The headless corpse of the One-Star Dou Ling collapsed heavily onto the soft dirt of the bamboo forest, his dark-red energy armor instantly shattering like brittle glass.
As the body hit the ground, a distinct, sharp CRACK echoed in the silent clearing.
Beneath the folds of the dead man's pristine robes, a specialized jade vial—a life-bound distress signal tied directly to his heartbeat—had automatically crushed itself upon his death. A faint, invisible pulse of spatial energy rippled outward into the night sky.
Standing half-concealed in the whispering bamboo, the one-armed assassin saw the faint spatial ripple. His previously terrified, hopeless expression instantly morphed into a twisted, manic grin. He didn't run; he slinked further back into the shadows, waiting.
In the center of the clearing, Yoriichi remained kneeling, breathing deep. His head was bowed, his chest heaving, feeling an agonizing, bone-deep exhaustion. Every single meridian in his body screamed in protest. It's as though like he could slip into absolute unconsciousness at any given second.
"Ning'er!"
Xiao Yu scrambled up from the dirt, ignoring her own bruises, and rushed to his side. She knelt beside him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to support his slumping weight.
Captain Lin and Vice-Captain Feng, battered and bleeding, hurried over.
"Do not let him sleep. If he passes out now with completely empty meridians, his foundation might collapse," Captain Lin instructed urgently. She reached into her spatial ring and produced three jade bottles. With a flick of her thumb, she popped the corks, revealing a handful of perfectly round, pale-green and crimson pills radiating a rich, medicinal fragrance.
"Tier 3 Wind-Return Pills and Blood-Clotting Pills," Lin said, distributing them rapidly. "Swallow them immediately and forcefully circulate your Dou Qi."
Xiao Yu took two pills and gently placed them into Yoriichi's mouth before consuming her own.
As the pills slid down his throat, Yoriichi felt a sudden, soothing warmth blossom in his chest. The refined medicinal energy rapidly dissolved, acting like a gentle rain over a cracked desert, slowly sealing his micro-torn muscles and forcefully regenerating a thin layer of Dou Qi in his Dantian.
He felt slightly better, his vision clearing a fraction, but the sheer physical fatigue of battling a Rank 3 beast and a Dou Ling back-to-back was not something a Tier 3 pill could erase. His body was still heavy as lead.
"We cannot stay to recover," Feng stated, wiping a trail of blood from his chin. He glanced nervously at the dead Dou Ling. "He was a high-ranking member. The Demon Flame Valley does not operate with isolated units. If he was here, his superiors are close."
"Agreed," Lin nodded, her expression grim. "Help him up. We are taking the falcons and leaving immediately."
Xiao Yu and Feng hauled Yoriichi to his feet, supporting him as they hastily made their way toward the two terrified Cinder Crested Falcons recovering near the edge of the clearing.
But just as Feng reached out to grab the leather reigns of his mount, the ambient worldly energy in the bamboo forest violently stagnated.
BOOM!
A terrifying, suffocating pressure suddenly descended from the night sky, crashing into the clearing with the weight of a falling mountain. The two Rank 2 falcons shrieked in absolute terror, their legs buckling as they were forced flat against the dirt by the sheer density of the aura.
Captain Lin, Feng, and Xiao Yu felt their breath catch in their throats. Their newly recovered Dou Qi instantly froze in their meridians.
High above them, breaking through the dense canopy of the Sea of Whispering Bamboos, a pair of massive, ten-foot-wide wings made entirely of swirling, dark-red fire flared into existence.
A man hovered gracefully in the air. He did not need to jump or balance on the bamboo; his Dou Qi wings granted him absolute dominion over the sky.
A Dou Wang.
But the nightmare did not end there. As the Dou Wang slowly descended, the surrounding bamboo stalks rustled violently.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Seven more figures shot out from the dense forest, landing seamlessly in a perfect circle around the academy group. They all wore the sleek black robes with the twisting red flame insignia. And every single one of them radiated the dense, armored kinetic pressure of the Dou Ling realm.
Seven Dou Lings. One Dou Wang.
The despair that washed over the Enforcers was absolute. This wasn't a patrol; this was a dedicated execution squad.
The Dou Wang, a middle-aged man with eyes as black as pitch and an aura that passively scorched the air around him, let his fiery wings dissipate as his boots touched the ground. He ignored the terrified academy students entirely, his gaze locking onto the decapitated corpse of his subordinate.
"Hmm..." the Dou Wang hummed, a terrifying, vibrating sound. He stepped closer to the corpse, analyzing the smooth, cauterized cut of the neck. "What an incredibly precise attack. The armor was completely bypassed before it was melted. The technique used here is highly peculiar."
He slowly turned his head, his dark eyes sweeping over the treeline. "Assassin. Show yourself."
The one-armed man stepped out of the shadows, trembling slightly but smiling with manic relief. He immediately dropped to one knee, bowing deeply. "Lord Overlord! The Valley's forces arrived right on time! I am eternally grateful for your intervention."
The Dou Wang pointed a finger at Yoriichi, who was standing tall despite leaning heavily on his sister. "Is that boy the one you spoke of in your report? Is he the one who executed this strike?"
The assassin nodded furiously. "Yes, my Lord! That is Xiao Ning. His technique is heaven-defying, and his sister possesses a mutated bloodline. They are the prime targets!"
The Dou Wang's gaze finally shifted to Yoriichi. He felt the weak, newly advanced Dou Shi aura radiating from the boy, and a flicker of genuine confusion crossed his arrogant features.
"Boy," the Dou Wang spoke, his voice echoing with Dou Qi, commanding absolute obedience. "How did a mere Dou Shi manage to decapitate a One-Star Dou Ling of my Valley? Explain your secret technique to me right now, and I may allow you to keep your limbs."
Yoriichi did not flinch. Despite the suffocating pressure of a Dou Wang pressing against his skin, his crimson eyes remained perfectly stoic, calm, and utterly defiant. He simply stared at the man, refusing to utter a single word.
The Dou Wang's eyes narrowed dangerously, annoyed by the lack of fear. He shook his head slowly.
"Forget it," the Dou Wang dismissed coldly. "It matters little. Once we bring you back to the Valley's dungeons, the flesh-peeling tortures will ensure you open your mouth soon enough."
He then shifted his gaze to Xiao Yu. A vile, appreciative smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he took in her frosty, ethereal beauty. "And you... you will fetch an astronomical price or serve as a fine cultivation cauldron for the Valley Master. A highly profitable excursion indeed."