But far away, hidden eyes watched the ruin, bearing tidings to Mo Tian. The Blood Saber Sect would grow stronger. Li Xian had won, but war was only just beginning.
There was the acrid scent of smoke and blood in the mountains, rocky peaks jagged against a menacing gray sky that hung like an offer of rain. Li Xian's boots struck the stone with discreet precision, every careful step deliberate. By his side, Su Yao's radiance glowed, her silver strength wrapping him like a living shroud, amplifying the fires burning in his veins. The two stalked together, one killer, pursuing after the men who had soiled his name and killed the disciples of the Crimson Thorn.
Li Xian's senses were drawn taut, every quiver in the wind, every darkness on the stone ground raked for movement. The killers had made patterns—minuscule, delicate scratches only a master would notice—and they had misjudged his sensitivity. Su Yao's fingers drifted against his arm; the soft throb told him that she was sensitized, she could sense the same currents, the same risk.
"First outpost," she murmured, voice low, fierce. "A dozen, maybe more. They won't survive."
Li Xian nodded, crimson qi flickering along his knuckles, coiling like living serpents. He had survived tribulation; he had crushed Commander Wei's shadow of doubt. These men were nothing. But he would make them feel every ounce of fear before their end.
They dropped silently, shadows flowing over stones, their abilities blended in a lethal harmony. The initial guards died before dawn, bodies cracked or thrown with scant thought. Su Yao's silver flame touched the outskirts of the outpost, incinerating walls and guards alike with equal fervor, leaving them screaming abysmally silenced. Li Xian advanced in silky synchronism, his scarlet energy searing the air, every strike shattering bone, shattering defenses, leaving the attackers dazed, immobilized with terror.
A guard leaped out of the shadows, sword flashing towards Su Yao. Li Xian turned in mid-air, flaming blood encasing his fist, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting it until it shattered. Su Yao released a burst of silver qi, slicing through another who had attacked his flank. They advanced as one, unrelenting, deadly. Each blow calculated, each step fatal, but always restrained—this was not rage, this was judgment.
By the time they reached the grove at the center, the first wave of assassins was disorganized, broken, cowering, or fleeing into the woods. Li Xian's eyes hardened; the mastermind was waiting, hidden in the grove, looking to strike, looking to wreak havoc—but finding death instead.
The final assassin struck like a snake, double swords flashing in morning light. Li Xian stopped him mid-fall, crimson flames dancing around his hands, wrapping around the blades, shattering one in two, tearing the other in two. Su Yao's white energy wrapped around the man's arms and legs, tying him up, making Li Xian stronger. He threw the assassin into the central tree; wood splintered, his ribs broke, and blood painted the ground with ink.
Li Xian loomed over him, chest heaving, crimson energy coiling like burning fire. "Tell me of your master," he growled, voice low and deadly. "Or die here, now."
The man coughed, blood foaming at his lips, fear radiating in waves. "The Blood Saber… Sect… Mo Tian…" he panted. "Orders. to bring you out."
Li Xian's eyes glared. The plan was reckless, daring, but stupid. "Then you die," he snarled, and let go of a spurt of qi that exploded like a small blast, choking the grove in a storm of flames and shadows.
Su Yao followed him, power coursing around her, brushing his shoulder. She had remained silent, deadly, a reflection of his own intent. "You wanted this fight," she breathed, voice rough, lips against his ear. "Now it is done. But they will come back."
Li Xian swept back the hair from her face, fingers tracing the rhythm of her qi on her cheek. "Bring them on," he spoke softly. "They'll only find ruin behind us.".
Even as they took one step forward to leave, a sudden quiver in the air halted them. Another tide of killers emerged, more rapid, better coordinated. Li Xian's fists ignited fire, red flame burning in a lash-like crack. Su Yao's silver fires burned with him, a whirlpool of intertwined power. Both of them tore through the attackers, bodies seeming to be shared by one spirit.
The battle was intense. A man's sword cut across Li Xian's side; red qi erupted and burned, melting the blade and scattering it into killer fragments. Su Yao's fingers danced patterns on the air, silver threads cutting through flesh, shafts of power exploding those who would approach. Their combined force was hot, beautiful, unstoppable.
Hours were a blur of activity. As night fell, the grove lay in ruins, the killed strewn across burned earth. Li Xian's red qi clung to him like a halter of fire, pulsating with pent-up fury. Su Yao clung to him, exhaustion etched on her face but eyes aglow, fire and silver mingling in their aura.
They spoke no more than a handful of words. They were not necessary. Their bond, which was created in hardship, conflict, and bare power, was absolute. Every glance, every touch, every respiration they shared in the midst of the chaos served to remind them of their place at one another's side. Su Yao's hand on his pectoral, Li Xian's hand buried in her locks—these gestures said more.
And as they returned to the land of the land Azure Blossom Sect, the shadows whispered dismay. The disciples looked from the walls, their eyes tracking their return. The Blood Saber Sect would strike back. They always did. But Li Xian had left a note of fire and blood: they were ready, they were whole, and nothing would break them.
But before the walls of the sect could even be seen, a scout came out, gasping, trembling. "Sect Master… Master Li… ambush… eastern ridge… more than fifty men, and they know your itinerary.".
Li Xian's crimson flames blazed more intensely, closer together, warmer, curling around him like fluid armor. Su Yao mirrored him, silver light dancing against the darkness. They stood shoulder to shoulder at the crest of the ridge, gazing out into night and approaching peril.
"Then we'll encounter them," Li Xian sighed softly. His fists clenched, energy churning in the air. "Let them approach. All of them. I will slice through them. And at the end of this evening, the Blood Saber Sect will realize the cost of their transgression against the Azure Blossom Sect."
Su Yao's fingers intertwined with his, her breathing even in the turmoil. "Together," she said.
"Yes," he replied, red and silver power wrapping around them. "Together. And nothing… nothing will ever take that from us."
Shadows lurked in the distance, black forms close enough to feel in the darkness. Armanent-bearing bodies that would not and could not be seen until it was time to attack. The hunt wasn't over yet, but this time Li Xian would not hunt in silence—he would bring them crashing down, leaving ruin and warning in every step.
And in the calmness before impact, the mountains themselves trembled with anticipation, feeling the impending explosion of fire and metal and tempest.