Chapter 4: Blood, Ice, and the Burden of Legacy
And her clothes' hems flowed with liquid-like shiny moon fluid, as though stitched from starlight itself.
Seeing the fight break out between the two unfathomable opponents, Peak Master Gou reacted instantly. His seasoned instincts screamed of imminent catastrophe. With decisiveness born of countless battles, he pulled Wei Shiyan close, grasping his waist, and with a resounding boom, he shot out like a hurricane, plunging down the mountain with an unbelievable speed.
As he fled, the rest of the seasoned cultivators of the sect also reacted. They scattered in all directions, abandoning their sect, their pride, and everything they once stood for. Because when a fight of this level erupts, there is one universal truth: the bystander always suffers.
In less than six breaths, the battling cultivators clashed again.
Only this time, the intensity had transcended all comprehension. The heavens themselves seemed to flinch.
A voice rang out, booming like thunder across the mountains.
"Li Xuemei, do you think the Universal Law Crystals are something a mere brat like you can take?"
The demonic cultivator's tone was venomous, his words carrying malice that pierced the soul. "Leave while you can, or die as my blood food."
Then came the chilling laughter, sharp enough to pierce bone. "Zzeehehehe… It's been thousands of years since I last tasted the blood of a blooming genius."
The Ice Beauty—Li Xuemei—did not waver. Her gaze remained as cold as her moniker, her lips parting slightly. She formed a seal with her slender hands, her voice calm yet laden with finality.
"Demon Incinerating Sword Lotus Formation."
The very heavens trembled.
From the void above her head, a terrifying sword formation burst forth, sculpted entirely of ice, pulsating with annihilating power. It was a lotus of blades, each petal brimming with killing intent that could erase mountains.
The wicked grin on the demonic cultivator's face froze. Slowly, it twisted into furrowed brows, his eyes contracting into pinpricks of disbelief. All traces of mockery vanished, replaced by utmost seriousness.
He roared, his shout shaking valleys.
"Blood Encompassing Palm!"
Behind him, the blood moon quivered violently. From its crimson glow, a gigantic palm condensed—vast enough to crush the entire mountain range into a bloody hellscape.
The two ultimate arts collided.
Silence fell. For a moment, even air currents stilled, and sound itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then came the recoil—like the tide receding before a calamity.
BOOOOM!
The world shattered. The sky collapsed as though the heavens themselves were falling. A catastrophic disaster reigned. Beasts, plants, mountains, the sect, even the surrounding villages—obliterated in the wake of the collision.
Peak Master Gou, sprinting to his absolute limit, bled from his seven orifices as spiritual power remnants tore through him. Still, he did not stop. He could not stop.
From behind came the furious roar of the demonic cultivator.
"Ahh, you f*cking bitch!"
The demon's wrath unleashed a hidden weapon, secret and sharp. It shot forth at an unparalleled speed, cutting through the already devastated battlefield.
Li Xuemei's eyes widened for the first time. She hadn't expected such a cunning counter. Her protective pendant burst into radiant light, forming a desperate barrier. The attack was blunted—but not fully stopped. The remnants struck her, forcing a streak of blood to slide from the corner of her lips.
The land groaned under destruction. And in the midst of it all, a towering howl split the heavens.
"How can I, Chan Jun, be injured to such an extent by a mere junior?!"
His blood deflected outward in waves as he unleashed his spiritual consciousness, scanning the battlefield like a net of malice. Then, with a flicker, he vanished.
In the ruins of the sect, corpses and survivors alike lay broken. Chan Jun appeared once more and without hesitation formed a dreadful hand seal. Instantly, the blood and vitality of both the dead and the living surged toward him. His body drank it all like a black hole, devouring every shred of life essence.
The horror did not end there.
Li Xuemei, the ice-cold beauty, stabilized her injuries. But rather than healing in silence, she unleashed a forbidden art of her own. From her body erupted a terrifying suction force, pulling the life origin of all living things nearby.
The escaping cultivators paled beyond description. Their hearts collapsed.
Hadn't they believed she, the righteous path's shining figure, would stand as their savior? That she would stop the demon's slaughter? Yet now, she too turned her hand against them.
"Howling…"
"Screaming…"
"Stop!"
But their pleas were useless. Whether righteous or demonic, both sides had revealed their truth: survival and power mattered more than morality.
When both Chan Jun and Li Xuemei finished their abhorrent arts, neither had returned to peak condition. They knew better than to clash recklessly again. Instead, they turned their fury outward, toward the fleeing survivors.
And so began another hunt. Pursuing those who ran. Sucking out their essence.
Wei Shiyan saw all this. His soul nearly left his body. His complexion turned so pale it was beyond description.
There is no escape…
He truly believed it.
Yet Peak Master Gou—his mentor, his adopted father—did not stop. Breath ragged, body battered, he kept running, dragging Wei Shiyan deeper into the Sound Doom Forest. Finally, before a towering cliff, he stopped.
He turned, his gaze complicated, a storm of emotions surging in his eyes.
"This is where it all ends."
His voice was heavy, every word etched with despair and determination.
"Wei Shiyan, remember this: you must survive. That's the promise I made to those dying couples years back. And you must also know… they were not your parents."
Wei Shiyan froze. The words hit harder than the collapsing mountains behind them.
Peak Master Gou continued, voice rough.
"They only told me this: you should live an ordinary, fulfilling life. You deserve it. Don't think of searching for your real parents. Don't seek your bloodline's origin. Because the moment you uncover it, peace will leave you forever—even if you rise to become lord of this world."
His words cut like blades, yet there was no hatred in them—only sorrow.
"They said… it is a heavenly blessing to die ignorant."
Sigh~~
He exhaled deeply, as if letting go of a weight he had carried for years. Then, slowly, he removed a deep black, ordinary-looking ring from his index finger. He held it out to Wei Shiyan.
"I don't know what kind of ring this is. But it was left by the First Hall Master. Now, you inherit it. This ring is the sign and seal of Luminary Hall's Hall Master. Guard it well. Never lose it. That was the First Hall Master's command—that it must be protected and passed down, generation to generation."
Wei Shiyan trembled. His mind reeled, but Peak Master Gou did not stop.
"Now listen carefully."
From his robes, he pulled out a talisman, its surface etched with ancient runes that shimmered faintly in the moonlight.
"This is an ancient concealing talisman. It was gifted to the First Hall Master, found within some ruin. He cherished it above all else. Only when death neared did he pass it down. And now, I pass it to you."
He pressed it into Wei Shiyan's hand.
"Get ready. It can conceal only one person. And I… I am already dying. So live well, Wei Shiyan. Live… even if I cannot."