The shrine shuddered.
The mist that clung to Azure Mist Forest thickened until the moon itself vanished behind swirling clouds. Lin Xuan's body was trembling, golden veins flickering across his skin as if molten fire ran beneath his flesh. The air felt heavy, oppressive, thick with spiritual force so raw it pressed against bone and marrow.
Ren Hao's laughter echoed above.
"You see, Yu Ling? He's not just some mortal. He's a spark waiting to become wildfire. If we let him live, the sect will regret it."
Yu Ling's sword hummed with defiance, her azure light clashing against his steel. "The elder's order was to observe! You defy not me but the sect itself!"
"Then I'll be remembered as the one who acted when others hesitated!" Ren Hao spat, his blade sending a violent arc of qi screaming toward the ground.
Lin Xuan's heart slammed in his chest. He barely raised his staff when Yu Ling dove, intercepting the strike. Sparks showered across the broken shrine, stone splintering. He staggered backward, lungs burning, the taste of iron flooding his mouth. He couldn't keep up. He couldn't even breathe.
But it wasn't just the clash above shaking the earth.
The shrine stones pulsed, ancient runes glowing faintly beneath layers of moss. The ground cracked, a deep groan rising from beneath the soil. The air grew cold, then unbearably hot. Birds that had not stirred in hours screamed and fled. Even the crickets fell silent.
Yu Ling froze midair. Her eyes widened. "No… it can't be."
The shrine split apart with a thunderous crack. From the chasm coiled something immense—scales black as night, edged with a faint violet sheen that shimmered like poison beneath starlight.
A head the size of a carriage lifted, eyes burning molten gold, pupils slitted and merciless. When it exhaled, the mist turned venomous, wilting the nearest trees to ash.
The Venomscale Python had awakened.
For a moment, silence. Then the beast's roar tore the heavens, rattling every stone and soul within leagues. The sheer killing intent slammed into Lin Xuan's chest, nearly throwing him to the ground. His knees buckled.
Yu Ling gritted her teeth, sword trembling in her hand. "A guardian beast… the shrine held a seal—!"
Ren Hao's grin faltered only briefly, but then he sneered. "All the better. If that boy dies beneath its fangs, no blood will stain my blade."
The python's eyes locked onto Lin Xuan, as if it could sense the unstable qi burning through his veins. Its jaw opened, fangs glistening with venom, a hiss splitting the night like thunder.
Lin Xuan froze. Every instinct screamed to run, but his body would not obey. He felt like an insect under a mountain's shadow.
The python struck.
A blur of azure intercepted the descent. Yu Ling's sword slashed across one scale, sparks flying but leaving only a shallow scar. The beast recoiled with a furious bellow, the ground shaking as its tail lashed, toppling trees like twigs.
"Lin Xuan! Run!" she shouted, sweat beading her brow as she forced the python back a step.
But Lin Xuan's legs felt nailed to the ground. His nails bit into his palms until blood welled. He wanted to run. He wanted to live. But the shame—watching others fight for him again—gnawed at his chest like fire.
No.
Not again.
Golden veins blazed brighter across his arms. He thrust his staff forward, channeling the unstable qi into the cracked wood. It groaned, splintering, glowing faintly. When the python lunged again, he roared hoarsely and swung.
The blow landed against its snout. A burst of golden light exploded, hurling Lin Xuan backward like a ragdoll, bones screaming in pain. But the beast's head jerked, smoke curling from its nostrils.
For the first time, its eyes narrowed in something like irritation.
Ren Hao laughed above, his sword circling lazily. "Pathetic. A flea that bites once before being crushed."
Yu Ling descended beside Lin Xuan, pulling him to his feet even as blood dripped from his lips. "You'll get yourself killed!"
His chest heaved, every breath agony. "Better… than cowering."
Her gaze softened for the briefest moment. Then the python struck again, forcing her blade to whirl back up in defense.
The forest became chaos.
Two female disciples who had followed Yu Ling as escorts drew their own swords, pale but determined. They dove in, slashing at the beast's flanks. Sparks flew uselessly; their blades could barely pierce its scales. One was hurled aside with a swipe of its tail, crashing through a tree. She coughed blood but staggered upright again, trembling.
The python's hiss thickened the mist into poison. Leaves withered instantly. The disciples coughed violently, qi shields flickering.
"We can't hold it!" one gasped.
Ren Hao hovered above, smirking. He had no intention of helping. Instead, he weaved his qi, sending slashes not at the python but near Lin Xuan, forcing him to stumble closer to the beast's path.
Yu Ling's eyes blazed. "Ren Hao! You dare—"
But her words cut off as the python's tail whipped around. She intercepted it, but the impact sent her flying into the shrine's broken stones. Blood splattered her lips, but she forced herself upright, sword trembling in her grip.
Lin Xuan staggered to her side, vision blurred. His veins felt aflame, qi tearing through his body like knives. He could collapse any second—but Yu Ling was still standing. Still protecting him.
And he hated that he couldn't protect her back.
The python coiled, preparing to strike again. Its eyes glowed brighter, venom dripping from fangs longer than a man's arm.
Yu Ling reached into her sleeve with shaking fingers. Her hand closed around a thin, ancient slip of jade etched with runes. Her breath caught.
"No… If I use this…"
But the disciples were faltering. Lin Xuan swayed on his feet, half-dead already. The python's shadow blotted out the shrine.
She crushed the talisman.
A ring of azure light erupted, runes spinning into the air. Space itself cracked, light pouring outward in jagged arcs. The python reared back with a furious roar, its body slamming into the ground as it lunged.
"Grab him!" Yu Ling shouted, shoving Lin Xuan toward the circle.
The other disciples staggered in, coughing blood. They clung to each other as the python's jaws descended—
And the world shattered.
The circle exploded, ripping open a tear of pure white light. Force yanked them upward, their bodies tearing, bones screaming. The python's fangs closed, but only caught empty earth as the disciples vanished into the void.
Lin Xuan felt as if his body had been torn apart, scattered into fragments across endless space. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. Only the roar of the python echoed, even across dimensions.
Then—
Impact.
He slammed into hard ground. Grass, not stone. Air filled his lungs again, choking, burning. He coughed violently, rolling onto his side.
Beside him, Yu Ling collapsed, sword clattering to the dirt. Her face was pale, blood streaking her lips, breath shallow. The other two disciples lay unconscious nearby, qi flickering weakly.
Lin Xuan forced his head up. The forest around them was unfamiliar. The trees broader, the air heavier, tinged with a qi he had never tasted before. The stars were wrong.
They were far from Azure Mist Village. Far from Misty Cloud Sect.
Yu Ling's hand trembled as she pressed against her ribs. Her gaze swept the horizon, then settled on Lin Xuan.
Her lips parted. She whispered hoarsely, "We're… across the border. This is… the Crimson Star Dominion."
Lin Xuan's breath caught. Another country. Another sect's territory.
Yu Ling's eyes closed briefly, tears gathering despite her strength. "The talisman… it wasn't meant for this. It was only… to save me. But I used it for all of us." Her gaze burned into Lin Xuan, unreadable. "Now… everything has changed."
Lin Xuan swayed, golden veins flickering faintly beneath his skin. His vision blurred as exhaustion swallowed him whole.
The last thing he heard was Yu Ling's whisper, soft and heavy as fate itself:
"You've dragged us into a storm we cannot escape."
And then, darkness.