The air within the village grew heavy. The violet miasma seeped into every tiled roof, every crack in the walls, painting a suffocating and mournful picture. Inside the worn-down inn, Ho Lam Uyen closed her eyes, measuring each breath. She knew it clearly: the demon had appeared, and its nature was far more vicious than any of the three could have imagined.
"Listen carefully." She opened her eyes, her voice calm yet sharp as a blade. "Khanh, you will carry these two elders out of the domain. Then continue to rally those households not yet fallen to the violet haze, and have them maintain a protective veil of chi. Only then can I focus on the creature. Remember—do not let me feel any disturbance in your aura."
Khanh gritted his teeth and nodded. His body was untrained, yet he bent low, lifting the two frail elders onto his back, arms trembling under their weight, while still sustaining a thin veil of chi around their heads. Each step was like treading the edge of an abyss, cold sweat streaming down his spine.
Ho Lam Uyen turned to Le Vy. "You… go to the shrine. Destroy it at once. The sooner the better."
"Understood." Le Vy did not hesitate. She gripped a wooden stick scavenged nearby and rushed out.
As for herself, Ho Lam Uyen remained at the village center, her slender figure radiating a solemn force. She would serve as the bait, drawing the demon out.
---
Khanh staggered forward, adjusting his breath as he ran. He knocked on doors, calling to families who had not yet collapsed from the haze. Exhaustion burned in his chest, yet he still cried out hoarsely:
"Get out now! Leave the center of the village! Keep your aura steady around your heads, help those who've already fallen… hurry!"
Some still-conscious villagers trembled but obeyed. But just as Khanh left the last house, a dreadful sound rang out.
Clatter… clatter… clatter…
It echoed like claws scraping against stone. He froze, eyes widening.
From the darkened alley, the demon emerged. Its presence pressed down like a mountain of dread.
Khanh could hardly breathe.
The demon's laughter rolled out, coarse and deep, as if rising from beneath the earth itself:
"A sorcerer… who would have thought I'd meet a true sorcerer today? Just a little more, and I would ascend to Emperor rank!"
At once, it drew in the violet haze. The corrupted aura from across the village converged toward it, seeking to drain the life force of those already infected.
"No…!" Khanh nearly dropped the elders in terror.
But in that instant, cold surged forth. A whirl of frigid energy erupted before him, tearing apart the miasma as if smoke in the wind.
Ho Lam Uyen appeared. She stood in the street, hair whipped by the icy wind, her gaze burning bright in the shadows. Raising one hand, she summoned the frost into a deadly circle that bound the village.
The demon shrieked and recoiled, retreating, trembling in rage and dread.
Ho Lam Uyen's eyes narrowed, her voice low:
"Khanh, do as I instructed."
Khanh swallowed hard, gripping tighter. "Understood!"
He rushed to carry the elders out of the domain, heart pounding with a vow not to fail his master.
---
Meanwhile, Le Vy reached the shrine. The crooked doors groaned open, revealing a chamber drenched in cold stillness. At its center stood a clay effigy of a deity, cracked and weathered, yet oppressive in its presence.
Without hesitation, Le Vy raised a brick and smashed it down. Crash! Dust burst into the air, fractures spreading across the statue.
She let out a sharp cry and swung the wooden stick against its face. Crack! A large piece broke away, revealing beneath not the visage of a god, but the hideous countenance of a demon. Eyes gleamed from within, distorted and vicious, as if about to break free. Violet haze poured out more violently.
Le Vy shuddered, sweat chilling her skin. But she clenched her jaw and struck again, each blow echoing in tandem with the furious screeches of the demon outside.
---
At the center of the village, Ho Lam Uyen closed her eyes. Five seconds… six seconds… then her true power surged.
Her eyes snapped open, glittering like ice crystals. Frost poured forth, enveloping the demon in a suffocating embrace. It roared, body convulsing in futile resistance.
Crack… crack… crack…
The creature froze solid, its cries cut short.
In the blink of an eye, its entire being shattered, dissolving into blackened violet ash that scattered into the wind, leaving not a trace behind.
Silence fell. Only the breath of Ho Lam Uyen remained, cold and unyielding, cloaking the village in stillness.