The sun bled into the horizon, turning the skies above the Chen estate a deep wash of crimson and violet. The faint clink of armor echoed in the distance as guards changed shifts. In the courtyard, the air felt heavier than usual, charged with anticipation though whether it came from the clan's gossip or the restless qi in Lu Tian's veins, he couldn't tell.
He sat in his room with the letter from Mei Xinyue still open on the table, its ink dark against the pale parchment.
If you seek greater prey, meet me at the Northern Cliff at moonrise.
A meeting at night, in the mountains, with a woman who fought like a drawn bow ready to snap? Dangerous and irresistible.
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor System pulsed faintly.
[Quest Available: Moonlight Hunt]
[Objective: Meet Mei Xinyue at the Northern Cliff and investigate the threat she speaks of.]
[Reward: ??? (variable, dependent on performance)]
[Warning: Event marked as High-Risk.]
A grin tugged at his mouth. High risk usually means high reward.
The Departure
By the time the moon began its slow climb, silvering the tiled rooftops, Lu Tian was already at the estate's rear gates. He wore dark, close-fitting robes, the kind a hunter favored, and his dagger rested in a simple sheath along his thigh. A sword hung across his back now as well, the Lotus-Severing technique burning in his mind like a fresh brand, waiting to be tested.
The guards nodded him through without question; the duel with Xu Wenqian earlier had left them wary enough to avoid prying.
The path to the Northern Cliff wound through the denser portions of the Azure Cloud Mountain Range. Here, bamboo gave way to towering pines, their scent sharp and cold in the night air. Crickets chirped in rhythmic chorus, but every so often their song would break a predator passing, a shadow moving where none should be.
Lu Tian's senses drank it all in. Since reaching Qi Refining Stage 2, the world felt sharper. His hearing caught the flutter of a moth's wings; his sight traced the grain of bark from twenty paces. Even the ground beneath his boots seemed to pulse faintly with the rhythm of life.
At the Northern Cliff
The cliff was a great sheer drop, the world falling away into a black abyss where the wind howled like a living thing. Moonlight painted the stone silver, and there, near the edge stood Mei Xinyue.
She wore deep green tonight, the color blending with the shadows of the pines. Her hair was tied high, and the cold gleam of a longsword rested at her hip.
"You're early," she said without turning.
"You're late," he countered, as though he had arrived nearly half an hour before her.
That earned the faintest smile before she gestured toward the drop. "Look."
He stepped beside her, eyes narrowing. Far below, tiny pinpricks of light flickered in the darkness campfires.
"Bandits?" he asked.
"No. Something worse." Her tone was clipped. "Those are no ordinary cultivators. My scouts reported they move as one, with discipline. Their leader wears crimson armor and commands a beast, a winged beast."
Lu Tian's brows rose. Winged beasts were rare in this part of the continent; most were in the higher-tier danger zones far to the north.
"What's their goal?"
"They're scouring the forest for something. My guess? A beast core or artifact powerful enough to shift the balance between small sects."
The wind shifted, carrying the distant cry of something avian, deep, guttural, not like any bird he'd heard before.
The System chimed.
[Target Identified: Crimson Plume Roc – Mid Qi Refining Beast]
[Estimated Reward: High-Grade Beast Core, +22% Essence to next stage]
[Warning: Beast is guarded by multiple armed cultivators.]
The Hunt Begins
Mei Xinyue's gaze cut to him. "I came to you because I've seen how you fight. Alone, my people would be slaughtered trying to take that camp. Together"
"Together," he finished for her, "we might turn their little hunt into a slaughter of our own."
She didn't deny it.
The plan was simple: approach from two sides, use the cover of the forest to eliminate sentries, then strike at the Roc before it could take flight. The leader, whoever he was, would be the real threat.
They moved like shadows between the pines. The first sentry never saw Lu Tian coming, with a flash of dagger, a muffled grunt, and the man sagged silently to the ground. Mei Xinyue was even faster, her sword a whisper that severed a throat without a sound.
By the time they reached the edge of the camp, four guards lay cooling in the undergrowth.
The Crimson Plume Roc
It was a magnificent, terrible thing, feathers like burning coals, each plume tipped with molten gold. Its wings, even folded, stretched wider than a house. It sat chained to a massive oak, its eyes half-lidded in what looked like boredom.
But the chains hummed faintly with qi suppression talismans. Without them, the Roc would be a storm of talons and fire.
The leader sat by the central fire, crimson armor gleaming. His helmet was off, revealing a face marked by three long scars. His eyes were sharp, calculating and fixed on a strange object in his hands: a small, rune-etched sphere that pulsed faintly with light.
"That's no beast core," Mei Xinyue murmured. "It's..."
But before she could finish, the leader's head snapped up.
"Guests," he said aloud, his voice carrying easily across the camp. "How thoughtful."
Battle Under Moonlight
The camp erupted into motion. Cultivators leapt to their feet, blades and spears flashing in the firelight. The Roc stirred, its feathers flaring with heat as though sensing the promise of blood.
Lu Tian surged forward, sword now in hand. The Lotus-Severing technique came alive, each movement flowing like water no wasted motion, no hesitation. He cut down the first attacker in a single stroke, the man's weapon clattering uselessly to the ground.
Mei Xinyue's style was all precision, her blade darting in and out like a serpent's tongue, each thrust aimed for a fatal point.
The System's voice rang in Lu Tian's mind.
[Enemy defeated: Qi Refining Stage 1 – Essence +3%]
[Enemy defeated: Qi Refining Stage 2 – Essence +5%]
The leader finally rose, sphere still in one hand, a curved blade in the other. His qi flared Qi Refining Stage 4, dense and honed.
"You have spirit," he said, stepping forward. "It will be entertaining to break it."
They clashed, steel on steel, the impact rattling through Lu Tian's bones. The leader's strength was immense, but his style relied on overpowering force predictable to someone who could read the flow of a fight.
Lu Tian's counter came swift: a feint high, then a brutal kick to the knee. The leader staggered just long enough for Mei Xinyue to dart in, her sword cutting a deep line across his side.
Roaring in pain, he dropped the sphere, and, in that instant, the Roc's chains shattered as if struck by an invisible hammer.
The Turning Tide
Heat rolled over them like a physical force as the Roc spread its wings. The talismans burned away in motes of ash, and its eyes blazed with killing intent.
The System pulsed:
[Emergency Objective: Slay or Subdue Crimson Plume Roc]
[Reward Upgrade: High-Grade Beast Core, Fire Affinity +10%, Unique Skill (???)]
Lu Tian didn't hesitate. "I'll take the Roc. Keep his dogs off me!"
He charged, sword flashing. The Roc met him with a screech that rattled the night air, a column of flame spewing from its beak. Lu Tian's qi surged, forming a barrier that held barely as he closed the distance and slashed at its wing joint.
The battle was chaos firelight, steel, and the thunder of wings. But Lu Tian moved with purpose, each strike aimed to cripple, to force the beast lower.
Finally, with a roar of effort, he drove his blade deep into the Roc's chest. It shrieked once, a sound that seemed to shake the stars, before collapsing.
[Target essence absorbed: Crimson Plume Roc – Mid Qi Refining Beast]
[Essence: 92% toward Qi Refining Stage 3]
[Item Acquired: Crimson Plume Beast Core]
Aftermath
The remaining mercenaries broke and fled, their leader clutching his side as Mei Xinyue's blade chased him into the forest. She returned minutes later, shaking her head.
"He's gone. But this…" She held up the rune-etched sphere. "This is trouble. Whatever they were hunting for, this is part of it."
Lu Tian took it, feeling the faint thrum of power within. The System was silent which somehow made it more ominous.
They stood together at the cliff's edge, moonlight bathing the battlefield below.
"This is only the beginning," Mei Xinyue said quietly.
Lu Tian looked out over the endless forest, the beast core warm in his palm. "Good. I'm just getting started."