Elder Han Zhou took a step forward, his Golden Core aura rolling outward in heavy waves that bent the surrounding trees. His gaze fixed on the fallen guard, then lifted to Bo Mile with cold fury. "You killed a city guard," he said slowly. "Do you understand what you've done?" Bo met his eyes without flinching. "I enforced the law," he replied evenly. "He spoke treason against Myriad City and challenged the authority of its ruling clan. His death was lawful." The forest trembled as Han Zhou's aura surged again, but Bo remained unmoved, his presence steady, unyielding.
From the edges of the clearing, figures began to gather. Independent cultivators, spirit hunters, and wandering mercenaries had sensed the clash of intent and drawn closer, careful to remain hidden among the trees. None dared interfere, yet none looked away. They watched as the Mile Clan token hovered in the air and a Han Clan elder stood poised for battle beneath a fallen banner. Every breath, every word, burned itself into their memory. By dawn, they would carry this story back to Myriad City, spreading it through taverns, markets, and sect halls alike.
Bo lowered his hand slightly, the token still gleaming. "This ends now, Elder Han Zhou," he said calmly. "Stand down, answer for your crimes, and leave the Verdant Wilds. Or remain here and accept the consequences." The night held its breath. The witnesses leaned in, knowing that whatever happened next would not stay confined to this mountain. Tonight, the balance of Myriad City was about to be tested.
Elder Han Zhou's expression hardened. He raised his hand sharply. "Kill him," he commanded. The Han disciples surged forward in unison, blades flashing as killing intent spilled across the clearing. Before they could take three steps, two swords tore through the air from behind Bo, moving like streaks of cold light. They struck the ground in a crossing arc, cutting deep into the stone and severing the advance. The path forward was gone.
From between the trees, Yoon stepped into view, his hands extended as the swords returned to hover at his sides. His gaze was steady, anger restrained but unmistakable. "Young master," he said firmly, "I am a Mile Guardian. This is my duty." His voice lowered slightly. "Never leave me behind again." Behind him, the Golden Crown Serpent slithered forward, scales bristling as it hissed violently, its golden crest glowing faintly in the darkness.
Bo's emerald blade slid back into its sheath with a soft, decisive sound. He did not turn. "Very well," he said calmly. "Show them."
A ripple of shock passed through the hidden spectators the moment the title left Yoon's lips. Mile Guardian. The words carried a weight that had not been felt in over two hundred years. Whispers spread instantly through the trees, disbelief sharpening into awe. That title had vanished alongside the Mile Clan's former glory, spoken of only in old records and half forgotten law scrolls.
A Mile Guardian stood above officials and elders alike. They could question city authorities, detain clan leaders, and pass judgment without seeking approval from the Myriad Court. Even the great clans feared that authority. More unsettling still, a Mile Guardian answered only to the Mile Clan itself. Not even members of the Mile bloodline were exempt from their judgment. To see that title invoked here, beneath a fallen Han banner and under the shadow of a mountain, sent a clear message. The Mile Clan was no longer dormant. And the laws of Myriad City had just awakened with it.
The clash erupted in a blur of steel. The five guards attacked together, blades and techniques layered to overwhelm through numbers alone. Yoon met them head on, his movements precise and unhurried, his twin swords weaving a calm, lethal rhythm. He did not retreat, nor did his breathing change. Each strike he delivered was measured, cutting through formations and breaking momentum without excess force. To the onlookers, it was immediately clear. This was not a struggle. It was instruction through violence.
Behind him, Bo Mile remained still, his killing intent anchored firmly on Elder Han Zhou. The pressure was invisible, yet absolute, pinning the elder in place like a mountain upon his shoulders. Han Zhou could feel it clearly. Any attempt to interfere, any shift of Qi, would invite immediate annihilation. Forced to watch, the elder bore witness as his guards fell back one by one, wounded, disarmed, or driven into the ground by a Mile Guardian who had not yet needed to reveal his full strength.
Elder Han Zhou's thoughts churned as he stood locked in place. This made no sense. Even if Bo Mile was also at the peak of the Golden Core stage, the pressure he exerted was far beyond what should have been possible. Han Zhou had faced Ascendant cultivators before. He knew the difference. And yet, the weight bearing down on him now felt closer to that level than his own. Every attempt to circulate his Qi met an invisible wall, his instincts screaming that a single misstep would be fatal.
How is he doing this? Han Zhou wondered, a flicker of unease slipping past his hardened composure. Killing intent alone could not suppress him so completely. Technique, bloodline, presence, something was amplifying it beyond reason. No matter how he searched, he could not find an explanation that fit within the laws he knew. The realization unsettled him more than any wound. This was not power he understood. And power that could not be understood was the most dangerous kind.
Moments later, the clearing fell silent. The five guards lay scattered before Elder Han Zhou, their weapons broken or flung far from reach, their hands bloodied and trembling. Yoon stood among them without a mark upon his robes. He flicked his wrists once, and a stream of water Qi swept over his blades, washing away blood and dust before evaporating into the night air. With a smooth motion, he returned both swords to their sheaths and walked back, stopping one step behind Bo.
Bo's gaze never left the elder. "Take your men and their arms," he said calmly. "Return to your clan." His voice carried neither threat nor concession, only certainty. "All will be settled at the banquet one month from now. You may leave." The pressure on Han Zhou eased just enough for him to breathe, the message unmistakable. This encounter was over. The reckoning had merely been postponed.
Bo Mile turned slightly, his voice carrying effortlessly into the surrounding forest. "Go on," he said calmly. "Tell your masters. Tell your friends and your families." His gaze swept across the shadows where figures stood frozen among the trees. "The Mile Clan is not to be underestimated. What was allowed in the past shall no longer stand."
His hand rested lightly on the hilt of his emerald blade. "But know this," Bo continued, his tone sharpening just enough to chill the air. "If any lie is told, if any truth is twisted, my sword will come. And it will carve the truth for all to see." Silence followed his words, heavy and absolute, as the witnesses understood that what they had seen tonight would shape Myriad City for years to come.
Bo then turned slightly toward Yoon. "Collect all the beast cores they left behind," he said evenly. "Pack up the corpses as well. Nothing is to be wasted." Yoon nodded at once and moved to obey, gathering the remains and scattered items. When the clearing was finally emptied and the night grew still once more, Bo glanced toward the path leading back to Myriad City. "It is time," he said. "We return."
Bo lifted his Mile Clan token and let a thread of Qi flow into it, his intent clear and precise. "Come immediately," he said. "These are my exact coordinates." The response was nearly instant. The driver had not gone far, like many others lingering on the forest's edge after sensing the disturbance. It took only a short while before the familiar carriage emerged from the darkness, horses snorting uneasily as they drew near.
Bo handed the driver a sealed letter. "Take this back to Myriad City," he instructed. He then turned to Yoon. "You will return ahead of me. Deliver the beast cores and report what happened tonight. Prepare the clan." Yoon bowed deeply, understanding without needing further explanation. Bo rested a hand briefly on the emerald blade where Joong coiled, the serpent watching the forest with bright, alert eyes. "I will remain in the wilds for a time," Bo said calmly. "Joong needs training, and so do I. We will return before the banquet." With that, the paths diverged, each step carrying the weight of a city that was already beginning to change.
It took no more than two hours for the carriage to return to Myriad City and arrive at the gates of the Mile Mansion. The driver barely had time to dismount before Mile Chen stepped forward and accepted the sealed letter with a solemn nod. "You've done well," Chen said, then gestured toward the side courtyard. "Go and rest. Food and lodging will be provided." The driver bowed repeatedly, relief evident on his face, before being led away.
Yoon did not stop. Bearing the Mile Guardian Token openly at his waist, he passed straight through the inner gates and into the main hall. Inside, the atmosphere was markedly different from before. Spiritual energy swirled gently through the space, stable and refined. Mile Ren stood at the center of the hall, his posture straighter than it had been in decades, Golden Core aura flowing steadily around him. He had succeeded. Seeing Yoon enter, Ren's eyes sharpened, sensing that something significant had occurred.
With all present, Mile Chen broke the seal and unfolded the letter. As his eyes moved across the page, the hall grew quiet, each word carrying the weight of blood, law, and declaration. What was written there would not remain confined to these walls. It was the spark that would ignite the coming storm.
The next day, Yoon arrived at Kin House just as the lanterns were being extinguished and the doors prepared to open for another night of indulgence. To most of Myriad City, it was the most famous brothel within the walls, a place of silk curtains, laughter, and whispered promises. But Yoon knew better. A month earlier, Mile Lian had revealed its true nature to Bo. Kin House was a mask, a front for an assassin network secretly operated by the Han Clan, its basement levels burrowed deep beneath the city like a blade pressed against its throat.
Yoon stepped through the entrance without hesitation, the Mile Guardian Token visible at his waist. Panic spread almost instantly. Hidden doors slammed shut, killing intent flared from below, and mechanisms meant to silence intruders whirred to life. None of it mattered. By nightfall, Kin House was gone. From the lavish upper halls to the blood soaked basements beneath, the structure was dismantled methodically and without mercy. Assassins were dragged into the open, records seized, tunnels collapsed, and flames reduced the remaining foundations to ash. By dawn, there was nothing left but scorched stone and silence. Kin House had been removed from Myriad City, root and branch, exactly as Bo Mile had ordered.
As Yoon stepped out from the ruins of Kin House, the scent of smoke still clinging to his robes, the air shifted. Instinct flared a heartbeat before the attack came. A blade lunged from the shadows to his left, aimed cleanly for his spine. Yoon twisted aside as steel scraped past, sparks flashing as he drew one sword in the same motion.
The attacker revealed himself, a Han cultivator in dark robes, his aura steady at the Foundation Establishment stage. His eyes were cold, calculating. "So you're the Mile Guardian," he said quietly. "I was hoping to see what kind of man dares tear out the Han Clan's veins inside the city."
Yoon did not answer. He stepped forward instead. The two clashed in the narrow street, swords ringing sharply as techniques collided. The Han cultivator fought with practiced precision, his strikes aimed to cripple rather than kill, each move revealing training meant for assassination. Yoon met him head on, his footing solid, his water Qi flowing smoothly through his blade to deflect, redirect, and counter. Within moments, the difference became clear. The Han cultivator fought to end a life quickly. Yoon fought to dominate space itself.
A final exchange ended it. Yoon's blade slipped past the guard and struck the cultivator's wrist, sending his sword clattering to the ground. Before he could retreat, Yoon's second blade rested at his throat. The street fell silent. The Han cultivator froze, breath shallow, realizing too late that he had chosen the wrong night, and the wrong enemy.
Moments later, armored figures rounded the corner at a measured pace. The newly appointed Mile Guards moved in formation, their presence firm and disciplined, a stark contrast to the chaos that had filled these streets only days ago. At their head was a squad leader who halted the moment he saw Yoon and the subdued Han cultivator. Without hesitation, the guards moved in, restraining the man and sealing his Qi.
Yoon handed the squad leader a bundled stack of documents bound in spirit thread. "This is the manifesto of Kin House," he said evenly, "along with every record recovered from its basements." His gaze hardened. "This is evidence of their crimes." He gestured toward the captive. "Take him to the Hall of Justice and let them handle the case. Inform them of this." His voice lowered, carrying unmistakable authority. "The Mile Clan will be watching how this matter is judged." The squad leader bowed sharply, understanding the weight behind those words, before signaling his men to move out. As they disappeared down the street, the message was already spreading. Justice in Myriad City had a new witness.
At the Hall of Justice, sweat ran down the back of the Minister of Justice, Jan Gun, as he adjusted his robes and took his seat. The situation was clear the moment he saw the sealed records and the restrained Han cultivator. If he accepted the case, he would offend the Han Clan. If he refused it, he would offend the Mile Clan. Neither choice promised safety. Yet there was no true choice at all. The Mile Clan's actions were the law itself, written into the foundations of Myriad City. Jan Gun exhaled slowly and straightened. "Proceed according to statute," he ordered. City Guards stepped forward to take custody of the prisoner, sealing him under official authority. Turning to the Mile Guards, Jan Gun inclined his head respectfully. "You have done your duty. My thanks for your hard work. The Hall of Justice will see this matter through."
Yoon did not linger at the Hall of Justice. His mission for the day was not yet complete. As the sun climbed higher, he moved through the city with measured steps, the Mile Guardian Token resting openly at his side. Word traveled faster than he did. Doors closed softly as he passed, and conversations fell into hurried whispers.
Before long, he arrived at the Hall of Rites and Labor. The building stood broad and austere, its stone façade etched with regulations governing guilds, contracts, and workforce levies throughout Myriad City. This was where power hid behind paperwork, where exploitation could be made legal with the right seals and signatures. Yoon stopped at the foot of the steps, his gaze steady. The second instruction in Bo Mile's letter was clear. And this hall would be no exception.
Yoon's voice rang out across the hall. "Minister of Rites and Labor. All assistant ministers. Present yourselves."
The command carried weight, and within moments, hurried footsteps echoed as officials emerged from side chambers and inner offices. They gathered before him in uneasy silence, eyes drawn again and again to the Mile Guardian Token at his side. Without another word, Yoon produced a scroll bound in black and white silk. When he turned it, the crest of the Mile Clan was visible upon its back. A Mile Decree.
Yoon unfurled the scroll and read aloud, his voice clear and unwavering. "By order of the Mile Clan, from this day forward, the position of Prime Minister is hereby established. The Minister of Rites and Labor shall oversee the construction of the Prime Minister's office, the hiring of his or her security detail, and the creation of an official seal. All arrangements are subject to approval by the Mile Clan." The officials stood frozen as the words settled over them. Yoon continued, eyes steady. "The appointment of the Prime Minister will be announced at the Mile Banquet to be held in one month." Silence followed, heavy and absolute. In that moment, everyone present understood. Myriad City was no longer drifting. It was being reshaped by a hand the have yet to see.
News of the decree spread through Myriad City with startling speed. Within hours, sealed rooms filled with hushed discussions and hurried calculations. The Wei Clan's elders frowned over ledgers and trade routes, uneasy at the thought of oversight they could not influence. The Luo Clan's alchemists whispered behind closed doors, wondering how long their monopoly on pills and medical contracts would last. Even the Qiao Clan, masters of information, found their usual certainty unsettled by how little they truly knew of the Mile Clan's intentions.
Among them all, the Han Clan reacted the most violently. Rage simmered beneath their worry as reports of Kin House, the fallen banner in the wilds, and the Hall of Justice spread through their halls. Elder Han Zhou's silence only deepened their unease. Yet despite anger and fear, one emotion united every faction in the city. Curiosity. The Mile Clan, long thought dormant, had returned with law, authority, and decisive action. And with the banquet approaching, all of Myriad City waited to see just how far this revitalized Mile Clan intended to go.
Beyond the reach of Myriad City, Bo Mile came to a halt before towering stone gates stained dark with dried blood. A suffocating aura rolled outward from within, thick with malice and hunger. This was Bloody Keep. According to records preserved in the Mile Archives and corroborated by the Myriad Intelligence Core, this place was a haven for evil cultivators who advanced their cultivation through blood and stolen souls. Over the past thirty years alone, they had kidnapped and enslaved three thousand eight hundred ninety non cultivators. As for cultivators, the number lost to Bloody Keep was said to exceed twenty thousand.
Now Bo stood before its gates, alone. His emerald sword rested calmly on his back, its presence steady and patient, while Joong crawled beside him, scales bristling as the serpent hissed softly at the oppressive aura ahead. Bo's gaze remained level, devoid of hesitation or anger. This was not a reckless challenge. It was an arrival long overdue.
For the first time in a hundred years, Bo spoke his sword's true name. "Di."
The emerald blade trembled, then slid free of its sheath on its own, light gathering along its slender edge. A low, resonant hum filled the air as the spirit within the sword awakened, eager and patient no longer. It had waited for this command. Bo lifted his hand and pointed toward the gates. "Tear them down," he said softly. "Shatter their walls."
Di answered. The sword surged forward like a falling star, its edge striking the bloodstained gates with a sound that did not resemble metal, but a gavel. Stone exploded outward in a cascading wave, the massive gates collapsing inward as if crushed by an invisible mountain. Di did not stop. It carved a clean arc through the outer walls, emerald light flashing again and again as defensive formations shattered like brittle glass. Towers cracked at their foundations and folded, rubble raining down in thunderous avalanches.
Within Bloody Keep, the realization came slowly. Laughter cut short. Rituals faltered. Cultivators froze as alarms failed to sound and walls simply ceased to exist. By the time screams began to echo through the city, the gates were gone, the walls were broken, and an emerald blade hovered above the ruins. At the threshold of the shattered keep, Bo Mile stepped forward with Joong at his side. The bloodlust that had drenched this place for decades finally met something it could not endure.
From within the ruined city surged an army of three hundred Golden Core cultivators, their auras flaring as they charged in a desperate wave. Bloodlust rolled ahead of them, heavy and suffocating. Bo Mile did not falter. His pace remained unhurried, each step steady upon the shattered stone.
Di returned to his side in a flash of emerald light, then surged forward again, carving a clear path through the oncoming ranks. Golden Cores shattered under its edge, bodies falling before they could even register fear. At the same time, Joong hissed sharply as his scales began to glow, faint golden patterns spreading across his small body. The serpent moved like living lightning, tearing through one Golden Core after another, venom and force combined into something far beyond his size.
Bo simply smiled and continued walking. These Golden Core cultivators were not his objective. They were obstacles, nothing more. His gaze remained fixed on the heart of Bloody Keep, where a Nascent Soul City Lord sat upon a ruby throne, cloaked in arrogance, convinced that no one could ever reach him.
A handful of the Golden Core cultivators fought back with desperate ferocity, unleashing techniques refined through years of slaughter. Their resistance was enough to push Joong beyond his limit. The small serpent hissed sharply as a surge of power burst from his body, golden light rippling across his scales. Above him, the sky darkened as clouds gathered unnaturally fast. A tribulation was forming.
Bo stopped walking.
He understood at once. His decision to expose Joong to true battle had borne fruit sooner than expected. A low rumble echoed overhead as the first traces of lightning coiled within the clouds. Without hesitation, Bo vanished. Moving faster than sound, he appeared around Joong again and again, intercepting attacks before they could reach the serpent. Cultivators who attempted to interfere were erased in flashes of emerald light, their efforts ending before intent could fully form. Any distraction during a tribulation could be fatal, and Bo allowed none.
With the battlefield forcibly cleared, Bo stood just outside the tribulation's reach, his presence sealing the space itself. Joong lifted his head toward the darkened sky, scales blazing brighter as the pressure descended. This was his trial. His ascent. If he endured, he would shed his former limits and rise as a Class Two Beast. The thunder rolled, and the tribulation began.
Lightning fell.
The first bolt struck Joong squarely, white and gold tearing down from the clouds with a sound like the world cracking open. His small body slammed into the shattered ground, scales blazing as the energy coursed through him. Pain unlike anything he had known surged through every inch of his being, burning, tearing, reforging all at once. Joong hissed, the sound raw and defiant, as instinct screamed for him to flee. He did not. He coiled tighter, anchoring himself to the earth, forcing the lightning to pass through him rather than consume him.
A second bolt descended, heavier than the first. Golden light erupted from Joong's scales as cracks formed, shedding fragments of his old self. Blood sizzled where lightning struck flesh, yet beneath it, something new emerged. His crest flared brighter, the faint outline of ancient patterns surfacing along his body. Joong felt it then, buried deep within his blood, something vast and ancient stirring awake. The pressure was crushing, but so was the will pushing back against it.
When the third bolt fell, Joong lifted his head and met it head on. The lightning shattered against him, dispersing outward as his aura surged violently. His body elongated slightly, scales reforged with a deeper golden sheen, his presence expanding beyond that of a mere spirit serpent. As the clouds began to thin and the thunder faded, Joong collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, alive. The tribulation had passed. He had endured. In the scorched ruins of Bloody Keep, a new Class Two Beast lay trembling, its first step toward something far greater already taken.
Bo appeared beside Joong in a flash, one hand already resting against the serpent's scales. Pure spiritual energy flowed from him, steady and precise, reinforcing Joong's meridians and stabilizing the freshly transformed body. The violent turbulence left by the tribulation slowly calmed, Joong's breathing evening out as his new cultivation stage settled firmly into place.
That was when the air twisted.
From deep within Bloody Keep, a massive phantom palm formed, violet and oppressive, layered with five distinct seals that locked space itself. It descended toward both Bo and Joong with crushing force, intent sharp and murderous. Before it could reach them, Di shot upward, emerald light splitting the sky as the sword met the palm head on. The collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, stone liquefying beneath the pressure. The phantom palm stalled, then thickened as its wielder poured more power into it.
Bo's eyes narrowed slightly as he felt the exchange. "Mid stage Nascent Soul," he said quietly. The pressure was undeniable now, no longer hidden behind arrogance and distance. Bo withdrew his hand from Joong and straightened, his presence rising in response. "Very well." His aura shifted, deepening, aligning deliberately with that same level of power. "Then we fight on equal ground."
Bo rose into the air and caught Di in his hand. The moment his fingers closed around the hilt, their auras aligned perfectly, emerald light threading seamlessly into his own presence. He looked toward the heart of Bloody Keep and spoke calmly. "Since you have decided to act, why hide?"
He swung his sword once, and the world answered.
A wave of emerald light tore outward in a perfect arc, not cutting flesh, but space itself. Buildings across a forty mile stretch of the city shuddered, then collapsed in cascading ruin. Towers folded, halls caved in, underground chambers burst open as if exposed by daylight for the first time. When the dust settled, Bloody Keep no longer had shadows to hide in. At its center, upon a shattered ruby throne, the Nascent Soul City Lord stood exposed, fury burning across his face.
The city lord roared and struck first, Nascent Soul power erupting as he unleashed technique after technique, palms, blades of soul light, crushing waves meant to overwhelm through sheer force. Bo met them all head on. He parried, deflected, and countered, deliberately yielding ground, allowing the man his moment of dominance. Shockwaves tore through the air as their blows collided, each exchange lighting the ruins with flashes of emerald and violet. To the watching heavens, it appeared as though the city lord stood as Bo's equal. Only Bo knew the truth. This was not a struggle. It was a lesson, and it was nearing its end.
Bo's expression did not change as the city lord's power peaked. "Now," he said calmly, "it is my turn." Di vanished from his hand and slipped into his cultivation sea, its presence becoming vast and immeasurable. The air behind Bo rippled. One green phantom sword appeared, then a second, then a third. Each solidified in sequence, their edges humming with absolute authority as sword intent pressed down like a descending heaven.
The city lord's face drained of color. "Sword Sovereign, level three?" he gasped, stumbling back. "Impossible. Impossible." Panic shattered his arrogance, and he fell to his knees amid the ruins. "Great Master," he cried, voice trembling, "how have I offended you? I struggled for a thousand years to reach the Nascent Soul stage. I beg you, spare this soul."
Bo's laughter answered him, soft at first, then echoing across the devastated city like a final judgment. "Those who harm the innocent shall know no mercy," he said, his voice clear and cold. "Those who harm a member of the Mile Clan shall be completely destroyed."
At the mention of the Mile Clan, defeat carved itself into the city lord's very soul. He understood it then. An angered Mile was not merely dangerous. It was absolute. The Mile Clan were famed sword masters, feared even in their decline, yet the presence of a Sword Sovereign among them shattered everything he thought he knew. He had believed the Mile Clan fallen, diminished beyond recovery. How could they have produced such a figure? The question burned briefly in his mind, but there would be no answer. Wonder gave way to terror as he faced death without illusion.
Bo raised one hand. The sky darkened as an emerald sword the size of a mountain manifested above Bloody Keep, its edge glowing with merciless clarity. With a single downward motion, Bo brought it crashing down. The impact erased sound itself. When the dust finally settled, Bloody Keep was no longer a city, nor even ruins. It was a vast crater, silent and empty, its evil wiped clean from the land.
Bo turned his gaze toward the overlooking mountain and sent Di streaking forward. "Free them," he said calmly. The sword vanished into the distance, its purpose clear. Chains would be broken, seals shattered, and those taken would walk beneath open skies once more. With Joong at his side, Bo stood amid the aftermath, the night bearing witness to the end of Bloody Keep and the unmistakable return of the Mile Clan's will.