Inside the vortex of demonic energy, Yun Jin floated like a lone ember trapped in a storm of ash.
She stared down at the carnage unfolding beneath her, powerless to stop it. Her chest heaved with fury that scorched like wildfire inside her bones.
Damn it.
Damn it all!
Her entire body strained as she fought against the pull of the vortex. The tides of demonic energy crashed into her again and again, each wave heavier than the last, like the sea trying to grind her to nothing. The pressure should have crushed her. The pain should have burned her soul into ash. Any other cultivator, even those stronger than her, would've long since lost consciousness, their body devoured, their bones dissolved into dust.
She was still conscious.
But every moment of clarity came at the cost of unbearable agony. Only by comprehending the fire-element Law could she possibly break free.
The enlightenment time she had exchanged using miracle simplification attempts had already been exhausted.
Without hesitation, she activated another.
Her eyes locked on the runes and patterns of the Law floating before her, complex and ever-shifting, like burning glyphs carved into the very fabric of reality. She forced herself to study them, to carve them into her mind.
She had to break through.
She would break through.
Was it truly forbidden by the Heavenly Dao to attempt comprehending the Law during Unity stage?
Was it really impossible for anyone to succeed?
No.
She would succeed.
Whatever rules and restrictions existed, she would defy them all.
She was already so close to the fire-element Law. That final barrier—she could grasp it. She had to.
Yun Jin pushed herself harder, focused her thoughts with all her might.
But—
Her gaze flickered downward, and her breath caught in her throat.
The screams rose again. Louder now. Closer. Clearer.
Faces twisted in terror. Blood ran like rivers through the streets. Children wailed. Women screamed. Men clung to their families and died in pools of their own blood.
And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't block it out.
No.
She had to stay focused. Break through first. Only then could she return and end this nightmare.
She repeated it like a mantra.
Break through first. Then save them.
She forced her attention back to the fiery glyphs. The patterns danced in front of her.
She was just a step away.
But what was she missing?
Where was that final key?
Just then—
Yun Jin glanced downward. Her expression changed slightly. It was Gao Jingxuan. He was charging directly toward the disciples of Blood Dao Sect. He wasn't alone. Other cultivators followed behind him. The strongest among them was only at the Divine Transformation stage.
But the enemy had cultivators in the Tribulation stage.
They were throwing their lives away!
Yun Jin's pupils shrank.
What were they doing?
Why hadn't she broken through yet?
Why was she still trapped?
Her cultivation was still too slow.
Her strength—still not enough.
Was she really going to watch this happen again?
Even if she succeeded in grasping the Law.
Even if she came down from the heavens with divine flame in her hand—
How many would already be dead by then?
They were dying now.
She had promised to protect them. She had sworn she would save this city.
Her soul trembled. Her fingers clenched.
Faster.
She had to reach that final step faster.
From within the vortex, Yun Jin's eyes remained locked on Gao Jingxuan as he reached the front lines. He raised his sword and lunged at one of the Blood Dao disciples without a shred of hesitation.
But his opponent didn't even glance his way. A casual wave of the hand sent him flying like a broken doll.
The others charged in. And one by one, they were cast aside like insects. Limbs snapped. Bones shattered. Blood splattered across cobblestones already stained red. The air reeked of iron, sweat, and death.
"Pathetic," a Blood Dao cultivator sneered. "They want to die that badly?"
"Careful," another chuckled. "If they die too fast, it'll waste the blood."
"Exactly. It's only fresh if you draw it slowly."
"Hahaha. Let's play a little. I'm getting bored."
Though the attackers fought with everything they had, it was clear—they were nothing but prey. Weaklings. Toys. Fodder to be refined.
Gao Jingxuan's body lay crumpled on the ground, mangled and barely recognizable. Blood poured from his mouth as he gasped for breath, his ribs snapped, his limbs twisted at unnatural angles.
But still—he moved.
He crawled.
Hand over hand, inch by inch, he dragged himself forward. His sword trailed behind him, slick with blood. His face was a mess of bruises and grime, his eyes swollen.
And yet, they still held light.
When he reached the edge of one of the blood nets, he paused, breath ragged. He could barely lift his arm, but still, he raised his sword, trying to sever the web.
A Blood Dao disciple looked down at him in contempt.
"What a stubborn dog." He raised his foot and stomped down hard on Gao Jingxuan's face.
Crack.
The bones in his cheek gave way.
Still, Gao Jingxuan didn't scream.
He grit his teeth and pushed forward again, sword trembling in his hand.
Inside the net, the people were starting to weaken. The old and the young went first. Children collapsed into their mothers' arms. Eyes fluttering shut. Their bodies barely clung to life.
Gao Jingxuan saw her.
The little girl from earlier.
The one who had faced death in silence.
Why?
Why couldn't they save her?
She was just a child.
Just one tiny life among millions, and yet—even she had to die for these monsters to grow stronger?
If it were the demons, perhaps this cruelty would've been expected.
But the ones doing this were human. Born of the same world, the same blood. And yet they had slaughtered their own without hesitation.
For what? A shortcut? A flicker of power?
Had they forgotten what it meant to be human?
Were they even human anymore?
Rage exploded in Gao Jingxuan's chest. He let out a hoarse, guttural scream.
The Blood Dao cultivator smirked. "Still got some breath left? You should've died when I told you to."
He lifted his foot again.
But before it fell—
Gao Jingxuan moved.
Like a dying beast on the brink of madness, he twisted, grabbed the cultivator's ankle, and threw him off-balance. With a burst of raw defiance, he pushed himself upright, bones crunching.
"What?" The Blood Dao disciple's eyes widened.
That strike should've shattered him. Yet he stood.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator… resisting a Unity stage's suppression?
"You're asking for death!" the disciple snarled, kicking out again in fury.
"Ahhhh!!" Gao Jingxuan howled, writhing in unimaginable pain. Golden light burst from his body. In that moment, his strength surged unnaturally high.
The disciple narrowed his eyes.
A soul awakening?
Interesting.
So this Gao Jingxuan was a reincarnation of a great cultivator.
But which one?
A pity.
Even if he was a reincarnation, he still wasn't strong enough now.
He still had to die.
Gao Jingxuan was just as shocked. He had no idea where the power came from.
But—
He didn't waste a second. Gripping his sword, he spun and slashed at the blood net.
"How dare you!" the Blood Dao Sect disciple roared, slamming a heavy palm strike at his back.
The blow landed solidly.
But Gao Jingxuan didn't seem to feel the pain. His sword still sliced forward, unwavering. With his entire Primordial Soul, he released all of his remaining strength.
The blood net tore apart.
He wanted to save more people.
He wanted to shatter every last blood net.
But—
He couldn't.
His cultivation was simply too low. Even this brief flash of power was his limit.
"Big brother…"
The blood net vanished.
The little girl stared at Gao Jingxuan's collapsed body, her face as pale as snow.
Gao Jingxuan tried to smile at her, not wanting her to be afraid.
He wanted to say—
Don't look.
But no matter how many times he opened his mouth, no words came out.
"Bastard! Die!" the disciple howled, palm raised once more. He struck down toward Gao Jingxuan's unmoving form.
Blood nets were limited in number. Gao Jingxuan had destroyed his, meaning he might lose his only chance to refine fresh blood.
This man—
Deserved to die!
The Tai'a Sword trembled in midair as Yun Jin stared, eyes locked on Gao Jingxuan's lifeless, bloodless face.