Shen Hao flew low over the mountains, the wind brushing past him as his purple Qi hovered steady under his feet. The world beneath him was wild and beautiful—floating cliffs, glowing rivers, and skies that never sat still.
But he wasn't here to admire the view.
His focus was west.
Mount Sheng waited somewhere beyond these peaks.
That would change everything.
He flew for another hour before the terrain shifted.
The open sky narrowed into a long rocky gap between two massive cliffs. The pass below was tight, winding, and boxed in by jagged walls. High above, the mountain peaks bent inward like crooked teeth.
Shen Hao slowed down.
"Huh," he muttered. "This is the part where something dumb happens."
He hovered near the entrance and looked around. The wind had died. No animals, no sound. The air felt thick, like it was holding its breath.
A soft pulse came from his waist.
"You feelin' this too, or is it just me?" Lingfeng's voice buzzed lazily. "Because this has classic 'trap' written all over it."
"You think everything is a trap," Shen Hao replied quietly.
"Because in this realm, everything is a trap."
A small rock tumbled down from the ledge above.
Then another.
Shen Hao didn't move, but his eyes narrowed.
"Yup," Lingfeng whispered. "This is where you get jumped, and I finally get to bite someone."
A blur of motion broke the silence.
Figures shot out from both sides of the pass—leaping from the cliffs, rising from hidden spots, even flying in from above. Dust kicked up from the ledges as they moved fast and loud.
Seven in total.
Shen Hao rose quickly into the air. They followed.
They weren't human.
One had scales down his face and gold rings through his jaw. Another had wings folded behind a sharp-lined cloak. One was half-covered in bone armor. The others were just as strange—horns, claws, spiked armor, and blades glowing with strange Qi.
Shen Hao calmly scanned their auras.
Two strong — Beginning Realm Level 5
Three steady — Level 4
Two weaker — Level 2, staying in the back
They circled him in the air, smiling like wolves.
One with four red eyes stepped forward. "Look at this guy. Flying alone. Probably thinks he's some kind of prodigy."
Another one—a big one, with a thick voice—laughed. "Bet he thinks he's too strong to rob."
One of the Level 2s grinned and shouted, "Drop the ring, and that blade! We'll make it quick!"
Shen Hao didn't answer.
His hand rose slowly, purple light glowing in his palm.
"You want to handle this, or should I start roasting ankles?" Lingfeng offered.
"Just wait," Shen Hao said. "I want to see how stupid they really are."
The bandits laughed.
"Did he just ignore us?"
"Cocky little worm…"
The four-eyed leader raised his hand. "Alright then—"
A soft hum interrupted him.
A glowing purple rose bloomed in Shen Hao's hand, spinning slowly.
The leader squinted. "Wait, what is tha—"
Shen Hao threw it.
It sailed forward like a quiet whisper—then exploded midair with a deep, echoing blast.
BOOM!
The sky lit up with purple fire. The shockwave hit fast, knocking two of the bandits off their flight paths. One went flying into a cliff wall and didn't get up. The other tumbled through the air, his armor scorched, barely conscious.
The rest scrambled in the air, clearly shaken.
"Split up! He's using some kind of high-tier technique!" one of them shouted.
Shen Hao didn't stop. He surged forward with a burst of Qi, closing the gap between him and the nearest target—a smaller figure in patchy armor, a Level 2.
The bandit swung a short blade. Shen Hao deflected it with his forearm, then delivered a clean strike to the chest, pushing Qi through the hit. The bandit dropped out of the sky instantly.
That was two down.
Lingfeng's voice buzzed in Shen Hao's mind, sounding pleased.
"Now we're talking. You've been holding back for days."
"Not anymore," Shen Hao muttered, eyes tracking the next target.
He caught movement to his left—another Level 4, this one wearing bone-covered gear, charging with a spear aimed straight at his side.
Shen Hao turned sharply and blocked the strike. They clashed in midair, exchanging fast blows. Qi crackled around them. Shen Hao ducked low, swept the spear aside, and hit the bandit in the side with a focused burst of energy.
The guy staggered, but didn't fall.
Then—
CLANG!
A heavy chain lashed through the air and wrapped around Shen Hao's left wrist.
The big one — thick armor, heavy arms — yanked hard, pulling Shen Hao off balance.
Shen Hao tried to break free, but that second's delay gave the others their chance.
From behind, a sudden slice of wind Qi shot across his shoulder. Sharp, hot pain followed.
Shen Hao gritted his teeth, broke the chain with a burst of energy, and flipped backward, putting space between them.
His shoulder burned. Not a deep cut, but it stung. Bad.
The bandits regrouped.
The tall one spun the chain again, circling him. The four-eyed leader hung higher in the air, watching calmly, waiting. Another Level 4 hovered nearby, clearly hurt but still ready to fight.
Shen Hao wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and exhaled.
"Round two," he whispered.
He raised his hand again. The second Ember Bloom formed—faster this time, smaller, but just as deadly.
The bandits flinched.
"Scatter!" someone shouted.
Too late.
Shen Hao threw it and turned before it hit.
BOOM!
A ripple of fire and light rocked the air behind him. He didn't need to look. The explosion had done its job.
He glanced back briefly.
The winged bandit had gone down. Another was out cold, drifting below with scorch marks across his armor. The one with the bone armor was barely staying up.
That left three.
Two Level 5s.
One beaten-up Level 4.
Shen Hao hovered higher, chest rising and falling. His Qi was still flowing, but slower now. He was starting to feel it.
The four-eyed leader stared at him. "You're not bad," he said. "But you're running out of gas."
Shen Hao didn't answer. He was too focused.
The chain came again. Shen Hao dodged left, but the injured Level 4 came at him from below, fists glowing.
One connected.
Shen Hao winced and dropped a few meters, catching himself midair. His arm shook.
But he didn't fall.
"Keep going," he told himself.
He fired a quick burst of Qi at the injured one — not enough to drop him, but it sent him flying backward.
Three were down cold. Two more were barely hanging on.
And Shen Hao… wasn't in great shape.
But he was still standing.
And there were only three left.
Two Level 5s, still looking solid.
One Level 4, burned, limping, but not backing off.
The weaker one rushed in first.
He came in from the side with shaky steps and an uneven stance. Shen Hao didn't even flinch. He sidestepped the swing, stepped in close, and struck cleanly to the chest with his palm.
A light burst of Qi followed, and the attacker went flying back.
He didn't get up.
Five down.
The last two paused for a second — just long enough to acknowledge what had happened.
"You're stubborn," the one with the chain said.
The four-eyed leader tilted his head. "But you're slowing down."
They didn't wait this time. The chain shot forward, wrapping toward Shen Hao again. Shen Hao pushed off with his Qi, dodging to the left, but not fast enough to escape the follow-up.
The leader dropped down from above and landed a hit across his shoulder.
It wasn't enough to knock him out of the air — but it was enough to hurt.
Shen Hao tumbled back, steadying himself midair. His breathing picked up.
"Can't keep this pace much longer," he thought.
Lingfeng chimed in quickly.
"Your core's running low. Time to either end it or think of a new plan."
"No plan," Shen Hao replied. "Just finish it."
He launched himself back at the chain user. The two clashed briefly — strikes, counters, fast steps. Shen Hao caught one hit to the leg, but returned a solid one across the chest that forced the bandit to retreat.
The leader came in again, moving fast.
Shen Hao blocked the first strike with his forearm, but the second hit clean across his ribs. The force pushed him back.
He gritted his teeth and held his ground, even though his body was starting to drag.
"One more," he told himself. "Just one more opening."
Then something changed.
The four-eyed leader floated back and raised one hand.
A sharp pulse of energy rippled through the air. Not an attack — a signal.
Shen Hao felt the shift instantly.
The sky above darkened.
A low wind pushed through the canyon. The clouds twisted, slow at first, then faster. Sparks began to crackle across the sky.
He looked up as the chain user lowered his stance and backed away.
The leader gave a small nod toward the sky.
"You fought well," he said.
Then, the sky above the mountain pass twisted into deep gray.
Shen Hao stayed in the air, breathing steady but shallow. His arms felt heavy, and his core buzzed with strain. He could still fight — but not for much longer.
Across from him, the two surviving bandits floated calmly now. Not attacking. Just… waiting.
Then he felt it.
Pressure.
It came like a wall — slow at first, then stronger. The air around them grew dense. The clouds above turned darker, pulled in by invisible force. Qi crackled in the sky. Sparks danced across the cliffs.
Something powerful was on its way.
Shen Hao's eyes locked onto the sky.
A tear opened in the clouds — quiet, clean, like a blade slicing through cloth.
Then three figures descended through the light.
The first two wore long, heavy cloaks. Their faces were calm, but their presence said everything. Their auras stretched across the canyon like thick fog — sharp and quiet. Each one landed slowly on the floating rocks above, their movements relaxed, but heavy.
Shen Hao didn't need to guess.
Beginning Realm. Level 6.
The pressure from them alone made his Qi stir uneasily.
But the third one…
He floated down without a word.
No flash. No noise. No energy blast.
He didn't need one.
His feet touched the ground with a light tap. The moment he landed, the wind across the entire pass stopped.
Even the clouds seemed to freeze.
His aura wasn't wild. It was contained—so dense and controlled it didn't need to prove anything. His eyes scanned the battlefield once, then stopped on Shen Hao.
For a brief second, no one moved.
Then, the chain-wielding bandit offered a fist-in-palm salute.
The four-eyed one followed, speaking clearly.
"Welcome, Elders," he said.
Then, louder:
"Welcome, Leader."
Shen Hao didn't speak.
He didn't need to.
He could feel it in his bones.
The two Level 6s were dangerous enough—but the one in front of him now… he was at the same level. Beginning Realm, Level 7.
Just like Shen Hao.
But fresh. Unwounded. Full of Qi.
A fair fight — except Shen Hao was already running low, cut, bruised, and tired.
The leader looked him up and down once, then gave the faintest smile.
"You're the one who did all this?" he asked, his voice calm. "Interesting."
Shen Hao stayed silent.
His hands slowly tightened at his sides.
The cliff shook slightly from distant thunder. A gust of wind passed through the pass again, cold and fast.
Then everything stilled.
They stood there — the three newcomers, the two surviving bandits, and Shen Hao alone.
Wounded. Outnumbered.
Cornered.
But not broken.
"Well?" Lingfeng whispered in his mind.
"What now?"
"We find out," Shen Hao replied, lifting his chin.
"If this is the end… or something else."
... ... ... ...