Her eyes were dull, devoid of light. They stared into the unknown, unblinking, unwept. She sat in the corner, the voices by her ear droning out, for that fresh memory was forever burned into her thoughts, dowsing her will.

  She had hope and aspirations. To live a better life with her parents in Cloud City. Gone would be the day of scrounging for resources, working as glorified mercs. Gone would be the days of uncertainty, unsure of what the over morrow entailed.

  A lovelorn hand patted her head as a young, beautiful woman endowed with carnelian hair tried comforting the child. “Little girl, it’ll be alright. If you feel hungry or need water, you can tell big sister. Even if you don’t want to, you mustn’t give up.”

  Her bare neck was branded with a split sun, its innards spilling. The woman sat next to the girl, ignoring the scene with her boss Jeros and the newcomer. She gave the child her shawl, unbloodied, to elicit some fragment of warmth.

  It was pointless.

  The glimmer of the Jade Transmission Slip momentarily illuminated the cave even more, before dimming like the husk of a lantern. Jeros’s rough hands shook before laying it back on the table, filled with empty beer bottles. “Don’t tell me our link has gotten caught? That shouldn’t be possible,” He muttered, biting his thumbnail as he frantically paced around. The cave was filled with the soothing Yijun, nervous young man and the storming steps of their boss.

  “Do we really have to make our own way back to our base? It’s at least a week by foot at the minimum.” In the other corner, Jeros’s attention was drawn to a few engraved boxes. The true treasure they were after, hidden within the scraps from the caravan.

  Ignoring the dull pain in his stomach, the frail man tightly held his knees together. That physical pain couldn’t compare. He had killed two innocent civilians, branding a child an orphan. A new offering for that place. He was now a murderer, a demonic cultivator. Even if his mind dared to delude himself, rubbing the dirtied glass to cleanse it, but that would only cause it to remember his own actions with even more clarity.

  I should’ve stayed as a mere slave. I should’ve… I never…

  He placed his head down, as if it were the only solace he could get. But such an action was never the answer in this world. To lay bare your vulnerabilities was to admit defeat. Even if he hated it, even if he spurned the sect, even if he scorned himself. That was why when the rubbles of dirt fell on his neck, he paid it no heed.

  But the bald man ruminating on his next actions twisted his neck, staring at the ceiling. His traps tensed, and his muscular build was reinforced with Qi. Veins bulged on his neck, and he roared, “Newbie, get out the way!”

  Translucent silver Sword Qi shone throughout the cavern as rubbles of dirt and grass fell through to form a mound. The stifled humid air began to clear up with the smell of the outside world, and a pair of cultivators slammed to the ground, their weapons in tow.

  The boss felt the sense of Qi from their eyes scanning the small base within a blink, and the newcomer’s heart had already been stabbed.

  These two were efficient. Ruthless.

  Fast.

  He didn’t make a move. Though the pair already lost their initiative, Jeros waved a finger to the woman at the side. She covered the child, moving closer to her boss. Yijun could’ve taken the child as a hostage, but that in itself was a risk.

  They were branded demonic cultivators. Their death held more weight than saving a mortal life. But most of all, Yijun held faith in the strength of Jeros.

  A pair of feet were sliced off, Ming permanently disabling the black-haired man. He couldn’t scream, going into shock with a destroyed heart. Shuren made sure his Ruyi Staff was on his left, ready to intercept the woman. Right now, both parties were probing each other.

  Tsk, even if I try to leave from the exit, these bloodthirsty brats wouldn’t slow down.

  “Young brothers, we’ll give you the caravan goods and that horned kid. There’s no need for a life and death duel in this cramped spot, right?” Jeros said, placing his hands outward to signal his state. Unarmed, unprepared, and unwilling to dance with death.

  “This way you’ll get what you want, and you can reap benefits from the Seven Clouds Sect for little effort.”

  He gauged their reactions. The gaze of the swordsman was filled with pure battle intent, his sword itching to fight. But the staff user had a conceited, arrogant glare. Like he was staring at a disgusting bug. In honesty, Jeros had expected their reactions purely from that.

  But all he needed was a gap, and when they stared at his vulnerable state and their body slightly eased, it was more than enough.

  “Demon scourge, you think your lives are worth mo-”

  Shuren and Ming’s body roared with battle intent.

  Dozens of sharp knives were summoned in the air, stabbing towards Shuren and Ming.

  They dodged, both aiming for Jeros.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Shuren’s arms bulged, his veins being churned with reinforcing Qi.

  Jeros simply put his arm out, and space itself opened up.

  A large iron axe had manifested itself into reality, slicing deep against Ming’s sword.

  Both Shuren and Ming had a single thought in their minds.

  Rank 2 Path Foundation!

  Shuren glanced at Ming, sending a short nod.

  Just that signal was enough to send a message, to trust each other to deal with this man.

  From the past six months of working together, their teamwork had reached the peak.

  Shuren tried intercepting Jeros’s attack until a searing pain imprinted on his left calf. He realised then the woman used their momentary distraction to strike.

  This pair of demonic cultivators likewise had impressive teamwork.

  Shuren used the side of his staff to slap away the hilt, neatly removing the dagger stabbing into his calf. His expression was still calm, and he forced his muscles to still the open wound, reducing blood from spurting out.

  Now he had to make a fast decision; to back up Ming against the Rank 2 Path Foundation, or deal with the second woman who was no more than Stage 7 Qidense at best.

  There’s only one option here to deal with a Rank 2. I need to get rid of the buzzing mosquito. Then, we have to figure out what specific Path he has!

  A cool breeze entered the cave with the newly formed hole. Luckily for Ming, even though his sword arm was on the cusp of falling, the quality of his blade bore no crack nor dent from the brunt of the heavy axe.

  Ming staggered on the floor, the sensation of that heavy axe disappearing in an instant.

  Jeros smirked, making full use of recalling his weapon in his storage pouch. Using the sudden shift of inertia, he rammed a fist up Ming’s liver. Spit and splatters of blood coughed out of Ming’s mouth as he backed up against the wall. He instinctively grabbed his liver, his jaws clenched from the sharp pain.

  Intercepting the staff coming for his head, Jeros summoned his battle axe once more to guard it.

  Shuren’s eyes darted around the room, deflecting the throwing daggers from Yijun across the side. She kept the strategy of staying within range, distracting the pair just enough to allow Jeros to dissect them.

  For even if he was someone that barely reached Rank 2 after decades of work, without the backing of a powerful sect like his opponents, Jeros had survived harsh years in a demonic sect, rising from the bottom. If he managed to incapacitate even one of them, they’d be a worthy hostage to offer up to his sect.

  A living body with the information of the Seven Clouds Sect was immensely valuable to many people. Especially when the race for the Unhallowed Monolith secrets was beginning to spill over in the background, leaking even to stragglers.

  Shuren ran towards Yijun. I have to make this quick.

  Waiting for the moment Yijun took out her knives, Shuren immediately turned his entire body back.

  His right arm rippled with a whirlwind of Qi.

  Wind Qi.

  Jeros noticed Shuren dashing towards his subordinate, and a grin grew on his scarred face. With Ming cornered to the wall, he swung with the velocity and force of a Rank 2.

  Ming wheezed, his eyes dilated with his sword arm lowered. The battle axe was encroaching upon the young swordsman’s neck, and Jeros’s eyes gleamed with assurance.

  Victory was in sight.

  The blond kid could easily be subdued afterward.

  Shuren waited for the perfect timing to throw the Rank 2, tricking Yijun into thinking he was aiming for her. With his Ruyi Staff aiming towards Jeros’s head.

  He shot out his arm with the power of a Stage 9 cultivator.

  Now! Piercing Gale!

  The staff blitzed past the room, aiming straight for Jeros’s head.

  He had no choice but to drop all his offence, aiming to protect his skull as much as possible.

  Even when he ducked, the staff still curved to smash right into the side of his head. Jeros was stunned for the moment, even as Wind Qi traveled through his skull to smash the open hole in the cave, causing hefts of dirt to explode in the room.

  The sharp pain of a slice cleaved through Jeros’s waist. This swordsbrat used the wall behind him to ensure my trajectory couldn’t change! When did they communicate on this battle tactic?!

  Ming weaved forward, ducking the blow of the axe with ease, while slicing Jeros’s waist.

  Though his blade was bloodied, the cut was shallow.

  Getting through the defences of a Rank 2 would prove to be near impossible.

  Jeros’s vision faltered with the cavern being engulfed with dirt. The few candles tumbled over, and the cave darkened. Ignoring the blood in his waist, Jeros yelled with rage, his eyes becoming bloodshot. “What are you doing Yijun? Distract that blond kid!”

  Yijun was stunned, but not at her boss yelling. She had successfully distracted her opponent, Shuren having dashed towards her. But then he suddenly changed directions, taking a moment to cycle his Qi for a powerful javelin throw.

  Shuren had a cold gaze as he now glared at Yijun like a piece of trash, ignoring the three knives stabbed into his back.

  The damage isn’t deep. It was worth the trade off.

  Shuren had no other choice in order to give Ming back up. To kill a Rank 2 Path Foundation, both he and Ming had to take large risks, even if it meant putting their own life at stake for simple tactics.

  Within this single breath of time, Jeros stumbled for a moment, with the surrounding dust cloud obscuring his vision. Shuren willed, and his Ruyi Staff that bounced on the floor rolled towards him.

  Ming was nowhere to be found.

  Yijun held her short sword with both hands, using her one chance to kill Shuren who was unarmed for the moment. His back turned against her.

  “This is the extent of your sword technique? Pathetic.” A cold voice emanated, and Shuren neatly shifted his shoulders to the side, dodging the vertical swing.

  Even if he couldn’t use a sword, he was a member of the Liu Clan. He had seen the best of the best swordsman’s battle it out, and had his body battered by his family’s top fighters. A mere demonic rat in the Stage 7 Qidense could never compare to any of them, not even a single drop of the blood he’d lost in his life.

  He slammed the back of his fist on Yijun’s neck, rendering her unconscious. With the outsiders out the way, the true fight was about to begin.

  Amidst the dark, Ming’s blade resurged. It glistened in the dark, with the lit candles having long been snuffed out during the fight.

  And he used the technique he had learnt from Shuren himself.

  “Liu Style; Mortal Severing.”