The first night had been a failure. The demonic cultivator never appeared, and now the final day before the beast wave had arrived. Whether the village leader and his men had reduced the beasts' numbers or not didn't matter. Xu Jin had told Lin Shu this morning — they were abandoning the mission by nightfall.
Lin Shu sat concealed beneath mud and leaves, watching Windgrove Village in silence. His breathing was slow, controlled, as he scanned the area. Did the demonic cultivator run away? Or… did he already get what he came for? He frowned beneath his mask. It didn't matter. His real goal had always been the black markets in Darkveil City. He'd use this failed mission as a cover to slip away unnoticed.
Xu Jin had also mentioned a large group of people leaving the village. Lin Shu's eyes narrowed. That means the village is weaker now… and if the leader really is a high-stage Rank 1 cultivator, like Xu Jin claimed, his house is probably the safest place in this village. Which means that's where anything valuable would be hidden. Lin Shu's lips curled faintly. If I steal something and blame it on the demonic cultivator, no one would question it.
His musings were interrupted when he saw a figure moving in the distance. Lin Shu tensed, his eyes sharpening. A masked man, tall and lean, walked alone through the trees, his steps careful. Judging by his frame, he was young — perhaps fifteen or sixteen. Lin Shu remained still, watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Suddenly, a bright flare streaked into the sky, painting the treetops red. Lin Shu stiffened, eyes flicking toward the source. Xie Lang's position…
Before he could react, a second flare shot up — this time from the masked man himself. Lin Shu's blood ran cold. Is he trying to lure us out? He must think only three of us are in the village. But if Xie Lang's flare was real… then that means there's more than one demonic cultivator. A grim realization settled over him. Are we the ones being hunted?
Lin Shu's grip tightened on his bone gauntlets, lightning flickering faintly around him. No more waiting.
The masked man passed right by his hiding spot. Lin Shu lunged. Ivory Dominion surged across his body, bone-white armor forming in an instant as Ivory Monolith activated. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he exploded forward, faster and stronger than before. His gauntlet shot toward the masked man's head.
The demonic cultivator barely reacted in time. "What the hell—?!"
Red qi flared around his hand, forming jagged claws. "Bloodclaws!" His hand lashed out to intercept Lin Shu's strike, but the moment their blows collided, the masked man screamed. The bone gauntlet was unyielding, shattering his fingers on impact. He staggered back, cradling his ruined hand.
"Shit, shit, shit!" the man hissed through clenched teeth, eyes wide with panic.
Lin Shu grinned. "Too slow." He pressed forward, each step thundering against the earth. Lightning crackled around him, each strike pushing the demonic cultivator further back. The masked man fumbled for the sword at his waist, but Lin Shu refused to give him the chance.
The forest erupted with violence. Lin Shu's fists tore through the air, bone-clad fingers smashing against red qi. Trees splintered and fell around them, each clash sending shockwaves through the ground. The masked man tried to fight back, swiping at Lin Shu's armor with his Bloodclaws, but the bone armor barely bore a scratch — while every blocked blow left his own body shaking from the force.
He's only using one technique… Lin Shu realized. Either he's too injured to use anything else, or his other techniques require his sword. Lin Shu's eyes glimmered coldly. Too bad for you.
The masked man cursed under his breath. "I can't even hurt him… What the hell is that armor?"
Lin Shu darted in low, sweeping his leg out in a vicious kick. The masked man raised his clawed hand to block, red qi surging — but the moment their limbs collided, he stumbled back, nearly falling. Lin Shu's foot had nearly shattered his guard.
"Fuck! Why is he so fast?!" the masked man gasped. He turned and ran, desperation in his every movement. His plan had been to lead this fight back to his companions, but Lin Shu was faster. The gap between them closed in an instant.
Lin Shu drove his fist into the man's stomach, bone gauntlet slamming deep into his gut. The masked man gagged, spittle flying from his mouth as the air was forced from his lungs. He stumbled back, clutching his abdomen. Lin Shu didn't let up.
A bone-clad foot swung upward, catching the demonic cultivator under the chin and sending him sprawling to the ground. His body skidded across the dirt, limbs limp, before finally falling still. Lin Shu stood over him, chest heaving. Lightning crackled faintly around his armor before fading into silence.
He knelt, checking the man's pulse. Alive. For now. Lin Shu grabbed a length of rope and bound him, nailing his hands to a nearby tree with iron nails from the man's own pouch. He searched his captive thoroughly. Aside from some pills, rations, and spare clothes, there was little of value. The sword, however, was well-made — mid-grade steel, clearly the man's most prized possession.
Lin Shu snorted. "You didn't even get the chance to draw it." He secured the sword and examined his surroundings. The fight had been quick and brutal, but the masked man was at the mid-stage of Rank 1 — just like him. Lin Shu's victory wasn't due to overwhelming power, but surprise, precision, and ruthlessness. By breaking the man's arm in the opening exchange, he had crippled him before the fight even began.
Panting slightly, Lin Shu turned his gaze back toward the village. The flares had long since faded from the sky. If Xie Lang had already engaged someone, then there were more of them.
Lin Shu's expression darkened. If the situation turns bad, I'll leave them all behind. Let them die. I'll use their corpses as cover and slip away. Survival is all that matters.
He crouched beside his unconscious captive, waiting for him to wake. There were questions to be answered — and if the demonic cultivator didn't feel like answering, Lin Shu would make him talk.
The night was far from over.
On the other side, Xie Lang's battle erupted in a clash of steel and fury.
"Where the hell did this monkey come from?!" the demonic cultivator spat, stumbling back as Xie Lang crashed down from the trees like a falling star, fist already turning to iron. Their first clash was a shower of sparks — iron meeting steel — as the cultivator barely drew his sword in time to block Xie Lang's punch. The force of the blow shoved him back, boots digging trenches into the dirt.
"I guess you're the demonic Cultivator, huh?" the man sneered, eyes narrowing. He lunged forward, blade singing through the air. Xie Lang met him head-on, fists of iron hammering against the sword's edge. Every impact was deafening, each clash lighting the night with a spray of embers as iron scraped against steel. The demonic cultivator was fast, weaving between trees, his blade a silver blur, but Xie Lang was faster — his body hardened and relentless, fists crashing against the blade again and again.
Suddenly, flames erupted along Xie Lang's legs, surging around his feet in a spiraling blaze. He roared, launching himself forward with a burst of fiery speed — Blazing Fang Step — and his flaming kick struck the demonic cultivator's side. The man's body twisted from the impact, ribs creaking under the force, but his sword lashed out in the same instant, slicing into Xie Lang's arm. Blood sprayed across the forest floor.
Xie Lang hissed in pain but grinned through gritted teeth. "That all you've got?" He lunged again, this time not with reckless fury but cold precision. The flames beneath his feet burned brighter, and he stomped the ground — the force of the impact propelling him forward like a charging beast. Each step shattered the earth beneath him, giving him a burst of speed and momentum."Iron Bull Charge".
The demonic cultivator's eyes widened. "What the—?!"
Xie Lang shot forward, too fast to follow. The cultivator swung his sword in desperation, but Xie Lang slammed his foot into the ground at the last second, launching himself sideways to dodge the blade. The sudden shift left his opponent off-balance. Xie Lang's arm cocked back, iron flesh glowing red-hot from the heat, and he drove his fist into the man's stomach with a thunderous crack.
The demonic cultivator flew backward, crashing through bushes and dirt, skidding several meters before coming to a stop. He groaned, trying to push himself up, but Xie Lang was already on top of him, flames roaring at his heels. One last punch descended like a hammer, slamming into the cultivator's face. His body went limp.
Xie Lang stood over his fallen foe, panting heavily, his iron fist still glowing faintly. The man's stomach bore a twisted, burned imprint where the punch had landed — the heat so intense that it had melted flesh on contact. In its normal form, the technique couldn't cause that kind of damage. Xie Lang's body couldn't withstand such heat, but when his flesh turned to iron, it could endure far more, letting him turn his fists into molten weapons.
"Hahahahaha!" Xie Lang threw his head back and laughed. "I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they find out I took this guy down!" He grinned, fists resting on his hips.
Then his expression darkened. "Wait… didn't a flare go up from Lin Shu's side too?" His stomach dropped. "Doesn't that mean there's more than one demonic cultivator? Shit."
Without hesitation, he knelt beside the unconscious man, eyes narrowing. He couldn't leave him alive. If the bastard woke up and attacked again, he might not win a second time. Coldly, Xie Lang drove his iron fist straight through the man's chest, snuffing out his life in an instant. The body twitched once, then stilled.
Just as he stood to run toward Lin Shu's position, several flares erupted from the village. Xie Lang cursed under his breath, flames flickering around his feet once more.
"Shit."