"Hey, you little brat! Where do you think you're going?"
A chilling, hoarse voice cut through the woods.
The young boy froze, his face draining of color, limbs going slack as terror gripped him. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced back, heart hammering in his chest.
From the shadows of the trees, a massive figure emerged. Each step thudded heavily against the forest floor.
He wore a violet robe, a skull of some unknown beast etched on his shoulder, silver patterns glinting along his sleeves. A huge sword hung at his waist, swaying ominously with every movement.
A woman sat astride his broad shoulder, wearing the same violet robe. Her lips parted in a sharp rebuke. "Because of your stupidity, he almost escaped!" she snapped.
"Haaa… I know, I know," the man grunted, rubbing the back of his head.
"It won't happen again. You don't have to be so irritating." He glanced down at the trembling boy; tears and snot stained the child's face, his voice stuck in his throat.
"Tch—" the woman clicked her tongue in disgust. "That's why I told you to refine their blood properly."
"Nah, I don't want to devour this one," the man replied with a cruel sneer. "He isn't appealing enough. Besides, I prefer girls to boys."
He hefted his sword and loomed forward. "I'll just pop his head with the tip," he added, the hideous smile on his face catching the dappled light of the meadow.
The blade flashed in the boy's eyes as it descended. The child's injured leg, already slick with blood, faltered—his weak body frozen by terror.
"Hey! Who are you bastards?!"
Before the sword could strike, a sharp voice cut across the meadow.
The wind seemed to obey the shout; grass blurred as a figure hurtled through it and slammed a boot into the hand holding the sword, wrenching it aside.
"Huh?"
The massive man took a cautious step back as Shen Yao planted himself firmly in front of the boy.
"Now, now… who's come to play? I thought this was just a mortal," the man chuckled darkly, his gaze sweeping over Shen Yao.
Shen Yao's body tensed instinctively, a bead of sweat sliding down his chin, muscles coiling like tightly drawn springs, ready to snap at a moment's notice.
"How are there still people here? Did you miss this place too?" the woman atop his shoulder demanded sharply, voice edged with anger.
"I checked thoroughly," the man replied, frowning.
"He must have arrived here through the city after we left." He snorted, irritation flickering across his features. "Anyway… it doesn't matter. Now there are two heads to pop."
"B—Brother Shen Yao…" the young boy's voice trembled as fresh tears fell to the ground.
"Don't cry, kid. I'm here," Shen Yao said, forcing a reassuring smile. Only he knew the weight pressing down on him, the torrent of thoughts as he faced the cultivators before him.
He fixed the hulking man with a sharp, unflinching gaze. "Who are you people, and why are you doing this?" His tone was firm, edged with defiance.
The man blinked, feigning blank confusion.
Then he burst into laughter. " "Hah! Hah! Hahaha!!" His booming guffaw echoed through the meadow. The woman atop his shoulder let out a light, mocking chuckle.
"I… I don't get it. I didn't crack a joke—why are you laughing?" Shen Yao's voice tightened, tension coiling in his limbs.
"Ha! Isn't it funny? When did livestock start asking questions? Do you think we'll answer that?" The man's tone turned icy mid-sentence, amusement twisted into cruelty.
Shen Yao clenched his teeth. Enough.
He dashed forward, hand flying with precision and speed. "Take this, you evil bastard!"
His punch tore through the air, landing squarely against the man's stomach with a resounding thud. A faint wisp of smoke spiraled from the impact, a testament to the sheer force behind the blow.
I've practiced this for two years… Even if it can't defeat them, it should at least buy us some time to flee, Shen Yao thought, eyes lifting to meet the bulging man's cold stare.
"Hmm?" The only response was a chilling, indifferent gaze.
"Are you trying to teach me?" the man sneered, then with a swift motion, slapped Shen Yao toward the young boy.
Puff—
Blood spilled from Shen Yao's mouth, staining his clothes crimson.
Was my punch useless? he wondered, a heavy sigh escaping him.
As I thought… in front of a cultivator, any martial arts is meaningless. His eyes dimmed as he collapsed to the ground.
"B—Brother…" the boy paled in terror, watching Shen Yao cough up blood.
"Tch—wrap it up quickly. We still have work to do," the woman on the man's shoulder complained, voice sharp with impatience.
"I was about to do that," the hulking man muttered, raising his sword. With a downward strike, he aimed for Shen Yao and the boy.
Clang—
The sword struck nothing but empty air, deflected in mid-swing.
"How… how is this possible?" the man stammered, rage twisting his features as his body trembled. "Huh? Petty tricks…"
His eyes flared red as he unleashed strike after strike, each one aimed to crush Shen Yao and the boy.
Yet every blow was halted mid-air, intercepted by an unseen barrier, as if the very air itself had taken form.
Confusion and fury battled across his face—he could neither understand nor break the invisible defense that held his attacks at bay.
"Haa… Haa… what is happening?" He panted, frustration twisting his features. "How are all my attacks being deflected mid-air?!"
The woman atop his shoulder reached forward and patted his shoulder, then followed a finger with wide eyes.
"Since when did that man arrive behind them?" she whispered, astonishment threading her voice.
The man's eyes narrowed, fixating on the figure who had appeared behind Shen Yao.
Shen Yao's gaze sharpened, his dim eyes clearing as he recognized the presence.
"Brother Ye—" he coughed, blood staining his lips.
"You should run… they're not ordinary people… they're cultivators."
Ye Kaishan's eyes swept over Shen Yao and the young boy, then settled on the two imposing cultivators before him. His hand clenched around his sword, and his expression hardened, cold as ice.
"Take this." He tossed a jade bottle toward Shen Yao.
Shen Yao caught it, frowning slightly at the sudden gesture.
"Don't speak," Ye Kaishan said sharply. "Just take the pill inside."
He stepped forward, placing himself between Shen Yao, the boy, and their attackers. "Take a rest. I'll handle this."
His gaze sharpened to a blade-like focus, chillingly cold, piercing through the man and woman before him.
"I don't know who you are," the man hissed, eyes burning with killing intent. "But since you're already here—blame your fate!"
He slashed toward Ye Kaishan.
Clang—
Sparks burst as Ye Kaishan met the blow head-on. The ground cracked beneath his foot from the pressure, his sword halting the massive blade in mid-arc.
"Umm?!" Surprise flickered in both cultivators' eyes—a faint unease rippled between them.
"Didn't you say livestock don't have the luxury to ask questions?" Ye Kaishan's voice dropped low and cold, his gaze a dark abyss ready to devour them whole.
He deflected the man's sword, a faint smile curving his lips. "Then don't blame me… when you become one yourself."
"Tch—!"
The bulky man leapt back as a whirlwind gathered around him, carrying him into the air.
"Don't lower your guard," the woman warned sharply, eyes narrowing at Ye Kaishan.
He stood motionless—calm as still water. No panic, no hesitation. Only a deathly stare, the kind a predator gives its prey.
"Hah… it's just an act," the man sneered. "We're already in the Soul Nirvana Realm. How could someone without even a trace of soul energy harm us?"
He swung his sword, summoning a colossal hurricane centered at its tip. The roaring winds spiraled into a vortex that shot toward Ye Kaishan with overwhelming force.
As it neared, Ye Kaishan exhaled softly.
"Second form of the Void Sword—Void Rupture."
His eyes glimmered as He pointed his sword gently toward the incoming hurricane.
In an instant, space itself trembled and split apart along the axis of his strike. The raging winds scattered into nothingness, dissolving into the air.
"Wha—" The man couldn't finish his word.
Reality shuddered. The void tore through everything in its path. In the blink of an eye, a gaping hole replaced the man's head, and half of the woman's body vanished into nothingness.
Both cultivators collapsed, lifeless. The stolen blood that once stained their hands seeped into the soil, as if the earth reclaimed it in silent vengeance.
The man died instantly. The woman, with her final breath, looked at Ye Kaishan through blood-clouded eyes.
"You… won't escape this easily…" she rasped. Blood spilled from her mouth, and her body went still.
"Hah. Even at death's door, still cursing me." Ye Kaishan sneered and tossed his sword into the void, its edge vanishing in ripples of space.
___________
Meanwhile
Outside the Heavenreach Citadel, Song Yan halted in the middle of a ruined street. Her eyes widened in shock.
Bodies lay scattered, blood painting the ground a deep crimson. The stench of death hung heavy in the air.
Amid the corpses sat a woman with a gourd at her side, calmly drinking the blood from fallen victims.
Song Yan's body tensed as The woman's gaze lifted—cold, piercing, inhuman—and locked onto her. In that instant, every muscle in Song Yan's body froze under the weight of that chilling stare.