With Han Kui's roar, hundreds of auras erupted from the Frozen Flame Sect grounds. Elders and disciples alike appeared at their leader's summons. Their cultivation ranged from Body Forging to Foundation Establishment.

  It was enough to give Jin Zhenyu and Zhao Tianqing pause. Their auras were stable and icy as they bared their teeth and qi at the enemies before them.

  The Iron Flame Sect hadn't come out in full force, but the Frozen Flame Sect did.

  Han Kui's aura was unmatched as the very air bristled with frost around him. He turned to Zhao Tianqing and bowed ever-so-slightly. "Forgive me, Mayor Zhao, but the Golden Flame Sect has crossed the line. We will not allow this slanderous venom to stain our reputation."

  He waved his arm, and the sect responded. "Today, only one of us can live. Follow my command and bring down the Golden Flame Sect!"

  "Yes, Sect Leader!"

  A veritable onslaught began as the hundreds of disciples roared earnestly.

  Zhao Tianqing was baffled as he watched the battle unfold. He stroked his chin, a cold glint in his eyes as he silently permitted some blood to spill.

  ...

  Meanwhile, Feng Han was losing his mind. Disciples kept appearing around him relentlessly. He didn't even know how they kept finding him in the vastness of Emberwood Forest and Pyrefang Gorge, yet they did.

  And each time they approached, they died, pitifully and just as unlucky.

  The golden chalice was ruthless, and it was clear it didn't want to waste time before getting an answer from Feng Han. By now, he had fully realized the chalice was far more monstrous than he had thought possible.

  With how easily it crushed the cultivators, Feng Han knew its threat wasn't empty. If it wanted to kill him, it would.

  They always said Immortal Relics are just powerful tools, but this chalice is more like an actual living, breathing being.

  Is this what they mean by holding hands with a devil?

  Do I have no choice but to submit to its whims...?

  Feng Han sighed. As his thoughts spun wildly, he ducked under a thick branch in front of him, dodging a furious disciple's sword strike just barely. The blade recoiled off the branch, disrupting the disciple's balance.

  Feng Han spun and kicked out, sending the disciple stumbling backward. The golden chalice took the opportunity and crushed the disciple, bleeding him dry.

  Shit. I don't have time for this.

  I need to find Yue'er and Xue'er.

  Where the hell do they even keep coming from? Are they tracking me somehow?

  "You're all insane!" Feng Han roared, his frustration boiling. "I don't have what you're looking for!"

  [You don't? Are you sure about that? Am I chopped liver here? Ah! I'm just a poor, powerless chalice... stranded pitifully in your big, strong grasp. Should I tell them that?]

  The chalice flashed in front of Feng Han, and he swiped at it with his hand, swatting at it like it was an incessant insect buzzing into his brain. "Would you shut up!"

  Every time the chalice caused his annoyance to scathe and his voice to rise, another wave of disciples would appear. Feng Han had lost count of how many had already fallen during the pursuit. At least ten cultivators, maybe more. He didn't mind killing if it was for survival's sake, and if they pushed him to that point, but even for him, it was getting too much.

  He exhaled, his nerves taut as he prepared for another clash. But it was then that the Golden Flame and Frozen Flame Sects' battle erupted in earnest.

  Thunderous quakes and explosions of qi and flame painted the sky with their frenzied colours of destruction. The entire area encompassing Eternal Flame City, Emberwood Forest, Pyrefang Gorge, and even the Imperial Road leading to Serene Willow City felt the overwhelming pressure of the two sects clashing.

  Feng Han threw himself forward as several splintered tree trunks peppered the surrounding area. He was lucky. But several of the disciples were not so fortunate as the debris battered their bodies into a gory mess.

  The chalice took the opportunity and welcomed them, and their surviving companions into its kind, bottomless embrace. It moved like a phantom, devouring everything in its path, leaving the area devoid of life. Only it and Feng Han remained.

  Feng Han didn't know whether to cheer or cry. The chalice was helpful, but it didn't reassure him at all. And with the immensity of the flames spreading from Eternal Flame City's direction, he knew his time to choose was running out.

  [Come on, boy. Are you not hungry for power that'll allow you to survive these endless nuisances without depending on me? Just have a sip.]

  [You're going to do it sooner or later, why not now?]

  The chalice squirmed in front of Feng Han, the crimson liquid within it swirling as strands of qi wafted from it, oozing with temptation.

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  Feng Han breathed a long sigh and calmed himself. As much as his heart ached with panic, he couldn't afford to be reckless. He had barely broken through, and those far more powerful than he were dying like strays beneath the chalice's might.

  He was past the point of escaping from his circumstances, but perhaps the relic would change his fate.

  Can it be a fate worse than dying at the hands of these maddened cultivators?

  Can it be worse than the uncertainty of not knowing whether my sisters are safe or not?

  ...to hell with it.

  "Tell me, chalice. What is it you want from me, really? What's the cost of drinking from you?"

  With utmost seriousness, Feng Han continued, "I don't believe you're doing any of this from the goodness of your heart... so... what's the catch?"

  [Oh! Are you finally ready to talk?]

  [What do I want from you? That's simple. I want you!]

  "What?"

  [Yes, that's all! I want you! You remind me of an old friend, a handsome old friend that I cherished dearly. I've been stuck in this realm for so long, but you're the first that's reminded me of those days.]

  [I'll ignore the remark about my goodness. I'm just a sweet, innocent chalice. I can't believe you'd even imply nefariousness on my part.]

  Feng Han remained quiet, unwilling to argue with the golden chalice while it was explaining.

  [Nothing to say? Forget it, I won't bicker with you. There are more reasons. Let's see...]

  The chalice's voice softened into a surprisingly pleasant tune that differed from its normally oppressive, distorted heft. It was so calming that it actually soothed the pain that its previous torment had caused from the constant mental transmissions.

  Could it be...?

  [Your determination would be pitiful to watch, were it not somehow admirable at the same time. You're greedy, but not consumed by it. You're starved for greatness, but not enough to abandon all reason and notion of love.]

  [Just look at the flames. That is what you'd expect from greed. Insatiable, incurable treachery. All life is naught but fuel for the fire.]

  [Then there's you. Despite holding power in the palm of your hand, you're still more worried about your family than the benefits you could receive right now. Even when I pushed you, it didn't make you falter in your convictions.]

  "I see..." Feng Han muttered. "Is that it?"

  [More or less! Choosing you is also choosing to bind my fate to you. I've been trapped for so long, and I'm tired of it, but to change any of that... I need external strength.]

  [That's not a story for now, but that is a part of your question about cost. My giving you strength requires you to offer your strength for my goals in the future, when you're strong enough to make a difference.]

  "That doesn't sound too bad..." Feng Han pondered with some disbelief. But the more he thought about it, the more he felt inclined to believe it. He had barely broken through, and he was nothing and nobody in the cultivation world. It made no sense for the relic to be lying, when it could just crush him as it did with the pursuers.

  [Of course! Sure, there are some other downsides... Irritability, hunger, a thirst for qi and blood, a penchant for violence once in a while. But what cultivator doesn't have some flaws?]

  Feng Han's mouth dropped, and an awkward laugh escaped from his throat.

  The crimson liquid within the chalice glowed with a surge of qi, and it sloshed actively in the direction of Feng Han. No matter how it shook, not one drop fell out of the chalice.

  Its might caused even the sky to darken around Feng Han as the liquid turned a dark maroon, swirling like an abyssal whirlpool, eager to consume him.

  [The cultivator's path is arduous, boy. Fear, cowardice, doubt, all these emotions merely serve to make you hesitate and miss out on opportunity.]

  [Take me in your hands, and drink. Let this power serve you, make it your own, and become someone.]

  [I am Baoshi! Once, I was among the mightiest, the Heaven Devourer of the Seven Godsins. When the Primordial Immortal World heard my name, it trembled.]

  [I've seen realms rise, and worlds fall. I've seen clashes beyond your wildest imagination, beyond what your mind can even comprehend right now. Don't mistake my current weakness. My word is written in gold.]

  [I hunger for the world, the dao, and the essence of creation.]

  [You who carry the weight of the name Feng, it's your time to be reborn like a phoenix. Soar. Spread your wings and conquer your demons. Now, you too can forge your own legacy.]

  [TAKE ME.]

  [DRINK FROM ME.]

  [UNTIL THE HEAVENS KNEEL BENEATH YOUR MIGHT BEAR THIS SIN.]

  [ARE YOU WILLING?]

  Feng Han's blood chilled, and boiled. Baoshi's words were undeniably tempting. He didn't want to be a miserable slumrat for the rest of his life. That's why he'd always worked so hard and strived for so much. It's why, no matter what, he'd take his chances and try to make things easier for himself and for his sisters.

  To say that he believed Baoshi's words wholly would be a lie.

  But, for his sisters, even a deal with the devil would be worth it.

  Feng Han reached out, and the chalice's ecstatic warbles filled the area as it bounced joyfully in the air. It didn't take long before it settled down in front of his hand.

  "I'm... willing."

  "I'm... willing to work with you," Feng Han said. He exhaled deeply and wrapped his hand around the chalice. "I don't trust you fully, but I'm willing to believe..."

  "I don't know if this is right or wrong. I don't know whether I'm crazy or so desperate that it's made me blind to reason. I don't know if I know anything, but to hell with it all."

  "As you said, I bear the name of Feng. I am Feng Han, and I will bear the sin of my decision today."

  Feng Han raised the chalice toward his face, his hand clenched tightly around it as he lifted his head to the sky and closed his eyes.

  "Baoshi... Give me the strength to fight against the odds. To protect those I care for, and to escape the obstacles in my way. And in return, I too will help you against that which stands in your way."

  [Good boy! Yes... Unconditional trust is naivety and stupidity. But mutual benefit and merit, that's the way of the world! I swear on my name, for as long as you live, I won't betray you!]

  Feng Han grinned, a strange reassurance easing the burdens in his heart. He tipped the chalice and let the liquid flow down his throat.

  If the world was going to hell because of him discovering the golden chalice, then he had no choice but to join them.

  A deal with the unknown was miles better than dying helplessly to all he'd ever known.

  Yue'er... Xue'er... wait for me!

  As the liquid settled in Feng Han's stomach, he roared, "I'M WILLING!"