiritual energy within.
But he… had no spiritual root.
What he relied on was his body's raw limit—this unbearable torture that left him at the edge of death.
But he knew—
He had to survive.
He had no time.
No power.
No spiritual root.
All that remained was this one thing—
Blood debt.
---
Step One: Recovery
Shen knew he needed rest—but he also knew that if he didn't prepare for the next move now, his revenge would be impossible.
Using the medicine Xi Lin had left him, he cleaned the wound and began a painful self-treatment.
The process was brutal, but he never looked back, never hesitated.
To him, the body was a battlefield.
And this was a life-or-death struggle against his own flesh.
If he died, everything ended.
But if he survived—
Then revenge remained possible.
---
Step Two: Information
Once his wounds were bandaged, Shen didn't stop.
Using his last bit of strength, he opened the name ledger Xi Lin had prepared—detailing cultivators' names, activities, trade points, and materials they dealt in.
What he sought wasn't just vengeance on Mu Youlou—
He aimed to dismantle the entire Lingyun Sect.
From bottom to top. Inside and out.
The sect's corruption ran too deep to cleanse.
This wasn't just about assassinations. Shen wanted to burn away their arrogance and crush their pride—
With blood and fire.
He had to find their weak points.
Find the cracks in their armor—
And strike.
---
His gaze locked onto one line in the ledger:
> "Phantom Water Hall — Lingyun Sect Inner Sanctum."
There it was.
The key.
Wan'er.
She was there.
She had been turned into a test subject by the Lingyun Sect.
A glint of ice flashed in Shen's eyes.
His fists clenched tightly.
---
Step Three: New Target
Even though his body was on the brink, and his injuries still raw—Shen didn't stop.
His mind had become clearer.
His next goal now stood sharply in focus:
Kill everyone in Phantom Water Hall.
Tear out the heart of Lingyun Sect.
He stood up straighter.
His eyes steadied.
His footsteps no longer wavered.
---
Ending
Shen walked out of the cave.
Moonlight spilled over his bloodstained body, casting light on the sharp lines of his cold, resolute face.
He knew this path would never be easy.
Every scar, every drop of blood—
Was the price of victory.
But he would keep walking.
No spiritual root.
No magic tools.
Not even allies.
But he had a goal.
He had willpower.
And he had reasons for revenge.
He would make every person who once looked down on him—pay in full.
> "Mu Youlou. Lingyun Sect... Everything you owe me—will be repaid."