The disciples fought like they'd been injected with pure fire. What started as controlled strikes quickly escalated. Their restraint wore off, and their attacks grew sharper, more brutal.
Still, they remembered Song Qingyun's warning:
Do not chase the beasts into the depths of the mountains.
No matter what, stay within the designated perimeter.
So far, everything felt… normal. Like just another battle.
But Song Qingyun couldn't shake the unease in his chest. His eyes never stopped scanning the surroundings, even as he fought. That split focus made him sloppy. A few minor injuries slipped through.
Then, suddenly, a violent surge of spiritual power burst from deep within the mountains.
"Defensive formation!" Song Qingyun shouted immediately.
The disciples reacted with practiced speed, pulling back toward the center. Even the ones blocked by beasts pushed forward through the chaos, desperate to regroup. Several elders converged as well, forming a protective ring around the younger disciples.
The ground began to tremble.
Then it came. A tidal wave of beasts, charging like a living tsunami, their bodies thick as shadows, their eyes glowing with madness.
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
These weren't normal beasts.
Within the crowd, Song Yue'er paled. Her voice trembled.
"Song Yuanlang… there are so many of them…"
She remembered the clan head's repeated warnings. Warnings she now realized were not paranoia.
"Their behavior is off," she said in a tight voice. "This was orchestrated. Someone's targeting the Song Clan."
Beside her, Song Yuanlang remained calm. It was as if he had been expecting this all along. He glanced sideways, not at the beasts, but at a man standing to his left. There was a flicker of cold, unreadable emotion in his eyes.
The man he was watching looked nervous. Sweat clung to his temples.
His name was Song Yunfeng, a cultivator of the previous generation. He had nearly reached the Golden Core realm, but years ago, he had been severely wounded during an excursion. His dantian had been damaged beyond easy repair, leaving lasting complications.
Something dark flickered behind his eyes. He clenched his hand and crushed a small, fragrant pill hidden in his palm.
At that moment, the rampaging beasts skidded to a halt—then roared even louder, their frenzy doubling as if drawn by an unseen force.
They charged with renewed madness, shaking the earth so violently it made hearts tremble.
Ten meters away.
Then five.
Then three.
Song Yunfeng's lips curled into a small, twisted smile. A single thought burned through him like wildfire.
Let them die.
All of them.
Back when his cultivation had shattered, he had gone to the Patriarch, begging for one of the legendary pills to restore his dantian. After all, the eldest young miss was a renowned alchemist. Surely they had such a pill.
But the Patriarch had turned him away. He claimed the Song Clan didn't possess such a medicine, severing Song Yunfeng's future in one cold stroke. From that day forward, resentment festered like rot.
Later, when someone offered him a pill and a promise, he hadn't refused.
This was the Song Clan's punishment. This was justice.
They deserved to die.
All of them.
A manic grin spread across his face. His excitement was so overwhelming, the muscles in his cheeks twitched. But just as the tide of beasts reached the final stretch, something happened.
They stopped.
Just… stopped.
Momentum carried the beasts in the rear forward, smashing into the ones in front and sending bodies flying in all directions. Chaos erupted as the horde tripped over itself in confusion.
What?
What was happening?
Song Yunfeng froze, his expression cracking with shock.
From behind him, a calm voice spoke.
"Surprised, Song Yunfeng?"
Song Yuanlang didn't use any titles. No "Senior." No "Uncle." Just his full name, like a hammer to the chest.
"You… what are you saying?" Song Yunfeng stammered.
He forced a smile, but it came out twisted and tight.
"I was just… confused, that's all."
Around them, the disciples stared in bewilderment. With death bearing down on them, what were these two even talking about?
More importantly… why had the beasts stopped?
The creatures paced in place now, thrashing about like they were searching for something.
Then, from above, a thunderous voice shattered the air.
"Song Yunfeng. Do you admit your guilt?"
Song Qingyun descended from the sky, spiritual power coiling around him like a storm. Under the crushing weight of his presence, Song Yunfeng collapsed to his knees.
His limbs gave out. He couldn't even pretend anymore.
The Patriarch knew.
How?
He had been so careful. He had hidden the pill for days, waiting for the perfect moment.
His hand trembled as he looked up at Song Qingyun's raised palm.
It was over.
The secret was already out.
But how had they found out?
He had never contacted the one who gave him the pill. Never left a trail.
Why?
How?
Regret, fear, rage… all surged through him at once.
But he had no more time to think.
As Song Qingyun's palm descended toward him, Song Yunfeng's eyes turned vicious. His lips parted in a silent curse, and in the next instant, he self-detonated.
His Soul shattered. His body fell like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Song Yunfeng!" someone shouted.
Gasps broke out through the disciples.
He was dead?
Song Qingyun laughed bitterly, anger rolling off him in waves. He had intended to search the man's soul. But Song Yunfeng had chosen death, just to protect the person behind it all.
How much did he hate the Song Clan?
A man raised by the clan, nurtured by their resources, and this was how he repaid them?
When he thought of the three hundred young Song disciples lost to the beasts over the years, Song Qingyun felt like tearing the traitor's corpse apart.
Song Yuanlang stood quietly, gazing down at the body without expression.
He hadn't expected Song Yunfeng to be so resolute.
Still, he remembered the moment his suspicions began.
That day, when he passed by the entrance to Yipin Fragrance Hall, he had seen Song Yunfeng acting suspiciously. After he left, another shadowy figure emerged, equally cautious.
Song Yuanlang hadn't seen their face, but their behavior had stuck with him.
He began watching Song Yunfeng in secret.
Days later, he returned to Yipin Fragrance Hall again—alone this time—but the pattern was enough.
Then, when they returned to the camp, Song Yunfeng acted nervous, his behavior unsteady.
It was troubling, but Song Yuanlang didn't know enough to confront anyone. He debated telling the clan leader but hesitated. Without proof, he would only sound paranoid.
Song Yunfeng had always seemed so quiet, so dutiful.
Until Song Wanníng returned.
He had thought, if even the eldest young miss didn't believe him, then maybe he really was overthinking.
But to his surprise, Song Wanníng believed him instantly. Not only that, she had gone directly to the clan leader and set everything in motion.
Through careful deduction, she and the clan leader had reached the same conclusion. Someone had given Song Yunfeng a pill infused with beast-attracting powder—likely something refined to cause a frenzy among spirit beasts.
The trap was laid in two stages. First, the enemy had assigned the Song Clan to what seemed like a safe area. Then Song Yunfeng would ignite the bait, drawing in a horde.
Caught off-guard, the Song disciples would suffer devastating losses.
All it took was one pill to bring disaster to an entire clan.
A clever, cruel plan. Profitable too, if one measured lives like coin.
Fortunately, the Patriarch and Song Wanníng had acted quickly.
Eldest Young Miss had even prepared counteragents—special pills designed to neutralize the effects of beast-luring powders.
And now, that foresight had saved them all.