"San Jie!" Shen Ming called out, unable to hide the relief in his voice. "San Jie! Luo Cheng!"
San Jie strode in, arm wrapped protectively around Luo Cheng's waist. Everyone had been worried about him the most, yet he appeared untouched, not even a scratch on his skin.
Behind them, Wu Xuan entered, dragging a blood-stained sword behind him. His clothes were torn, soaked in the blood of others. He looked like a demon that had crawled straight out of a battlefield.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Duan Xia asked quickly.
Yu Yi didn't wait. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Wu Xuan."Da Shixiong!"
"I'm sorry I'm late," Wu Xuan said quietly. He glanced toward Yu Lingyu, asleep on Shen Ming's shoulder, and gently patted Yu Yi's head.
"Wu Shixiong, have you been in the domain this whole time?" Xu Jin asked.
Wu Xuan nodded.
"But it was quiet when we entered," San Jie said, sitting down beside Yu Lingyu. His eyes lingered on Lingyu's pale face, soft with concern. "Is he alright?"
"Lingyu is fine," Hong Li answered, her gaze low. "Don't worry."
Wu Xuan's smile curved in a cold, mocking arc as he stepped toward her.
"Meng Li Shimei. I had my doubts, but now I'm sure. If Wei Yunhe knew you joined the Lotus Sect… he'd regret everything. He even went against Elder Shen Guo for your sake."
Hong Li's fists clenched. Her body trembled slightly.
"That has nothing to do with Da Shixiong. What are you trying to say, Wu Xuan?"
"Me?" he said with a feigned innocence. "Nothing. But you still care about Lingyu, don't you? He's done a lot for you."
The words sounded casual, but Hong Li understood the true message: You owe him your life.
"You don't need to remind me about Lingyu," she said, voice firm. "There's no way I'll let him die here."
Wu Xuan gave a shrug and sat down on the stone floor.
"Then that's it."
San Jie exhaled. "We're not the Lotus Sect's true target."
"If Wu Shixiong isn't at the peak," Shen Ming added, "it's the perfect time to strike the Wen Sect."
Wu Xuan nodded in agreement. "The elders are in solitary meditation. Wei Yunhe isn't in the sect. They picked the timing well. Cowards, but cunning."
"Will they really attack?" Yu Yi asked. "Da Shixiong, what do we do?"
Wu Xuan's smirk was chilling. "There's one thing they don't know," he said. "Xiao Hai and Han Zi Ying arrived at the sect today."
The air changed. San Jie's eyes widened.
He knew?
It wasn't just luck. Wu Xuan had foreseen this possibility from the start.
If he was right, then the Lotus Sect had walked into their own funeral. They were gambling against the jade inferiors of the Wen Sect—and even though two were absent, three still remained.
This wasn't the end. It was the beginning of a long war.
***
A heavy silence blanketed the Wen Sect. Shadows danced in the moonlight, stretched by the wind, and the distant call of night owls grew steadily louder. At the top of Sha Diren's observation tower, a lone figure stood, still as stone.
His eyes were tightly shut. The crimson robe he wore flared in the wind, and his hair whipped freely behind him. In his right hand, he held a long, intricately carved sword. Even without moving, his presence radiated quiet intimidation.
"Xiao Hai," came a voice.
Zi Ying appeared beside him, offering a cup of tea. After a moment's hesitation, he remained at Xiao Hai's side, sipping from his own. "Is Xuan telling the truth? It's almost seven."
Xiao Hai gave no reply. His eyes remained closed as he observed not with sight, but with something deeper.
"Zi Ying," he finally said, his voice low but sure, "They're coming."
"Huh? Where? I don't see-" Zi Ying leaned forward, scanning the horizon. But he wasn't foolish enough to doubt Xiao Hai's instincts. He quickly signaled to the guards below. "Where's Sha Na Mi?"
"In Juyao."
"Tch." Xiao Hai clicked his tongue, clearly frustrated. "Zi Ying, contact Na Mi. Their target isn't Juyao, it's Jun Peak." His eyes snapped open, sharp and tense. "I'll go. Tell Na Mi to reroute, and let Yi Qiu take command of Juyao's defenses."
Without another word, he leapt into the sky, sword beneath his feet, cutting across the moonlit clouds.
Zi Ying stayed behind, stunned. The weight of Xiao Hai's declaration hadn't yet settled.
Everyone in the Wen Sect knew Xiao Hai's reputation, his supernatural senses surpassed even the most skilled cultivators. He could perceive what others never even sensed. And now, that intuition screamed danger.
Xiao Hai descended onto Jun Peak, landing lightly on a stone outcrop. Murong Meng stood nearby and nearly jumped at his sudden appearance.
"X-Xiao Shixiong?"
The mountain was eerily quiet.
But Xiao Hai was certain: the enemy was already here.
A deafening explosion echoed from the direction of Sha Diren, an ominous signal that the battle had begun. Murong Meng stiffened at the sound.
"Are they here already?" he asked, his voice laced with fear.
"Where are the others?" Xiao Hai asked, his movements careful and deliberate. He knew better than anyone, Jun Peak was laced with hidden traps. Even the most ordinary patch of ground could kill.
"They're at the underground barrier," Murong Meng replied. "We're short on numbers. I didn't want to risk scattering them."
Xiao Hai's brows furrowed. Something wasn't right.
If the enemy had infiltrated Jun Peak, the traps should've triggered, even if they entered unseen. Unless…
Unless they already know the traps.
His eyes widened slightly.
A diversion. The explosion. His departure.
The realization struck like lightning.
They knew he'd leave.
As he turned to go, a surge of spiritual energy screamed through the air behind him.
Instinctively, he drew his blade and blocked the attack mid-swing, steel ringing against raw power. Sparks lit the night. His eyes, sharp and unyielding, locked onto his hidden enemy.
"Murong Meng!" Xiao Hai growled.
A sardonic smile curved on Meng's face. "As expected… I can't fool your senses." He chuckled, tilting his head. "But that's fine, Xiao Hai. Nice to finally meet you… as an enemy."
Xiao Hai, usually calm and cold as ice, felt a rare flicker of anger surge within him. His sword began to glow, spiritual energy humming along the blade.
"Now that you're here," Murong Meng said, dragging a long spear from the air as if conjured from another realm, "I can't let you leave, Xiao Shixiong."
His eyes burned with frenzy, like a cat gone mad.
Xiao Hai said nothing. He hated wasting words. With a flicker, he launched forward. His strikes came fast and heavy, each swing powerful enough to cleave through solid stone.
But Murong Meng danced around them, blocking with unnatural ease. This was not the Murong Meng Xiao Hai had once known.
"Heh… Xiao Shixiong, can't you try harder? This is getting boring." Meng grinned, parrying another blow and countering with a sharp jab.
Xiao Hai sidestepped, his expression unchanged. "Did you betray us from the beginning?"
"I was never with you to begin with," Meng replied, his spear crackling with red energy. Blades clashed, and sparks flew. The spiritual pressure distorted the air, twisting trees and cracking stone.
"Shall I tell you something, Xiao Shixiong?" Murong Meng suddenly leapt into the sky, his voice echoing like a taunt. "If you head to the Crimson Phoenix Pavilion right now, you might still save Wu Xuan."
Xiao Hai faltered. Xuan? He was their strongest, surely, he didn't need saving.
"Oh, Xuan is strong," Murong Meng smirked, spinning the spear as if reading Xiao Hai's thoughts. "But even he is nothing before Lord Xul'goth."
Xiao Hai's eyes widened. "Xul'goth…?"
That brief second of shock was all Murong Meng needed. His spear launched forward like lightning, piercing Xiao Hai's abdomen and pinning him to a nearby tree.
"Now, now, Xiao Shixiong," Murong Meng said gleefully, pulling the spear back toward himself, blood trailing its edge. "Don't lose focus. What a pity… I never wanted to hurt you, or Lingyu. This is all Xuan's fault."
Coughing blood, Xiao Hai staggered upright. His eyes glowed crimson.
"Fire Technique, Phoenix Blast!"
Flames erupted from the ground, spiraling around him. Gas in the air ignited, coalescing into a colossal illusion of a flaming phoenix behind him. The creature screeched and blew a wave of fire, searing the air and ground alike.
"Oh? Are you worried about Xuan… or about Lingyu?" Murong Meng leapt backward to avoid the flames. "Because if Lingyu dies… well, how will you face Wei Yunhe?"
A massive fireball cut him off, roaring toward him.
It smashed into a pillar at Jun Peak's entrance and exploded, shaking the entire spire.
Murong Meng's grin disappeared. His eyes gleamed with a new kind of excitement.
"Soul Form, Scarlet Wolf!"
The air thickened. Spiritual pressure distorted the ground as a blood-red glow surrounded him. A massive, translucent wolf emerged, fur bristling in gold and crimson. Its blood-red eyes gleamed like coals.
"Attack!"
The wolf lunged, snarling and baring its ethereal fangs. Xiao Hai raised his hand. The phoenix flared its wings and shrieked, diving into the fray.
The clash shook Jun Peak to its core.
Steam boiled from the hot springs. Trees were uprooted, the terrain splitting under the overwhelming energy.
Each impact between the wolf and phoenix lit the mountain in a blinding flash. It was clear now, Murong Meng had hidden his true strength all along. He was above Xiao Hai.
"Last technique, Air devouring arrow!" A deep voice said.
A beam of white light shot toward Murong Meng at a speed beyond what the eye could see and smashed into his shoulder, causing great pressure and forcing him to reverse his spiritual energy.
As the crimson wolf was torn apart by the phoenix, the bird's fire breath was aimed directly at Murong Meng. The white sword that had pierced his shoulder flew away again as Murong Meng fell backward like a rag doll in the face of the earth-shaking power clash.
Murong Meng roared in anger as he fell to the ground, shattering a stone statue behind him. The blow to the shoulder was putting so much pressure on him that he could no longer handle his qi properly.
The ground cracked around him, and the burning trees nearby collapsed from the heat. He dodged aside before Xiao Hai's other attack hit, transforming into a blood-colored wolf and quickly fleeing down the mountain. Bits of his torn robes flew behind like bloodied feathers.
Xiao Hai canceled his technique and breathed heavily. "Thank you, Qingxuan," he said, squeezing the wound in his abdomen to stop the bleeding, turning his head to Mei Qingxuan, who was walking from inside the Jun Peak.
Mei Qingxuan looked disappointed. The white sword in his hand was trembling. "Murong Xiong, really?"
Xiao Hai said nothing and sat on the ground, channeling his qi properly. The stone tiles beneath him were scorched and cracked.
Had Mei Qingxuan not arrived, Xiao Hai's defeat would have been inevitable. Although Qingxuan was not very powerful, anyone who was hit by his Air Devouring Arrow succumbed to the pressure of the air. But if Murong Meng wasn't completely focused on Xiao, Qingxuan wouldn't even have had a chance to get close.
"Da Shixiong is right," Qingxuan muttered as he looked at Xiao Hai with emotionless eyes. A flicker of something unreadable passed through them. "That really was Murong Meng."