The explosion wasn't just a noise; it was a physical punch to the gut. The red and blue lightning from Xiao Yan's sword collided with Haoran's purple Abyssal fog, creating a vacuum that sucked the air right out of everyone's lungs. For a solid three seconds, the forest was bleached bone-white by the light.
When the smoke finally cleared, the clearing looked like a war zone.
Xiao Yan was standing, but barely. His new silk robes were scorched, and he was leaning heavily on the Sword of Heaven and Earth, which was vibrating so hard it was humming a low, pained note. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his breath came in ragged, burning gasps.
"Master, don't pass out now," the Dragon's voice echoed, sounding a bit faint. "That blast took a lot out of us. My scales are tingling, and not in the good way."
I know, I know, Xiao Yan thought, his vision swimming. Just... give me a second.
Opposite him, Haoran was slumped against a shattered tree. The purple mist around him had thinned out, revealing his face—it was gaunt, his eyes sunken and dark. He wasn't tapping his fingers anymore. He looked at his shaking hands, then at Xiao Yan, and a flicker of that weird, counting madness returned.
"Nine... nine ribs," Haoran whispered, coughing up something dark. "I felt nine of your ribs bend. But you... you broke my rhythm. No one breaks the count."
"Consider it... a gift," Xiao Yan wheezed.
Yan Bingxue stood on a high branch, her fingers gripping her ice blade so hard the hilt was frosting over. She had been ready to jump in, but the raw power she just witnessed made her pause.
(Who is he really?) she wondered, her eyes fixed on Xiao Yan's back. (That lightning... it's not just a technique. It's ancient. And the way he stands, even when he's half-dead... it's like he was born to lead an army, not just cultivate in a sect.)
She felt the urge to go to him, to reveal that she had been watching over him this whole time, but she stopped herself. If she stepped out now, she'd have to explain why the "Ice Queen" was acting like a bodyguard for a "trash" disciple. No, it wasn't time. She faded back into the mist, her heart heavy with secrets she wasn't ready to share.
Shi Wuheng was currently huddled behind a rock, his expensive spear lying in the dirt. He wasn't just scared anymore; he was traumatized. Seeing Xiao Yan—the guy he'd spent weeks mocking—go toe-to-toe with a monster like Haoran had shattered his world.
(I'm a prince of Iron Mountain,) Wuheng whispered to himself, his voice trembling. (I'm the one who's supposed to have the legendary aura. Why does he look like a king while I'm hiding in the mud?)
He looked at Lieya, who was standing a few feet away. She wasn't looking at Wuheng. She wasn't even looking at the demons. She was staring at Xiao Yan with a mix of awe and a strange, quiet sadness.
Lieya's fists were still glowing orange, but she didn't move. She wanted to help, but she realized that the gap between them had become a canyon. She didn't know he was a prince of a fallen empire; to her, he was just her friend who was suddenly becoming a stranger.
"Jinyao," Lieya said softly, not looking away. "Is he... is he going to be okay?"
Jinyao didn't answer. She was already moving, her hands glowing with a soft, desperate green light as she rushed toward Xiao Yan, ignoring the lingering purple rot on the ground.
The Mountain's Warning
Suddenly, a sound like a giant bell tolling echoed from the very peak of the Sacred Mountain.
BONG... BONG... BONG...
The ground didn't just shake; it groaned. The sky, which had been a bruised purple, started to turn a deep, ominous gold.
[Warning, Master!] Michael's voice snapped back into focus, sounding frantic. [The Sacred Mountain's cycle is ending! The gates are starting to close! Anyone still in the Forbidden Zones when the sun sets will be trapped here for the next sixty years!]
"Sixty years?" Xiao Yan gasped, his eyes widening. "I don't have sixty years! I have siblings to take care of!"
The Demon Commander, who had been hiding in the shadows waiting for Xiao Yan to collapse, saw his chance. He raised his axe, a wicked grin on his face. "If the mountain doesn't kill you, I will! Die, human!"
But before the axe could fall, the ground split open. A massive vine, thick as an elephant's leg, burst from the earth and swiped the commander away like a fly. The mountain was waking up, and it didn't care who was human or demon—it wanted everyone out.
"We have to go! Now!" Xiao Yan yelled, grabbing Jinyao's hand as she reached him. "Lieya! Wuheng! Move your butts or start practicing your sixty-year nap!"
Haoran stood up slowly, his eyes fixed on Xiao Yan one last time. He didn't chase them. He just watched them run, a ghost of a smile on his pale lips. "Go on, Xiao Yan. Run. The count... has only just begun."
Haoran vanished into the darkening mist, heading deeper into the forest instead of toward the exit.
Xiao Yan, Lieya, and Jinyao scrambled through the shifting forest. The paths were changing right before their eyes. Trees were moving, and the teleportation arrays were firing off randomly, sending bursts of light into the sky.
"Which way?!" Lieya shouted, ducking under a falling branch.
"Follow the lightning!" Xiao Yan pointed his sword forward, letting the Azure Dragon's sense guide him.
As they sprinted, Xiao Yan felt the weight of his secrets. He looked at Jinyao, who was holding onto him like he was her only lifeline. He looked at Lieya, who was fighting through her exhaustion to keep up.
(If they knew who I really was... if they knew about the fallen throne and the blood on my hands... would they still be running with me?)
He shook the thought away. There was no time for "what-ifs." The golden light at the horizon was fading fast, and the Great Bridge—the only way out of the Mist Forest—was finally coming into view.
But standing at the foot of the bridge was a wall of black-armored demons, led by a figure in a dark cloak who looked far more powerful than anyone they had fought yet.
"The bridge is closed," the cloaked figure said, his voice like dry parchment. "Lord Shen Yuan sends his regards."
Xiao Yan slowed to a halt, his lungs burning, his body screaming for rest. He looked at the closing sky, then at the demons.
"I really... really... hate this mountain," Xiao Yan muttered, raising his sword one more time.
To be continued!!!