The wind howled past them as they cut through the sky, the vast expanse of Nine Peak City spreading out beneath them as they flew at a rapid pace.
Every so often, she would look at him, and notice the tension in his frame. He tried his best to be calm, controlling his breathing and keeping his posture upright. But small things like his tightened jaw as well as his clenching and unclenching fingers gave him away.
Li Yuan was worried, enraged, and dare she say it… afraid. Afraid of what he was going to find once they reached their destination.
Zi Mo said nothing and kept following him in silence. She got the feeling that whatever they found in the city today would change Li Yuan greatly. And she wasn't sure if it would be for the good or bad.
With their flying speed, it only took a few minutes before they arrived at the outer districts. And the change was immediate. The polished streets, the opulent buildings, and the crowded markets all gave way to a city that was older, neglected and poorer. To a mortal populace that didn't seem to carry themselves with the same energy and self-respect as their inner-city counterparts.
She sensed it when Li Yuan used some sort of technique to start looking for the Qi of the boy who called him. And before long, they arrived atop a dilapidated mansion.
The mansion must've been grand once, but for some reason, it seemed to have long been abandoned. Now, its wooden parts were half rotted, its gates hung crooked from their hinges, and its courtyard was overrun with weeds and wild grass.
She and Li Yuan descended upon one area in the courtyard and found Ao Tian waiting for him. The younger cultivator whom Li Yuan had saved look well, if a bit exhausted.
He moved forward, his eyes widened in awe and then shock as he saw her flying under her own power, his knees trembling a bit. But then he controlled himself and went on a knee before cupping his hands, "Senior brot—" He spoke up but Li Yuan raised a hand, stopping him from speaking any further.
"Where are they?" Li Yuan asked, not even looking at the boy. Zi Mo raised an eyebrow at his discourtesy but said nothing.
Ao Tian paused, caught off guard as well. But then he studied Li Yuan's expression and gulped. "…this way Senior brother." He said and turned around without another word.
They followed him through the crumbling walls down to a set of staircase and narrow corridors, until they arrived at the dungeon hidden beneath the mansion. The place was dark, and only illuminated by the occasional torches that Ao Tian must've lit up.
"Here." Ao Tian said, gesturing at a metal door. Li Yuan pushed through without pausing, the metal hinges of the door protesting loudly as they flung open.
The smell of blood and sweat hit them almost instantly. But Li Yuan seemed to not care as he gazed at the six mortals within the prison cell. Tied and blindfolded as they huddled and shivered in one corner of the room.
They were bloodied and bruised. Some more so than others. Ao Tian had clearly not been gentle with them. Maybe the boy even tried to interrogate them. But she doubted he would've met with any success. Cases like these were not solved so easily. Especially by a low-level cultivator like Ao Tian who was still only at the 2nd Stage of Qi Condensation.
Zi Mo's gaze shifted toward Li Yuan as she quietly studied his expression. For a long moment, he simply stood there, staring at the mortals with a quiet, terrifying stillness that begin to fill the room.
The mortals squirmed. Unable to see him thanks to the blindfold, but able to feel his gaze regardless.
Ao Tian entered the room with a torch and cleared his throat. "As you had ordered, I looked into the matter of the adopted orphans." He begin, his tone subdued. "Despite looking for them all over the city, I couldn't find them anywhere. The ones who adopted them… these people, they had clearly faked their records."
"I looked into other orphanages across the city, and found that they also had many children recently adopted from them. I cross-checked everything and…" Ao Tian paused, as if fearing Li Yuan's reaction. "O-over two hundred children are missing across the entire city."
Zi Mo's on expression sharpened at that. To have taken that many mortal children… she could only think of one type of cultivator who would do this. And that did not bode well for those children.
"And these were the ones who adopted those children?" Li Yuan asked softly.
"Yes, senior brother. It took me some time but I eventually managed to locate them all."
"Have them talked?" she asked.
Ao Tian snorted softly. "I tried." His gaze flicked briefly to the worst of the injured. "But none of them seemed willing to speak. They fear their backer more than they fear death."
Li Yuan released a breath then inhaled slowly, as if grounding himself. Then, he reached into his spatial ring. A heavy pouch appeared in his hand along with a spirit herb. And he tossed them both to Ao Tian without looking. "For your trouble."
Ao Tian caught them instinctively. Opening the pouch, his eyes widened as he saw the number of spirit stones within. Over a thousand easily. The herb was no less valuable and clearly potent enough to push him to the 3rd stage of Qi Condensation.
"Senior, this—" Ao Tian begin to speak but then he noticed the look on Li Yuan's face and wisely shut up.
Li Yuan walked over and stopped a few steps before the mortals. And waited. The silence stretched as the mortals whimpered, clearly able to sense his presence. Until suddenly… Li Yuan's presence changed and killing intent filled the room.
The mortals felt it immediately. Their breathing turned ragged, their bodies trembling violently against their restraints. One of them started gasping for breath while another outright pissed himself.
Even Ao Tian flinched back as if struck, his face going pale before he wisely backed off a few steps and gazed at Li Yuan in terror.
She herself felt a smile come upon her face, so proud she was of Li Yuan's killing intent. Killing that 3rd Grade Combat Gu on his on had clearly refined his killing intent to a whole new level. One she doubted that any other Qi Condensation disciple, or even a Foundation Realm cultivator would be able to match.
Finally, Li Yuan spoke up in a terrifying calm voice. "I'll give you one chance to speak and atone for your sins. Tell me. Where are the children."
Only stubborn silence answered him, as despite their fear, not a single mortal spoke up. Ao Tian clearly hadn't been lying when he said that these mortals feared their backer more than they feared death.
Zi Mo watched as Li Yuan's face went dark. The way his anger turning into a black shimmering rage. She'd only ever seen it once before. When Li Yuan had somehow divined the Fat prince's arrival.
Li Yuan turned slightly, and his gaze settled on her. "Search their souls."
Zi Mo raised a brow. "They're mortals." She said. "If I do that, the process will likely shatter their souls."
Li Yuan paused for the briefest of moments before he continued. "It does not matter. As long as you find the children's location. Do it."
Zi Mo nodded, doing her best to hide her pleased expression behind a calm facade as she stepped forward. But before she could act, one of the mortals broke.
"I—I'll speak!" the man choked out, voice cracking as his body shook violently. "Please— I… we…. We didn't want to—! That cultivator… he took our families. H-he said if we didn't—"
The man choked mid sentence. Literally. His body seized and his hands clawed at his throat as he wheezed. His eyes bulged and his veins rose along his neck as a faint line or ruins started to strangle the life out of him.
'A seal. So it was indeed as I guessed.' Zi Mo thought, her eyes narrowing. Now all but sure that this was the work of a demonic cultivator. But if that were really the case… then those children…
Li Yuan moved, and with a flick of his finger, he launched a sword intent at the dying mortal. The sword intent was so fine that it was almost invisible to her as well. It sliced through the air… and cut the seal in half. Without so much as leaving a single cut on the man's skin.
The man collapsed to the ground, coughing violently as air rushed back into his lungs. And Zi Mo let out a shuddering breath.
That level of control… she doubted even the elders of Sword Peak could replicate that feat. Maybe only the Peak Master of Sword Peak could do it.
The mortal lay there for a moment, trembling, before scrambling to speak again. "They took our families! That bastard! Son of a whore!" he cried, his teeth gritted in anger as tears streamed down his face. "I… what did I ever do wrong? I just wanted to live my life. But he took my family. Said that if I don't bring him children, he'll slaughter my family. I had no choice!"
His voice broke completely by the end. "We're just mortals… we couldn't… we couldn't fight him…" He lowered his head, shoulders shaking. "Punish me if you must great immortal—but please… please save them… save my family."
"Where did you take the children?" Li Yuan asked, and the mortal, now bereft of the cursed seal, quickly gave up all the answers. Unfortunately, it wasn't a lot.
The mortals only took the children and left them within a house. Afterward, those children would vanish, and that would be it. They knew nothing else. Not even whether their families were safe or not. And knowing demonic cultivators…
Silence returned to the prison cell following the confession. Zi Mo glance at Li Yuan, and noticed that his expression hadn't softened. Not even slightly. If anything… it had grown colder.
She stepped forward slightly, voice casual. "If you want them punished, I can do it for you." After all, Li Yuan was still too young and had a kind heart. If he wanted them dead, then she might as well take this burden from him, lest it harm his dao heart and cause trouble for his cultivation advancement.
Li Yuan didn't answer immediately, his gaze lingering on the mortals in silence. But she was sure he would accept her offer. Until… he shook his head.
His hand lifted. And sword intent flickered again. And it passed through the mortals without harming their bodies. But the mortals all stilled instantly, their trembling stopped at once and their expressions emptied.
Zi Mo tilted her head slightly, curiosity flickering through her gaze. "What did you do?" She asked.
Li Yuan didn't answer and turned away, already leaving the prison cell. "Come. We need to look for that cultivator and rescue those children."
She closed her eyes, unwilling to tell Li Yuan that it was likely already too late.
—————
In the end, they found the demonic cultivator far too easily.
She couldn't tell if it was due to overconfidence in his Cursed Seal, but the cultivator hadn't even bothered to hide his tracks. So once they found the house where those children were sent, tracking the demonic cultivator merely became a matter of time.
She carried Ao Tian with one hand as they flew. Beneath them, the city gradually thinned until they finally left its boundary and flew out into the wilderness.
They went deeper and deeper into the forest until finally, Li Yuan flew down and landed in front of a dilapidated shack that stood alone within a clearing, half rotted and half crooked with age.
The smell of blood reached them as soon as they landed. It was thick enough that if she opened her mouth, she would be able to taste it. That, along with the heavy twisted Yin Qi in the air told her enough.
Zi Mo closed her eyes briefly and exhaled through her nose. She did not need to step inside to know what they would find.
Her gaze shifted toward Li Yuan. His face had gone chalk white. So he sensed it too.
For a moment, just a moment, she considered stopping him. Saying something. Anything. Because whatever lay inside that shack… it was not something someone like him should see.
But then the thought passed and she did nothing.
The world of cultivation would not be kind enough to spare him such sights. If he continued walking this path, he would see worse. Far worse. Better here and now, while she was still beside him to support and protect him.
Plus, with his talent, Li Yuan's cultivation journey has been too easy. And facing some difficulties, while harmful for him in the short run, would definitely benefit him in the long run. Provided he's able to overcome this hurdle.
With slow, trembling steps, Li Yuan pushed himself forward. When he reached the shack, he hesitated for the briefest of moments before pushing it open. And then—
Silence.
Li Yuan's expression crumbled into a profound look of despair as he saw the corpses inside. Small, tiny corpses, piled carelessly atop one another, as though they were nothing but discarded waste. Their faces were frozen—fear, pain, confusion—expressions that had never been given time to resolve into anything else.
At the centre of the room was a pit carved into the ground, its edges etched with crude, glowing runes. Inside it churned a dark, viscous liquid. Blood that had lost all its vitality, and turned into a black tar like substance.
And within that pit sat a man, half submerged, watching them in silence. The demonic cultivator's gaze fell upon Li Yuan and he paused as something flickered in his gaze. Recognition and disbelief.
The demonic cultivator let out a soft, defeated chuckle. "I always knew someone would find me eventually but I had hoped… never mind. I suppose its all worthless now, eh Brother Yuan?"
Li Yuan didn't respond. He hadn't moved. He stood at the threshold, staring… not at the man, but at the tiny bodies. Zi Mo watched his shoulders tremble. His hands hung at his sides, fingers twitching faintly as though unsure what to do with themselves.
Finally, he numbly turned to face the demonic cultivator. "You… know me?" Li Yuan asked hoarsely.
Her heart went out to him for the pain and grief he must be suffering. She wanted to hold him. To cradle him to her bosom and let him sleep for an eternity. But she knew that this was something he must do alone, and so she stayed back and simply watched.
The demonic cultivator chuckled. "Ah… have I changed so much that I'm unrecognisable now? Or have you forgotten me, brother Yuan?"
Recognition, follow by despair flickered across Li Yuan's face. "No… I remember now. I saved you. In the forbidden forest. During the Sword Peak Tournament."
"Yeah. Among many others. You were quite generous back then." The cultivator said bitterly before he let out a soft chuckle and lifted his hands to lazily gesture around the room. "Tell me, brother Yuan… do you like what your generosity has borne?"
Li Yuan, clutched his chest, as if he was having difficulty breathing. Tears gathered in his eyes as his lips parted and then closed. Then, finally—
"…why?"
The question was barely more than a whisper.
"Why? Why indeed. Why would I do something so monstrous?" The cultivator chuckled sadly. "Maybe I'm just a monster? Have you thought of that? Or are you too noble, too kind hearted to ever think so low of others, Brother Yuan?"
Li Yuan did not seem to recognise the mockery in the man's voice.
"Why?" Li Yuan asked again, some rage finally entering his voice, and this time the demonic cultivator's fake facade of cockiness finally crumbled, replaced by a bitter expression.
"For revenge." The cultivator said with a bitter smile. He looked like he was about to speak further to justify his actions. But in the end, he simply looked down at the pool of blood and sighed." For revenge. I wanted them to suffer how I had suffered. Is that so much to ask for? Couldn't you have come a bit later, brother Yuan. I was almost done here. A few more children and… haah… I suppose it doesn't matter anymore."
Li Yuan and the demonic cultivator simply stared at each other. And to her surprise, despite how exposed and vulnerable Li Yuan was, the demonic cultivator didn't take the chance to attack him. Maybe the demonic cultivator simply feared that she would interfere. But the look in his eyes told her that it wasn't due to her.
Finally, after a long silence, Li Yuan stepped forward, passing the man without even looking at him, his steps carrying him toward the pile of bodies as he left his back open to the man. The demonic cultivator simply watched as Li Yuan knelt before the corpses.
Carefully. Gently. As if afraid the world itself might shatter beneath his touch, Li Yuan's hand reached out, trembling, and brushed against the face of a small girl.
"Her name was Xiao Yu," Li Yuan said as tears finally begun to stream down his face. He sniffed and steadied his voice. "She wanted to become a cultivator," he continued, a faint, broken smile forming. "Because she thought cultivators were rich. And she wanted to buy dolls."
The words hung in the air as Li Yuan closed the girl's eyes and let out a shuddering breath, his face scrunching up as if he would break down at any moment. But then, he slowly got control over his emotions.
With a sigh, he got up, his shoulders now slumped in defeat as he slowly turned to face the Demonic cultivator. "Was it worth it?"
The demonic cultivator leaned back into the blood and exhaled a breath. "Worth it…?" He spoke up, as if asking the question himself. "No… it wasn't. But by the time I realised that, there was no turning back." A faint chuckle escaped him and he closed his eyes. "I had to keep going. Otherwise… all of this would be meaningless."
His gaze returned to Li Yuan and there was a slight sheen in his eyes. "…Pathetic, isn't it?"
Li Yuan didn't answer. He simply looked around the room again. At all the tiny bodies. At the blood. "This…" His voice dropped, hollow and heavy. "…is my fault." Li Yuan stepped closer to the pit. "If I hadn't saved you…" he continued, "…none of this would have happened."
The man sighed. "I'd like to say you're wrong," he said. "But… maybe you're not."
A pause.
"…You should've let me die, brother Yuan."
Li Yuan closed his eyes, and something within him shifted.
Zi Mo felt it before she saw it. An overwhelming presence rose from him before sword intent flooded the place, multiplying, fracturing, and filling every inch of the world around them.
Thousands. Then tens of thousands. Then millions as they continued to multiply far beyond her ability to count.
Cold sweat broke out in the palm of her hands and her heart hammered against her ribs as she suddenly felt something she hadn't felt for a long while.
Fear.
Her instincts screamed at her and she didn't hesitate. She took Ao Tian in her grasp and instant retreated, her figure blurred out of the shack and didn't stop as she continued to run.
Behind her… a pure, blinding white light filled the world. She looked back and saw it expanded outward in a perfect sphere, swallowing everything in its path.
Trees, earth, and even weak Spirit Beasts. Anything it touched simply ceased to exist.
"...Sword Domain," she murmured, in disbelief.
The sphere grew and grew, devouring the land itself, until suddenly… it collapsed. As if it had never been there in the first place. And silence returned.
Where the shack had once stood, and half a forest around it, there was nothing left. Only a vast, smooth depression carved into the earth, perfect and empty, as though a piece of the world had been erased.
And at its centre… lay the unconscious form of Li Yuan.