Night fell over the Trial Grounds. The shattered moons cast long, twisted shadows.
The forest was no longer silent. It was filled with the sounds of weeping and the clash of steel. The destruction of the Tomb had sent a signal to every predator—human and beast—that the strong were wounded.
Mo Tian moved through the canopy. He was tracking a group of Iron Fist Sect survivors.
They were huddled in a cave, nursing their broken bones.
"That demon..." one whispered. "He killed Brother Liu instantly. We have to hide until the exit portal opens."
"We need food," another groaned.
"Hello," a voice said from the cave entrance.
They looked up. A young man in Azure Cloud robes stood there, holding a basket of fruit. He looked harmless.
"I... I am lost," Mo Tian (Han Fei) stammered. "I heard voices. Can I... can I share your fire? I have food."
The Iron Fist disciples looked at each other. They were hungry. And this kid looked like a twig.
"Come in," the senior disciple grunted, his hand resting on his axe. "Hand over the food. Then sit in the corner."
Mo Tian smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Senior Brothers."
He walked in, placing the basket in the center.
"What kind of fruit is this?" a disciple asked, picking up a purple, pulsating pear.
"It's called Dream-Eater Fruit," Mo Tian said softly.
"Dream-Eater?"
"Yes. It tastes like your happiest memory."
The disciple took a bite. "Mmm. Sweet. It tastes like... home."
Then, he started choking.
Purple vines erupted from his mouth, his eyes, his ears. He thrashed, his body being consumed from the inside out by the parasitic plant.
"What did you do?!" The senior disciple roared, swinging his axe.
Mo Tian caught the axe blade with two fingers.
"It also tastes like death," Mo Tian finished his sentence.
His aura exploded. The Purple Nether Flame filled the cave.
"Devour."
The screams in the cave lasted only seconds before being swallowed by the fire.
Mo Tian walked out a minute later. He was wiping his mouth.
[Geniuses Killed: 19/50]
"Still hungry," Mo Tian muttered.
Suddenly, a System Alert flashed red.
[Warning: Incoming Transmission] [Source: Ghost One] [Priority: High]
Mo Tian tapped his temple. "Speak."
"Master," Ghost One's voice was urgent. "The ambush outside is ready. But there is a complication. The Heavenly Dao Sect has sent an Observer. An Elder of the Nascent Soul realm."
Mo Tian paused. The Heavenly Dao Sect was the supreme power of the continent. They were the self-proclaimed guardians of order. A Nascent Soul Elder was a variable he hadn't calculated.
"Is he interfering?" Mo Tian asked.
"Not yet. He is watching the portal. He seems... interested in the anomaly inside the Tomb."
"He sensed the Saint's death," Mo Tian realized. "High-level cultivators are sensitive to the fall of their peers."
"What are your orders, Master? Should we abort the ambush?"
Mo Tian looked up at the broken moons.
Abort? No. That was what a survivor would do. A Villain doubled down.
"Ghost One," Mo Tian smiled. "Change the plan. We aren't just going to ambush the disciples."
"Master?"
"We are going to frame the Heavenly Dao Sect for the massacre."
"...That is insanity."
"That is strategy," Mo Tian corrected. "Use the Blood Devil reserves. I want them to wear white robes. I want them to use Light-attribute artifacts corrupted with blood. When the survivors exit the portal, I want them to think the 'Guardians' are purging them."
"Understood," Ghost One's voice trembled with excitement. "It shall be done."
Mo Tian cut the connection.
He looked at his hand. The Horizon Sword materialized.
"A Nascent Soul observer," Mo Tian mused. "If I play this right... I might be able to eat a piece of the sky."
He vanished into the forest. He had thirty-one more kills to make before the portal opened. And the night was young.