Zhenwu was gone from the peak of Heishan, instantly. The next moment he was standing at the window of his old room in Qingshan village. The glass was cold against the back of his hand. A thin moon sat against the worn curtain.
Inside, his parents slept soundly; he had already treated them earlier, and the ravages of disease were relieved. The steadiness of their breaths loosened something in the caverns of his chest; not an ending, but a chance to take a soft breath.
His second uncle said this afternoon, flat and heavy: nearly the whole village had helped while you were gone.
Old Ding had given his rooster; fat Liu had carried water for Lin Xue. Aunt Liu had sewn little clothes.
That debt felt like a small stone resting in his pocket; not to be thrown, but to be delicately laid in the river of his plans.
He could have poured out jade and spirit stones from his dimensional space. Barns could be filled across hills overnight. Fast. Wrong. To offer miracles with so little thought would be to steal -- he would not be instant food. He wanted to replenish strength, not replace it.
Rain began to patter down—like a child's finger tapping glass. It was no coincidence; he had requested this little whim from some nasty old codgers up in the heavens, and rain would not only fatten the soil, but dilute the water in the wells. And tonight, the rotten old coots had indeed delivered—delivered softly and quietly, almost without ego, with the accompanying fireworks you would expect from a feat of the gods.
He smiled, half in gratitude and half in jest to the thing that sent the rain, and then stepped back and reclined onto the bed, which embraced him like a good friend. And for the first time in fifty thousand years—maybe more—his body succumbed to sleep. He drew his eyes closed, and night gently settled over him—not a shroud, but a long-forgotten mercy.
---
The planet Lei Ming Shenyu turned peacefully in the vast expanse of space, its purple-tinged atmosphere crackling with natural lightning as it curled around the floating islands. It had been far from Earth for a long time, but this world had welcomed all manner of cultivation factions who had sought out the abundance of spiritual energy cultivated by nature here.
Xiao Hei appeared above the central compound of the Purple Moon Pavilion as an eldritch shadow. His investigation had led him to this faction of people secretly distributing spirit stones and pills for cultivating qi with traces of disgusting purple aura from the void-devourer.
He hovered in the sky with a swirling mass of raw black energy surrounding his human form. He could see everything below him, those disciples were walking back and forth between the training grounds and meditation halls with the elders looking on from high observation platforms. They had no idea what was about to happen.
Xiao Hei sucked in a deep breath and expanded his chest so he could build up power. When he exhaled, he released an earth-shattering roar that vibrated the foundations of the mountain.
"PURPLE MOON PAVILION! COME OUT AND FACE ME!"
His voice filled with nefarious killing intent, thick enough that one could taste it, rolled across the compound like an oncoming tsunami. Glass shattered from buildings. Disciples fell to their knees with blood running down their faces. Even the mountain that had originally been struck by lightning seemed to hesitate.
Deep within the main hall of the Purple Moon Pavilion, five core elders and the sect master Feng Qingshan were sitting around the circular jade table negotiating with their mysterious benefactor.
"The messenger's requests keep becoming more and more unreasonable," exclaimed Elder Bai Xuefeng whilst slightly trembling with her old wrinkled hands. "It feels wrong distributing these tainted resources to people. The spiritual energy pattern is wrong."
Elder Kong Lieshan rubbed his grey beard as he contemplated the evidence before him. "Whether it is wrong is irrelevant, we have few alternatives. In particular, that messenger demonstrated a cultivation level decidedly higher than our ancestors when he was exiled. When someone with that capability requests something from you, you really have little choice but to obey."
Sect Master Feng nodded, "The distribution network is growing as instructed. The Purple Moon Pavilion has successfully infiltrated the Crimson Blade Society, the Thousand Lotus Alliance, and the Ironback Mountain Sect. All while these sects themselves have unknowingly spread tainted pills to their outer disciples."
"What worries me," said Elder Mo Tiexin, "is the opposition we are encountering. The Storm Phoenix Sect and Jade Serpent Clan both rejected our generous donation. They said their alchemists detected something giving off strange vibes."
Elder Shen Wuya smacked his fist down on the table, "Let them refuse! Once the blight of corruption spreads far enough, those obstinate fools will be begging us for the antidote we don't have!"
The fifth elder, Elder Qiu Hanming had until now kept his silence. "Brothers, sisters, have any of you asked yourselves what happens when we cease to be of use to this benefactor? People who freely distribute void-tainted substances don't usually leave loose ends."
At his words the temperature of the room dropped several degrees.
Sect Master Feng was about to speak when the thunderous roar of Xiao Hei pierced through their meeting like a sword through silk.
The elders looked among one another wide-eyed, immediately probing out from themselves with their spiritual sense for any threats.
"Such killing intent..." Elder Bai whispered, her complexion had drained of life. "It has been decades since I felt anything so terrifying."
Elder Mo stood abruptly causing his chair to loudly scrape along the floor. "I'll deal with this brazen fool. Just who does he think he is to disturb our pavilion!"
Before anyone could stop him, Elder Mo had already stomped out of the hall in a rage.
In the outer courtyard, hundreds of disciples stood staring up at the figure in the sky. Confusion and fear spread across faces as they whispered to one another.
"Who is that? I've never seen him before."
"Look at that aura... it's so dark and oppressive. Could he be a demonic cultivator?"
"Senior Brother Liu, your face is completely white. Are you ok?"
"I can't move. My spiritual energy just froze in terror."
"Should we tell the elders?"
"I think they already know..."
The young disciples were huddled together like sheep, cowering at the thought of the wolf. None of them dared to fly up and confront the intruder. The murderous intent emanating from Xiao Hei was just too much of a suffocation for their cultivation levels.
When Elder Mo exploded out of the front door of the main hall, he flew up on his sword with righteous fury and the disciples felt relief. Finally someone who was strong enough to deal with the situation.
Elder Mo stopped a hundred meters in front of Xiao Hei and shouted at him. "You insolent fool! How dare you disturb the peace of our Purple Moon Pavilion! State your name and your business or suffer the consequences of--"
He never completed his thought.
Xiao Hei's demeanor never once changed as he lifted up his right arm casually. A simple backhand wave quickly moved faster than Elder Mo could comprehend. The elder, who was also a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, and who had over three hundred years of experience, burst into a cloud of blood mist before he could even utter a slight scream.
The disciples below stood aghast in absolute horror.
"Elder Mo... Elder Mo just..."
"He's dead. Just like that. One hit."
"We have to run. We have to run right now."
"I... I was so scared I shat myself."
"Senior Sister, you pissed your pants..."
A few disciples fainted outright, while others began to vomit from fear and the presence of Elder Mo's metallic remains that clogged the air in heavy drops raining down upon them.
---
A shaking outer disciple burst into the elders' meeting hall, dropped to his knees.
"Report to the elders! Emergency! Elder Mo has been... has been..."
"Speak clearly!" barked Sect Master Feng.
"Elder Mo has been killed! The intruder killed him with one attack! There is nothing left but blood!"
The other four elders exchanged quiet glances. To have Elder Mo, who was known for his defensive maneuvers and solid frame, eliminated so cavalierly; then this opponent was undoubtedly levels above them.
"We will all," Sect Master Feng said grimly. "We are facing down this threat as one."