Boom!
Boom!
A flurry of explosive, focused sword strikes rained down violently upon a young man. Lei Ze, now years older with his dark, gray-streaked hair tied back with a crimson band, his sharp, attractive face set in determination, and his intense blue eyes focused, smoothly sidestepped the attacks. He was utilizing the Qīng Shēn Fǔ (Light Step Charm).
His legs blurred, moving too fast for the naked eye, dodging every single descending blow. He channeled his inner Qi directly to his lower body, releasing a micro-burst of energy into his legs to make his body feel almost weightless.
"Formless Boundless Sword Sea! Wú Xiàng Jiàn Hǎi!" shouted Fēng Xiāo, the brother attacking him.
Fēng Xiāo projected his entire spiritual energy outward, instantly forming thousands of rapidly spinning, shimmering projections of sword Qi that completely filled the air around Lei Ze.
Fēng Xiāo stood back, his eyes narrowed as he watched Lei Ze, who stood with his arms crossed defensively. "You are truly arrogant, Lei."
He then directed the thousand spiritual swords at Lei Ze. Each impact shattered the ground, and any contact with the projections would severely injure Lei Ze.
"Humph. This fool will kill me if I don't shatter the core of this formation," Lei Ze thought, his mind racing.
He dodged the swords as they fell like lethal rain, his eyes frantically scanning the dizzying spectacle for the projection's true core. He couldn't afford to get close to his opponent.
"Ha! Got you." Lei Ze suddenly whipped his own sword forward, throwing it precisely toward a faint center point. The moment his sword scattered the core, the massive formation instantly dissipated.
Fēng Xiāo stumbled backward in stunned disbelief and fear. Lei Ze immediately lunged forward, his movement a blur, kicking Fēng Xiāo directly in the face, sending him tumbling onto the dusty ground.
"Brother Lei has become strong," one of the watching disciples muttered in awe. "Isn't he only at the Mid-Foundation Establishment stage?"
Lei Ze walked away calmly, without a single bead of sweat or a drop of blood spilled.
"I will tell Brother Hú Yì!" Fēng Xiāo managed to stammer out from where he lay humiliated on the ground.
Every disciple watching froze. They all feared Hú Yì. Lei Ze stopped, then walked back to the downed boy and booted him away with a dismissive kick.
"Idiot," Lei Ze spat out before turning away again.
One brother rushed up to him, shaking with genuine fear. "Brother Lei, Hú Yì will kill you if he finds out you beat his relative."
Lei Ze chuckled, an arrogant, confident sound, then stepped forward, raising a hand to his chin as if contemplating. "You know what? I didn't start the fight. His brother did."
With that, he continued his path toward his secluded cultivation spot.
Nine years had passed since Lei Ze first set foot in the Green Pine Sect. Generation after generation of disciples had passed through, and time had fundamentally changed the sect's structure. Lei Ze had been secretly training with Jìng Xū all these years, learning the profound principles of Buddhist and Daoist cultivation and even picking up Swordsmanship from the Sect Master, Lǐ Yúnzhōu.
Every disciple had grown significantly stronger, anticipating the grand tournament next year. The winner would claim a powerful artifact or treasure, and everyone was eager to prove themselves the most formidable.
Lei Ze and Lán Tíng, the kind girl from his first dinner, had grown very close, sharing a bond far stronger than that with any of the nine other brothers in their premise.
Lei Ze calmly walked to his favorite cultivation spot. Jìng Xū had recently gifted him a powerful Spiritual Pearl to boost his progression.
"What exactly does this Pearl do?" he wondered, sitting cross-legged beneath the sheltering tree. "I should have asked Jìng Xū."
He held the pearl. As he began to absorb its essence, the pearl pulsed violently, releasing a torrent of pure, unrefined Qi that surged through his meridians, nearly making him scream. The energy was so potent it temporarily pushed him past his current limit, forcing an immediate, unstable breakthrough.
He gently opened his eyes when he was done. To his surprise, he was surrounded by six Senior brothers. He instantly tensed, confusion turning to nervousness as he stood firm, meeting every gaze.
Then, Hú Yì appeared directly behind him.
"Well, Lei Ze," Hú Yì said, his voice deceptively smooth.
Lei Ze exhaled slowly, bracing himself for the confrontation.
Hú Yì stepped in front of him, the smile on his face laced with genuine anger. "You embarrassed me in front of the Elders in the hall. Then you flat-out disobeyed my orders the other day, and I kept my silence. Now you have the audacity to injure my brother."
"Hú Yì, I was only defending myself," Lei Ze retorted, trying to maintain control.
"You call this defending yourself, you son of a bitch?" Hú Yì roared.
Lei Ze clenched his fists, struggling to control the primal rage that phrase ignited.
Before he could control the emotion, the six senior disciples surged forward, attacking him simultaneously. Lei Ze was overwhelmed instantly, unable to fight back against the combined force.
Yet, driven by the pure defense instinct learned from Jìng Xū, he managed to fend off several blows, even slamming two of the seniors onto the ground.
"Impressive, Lei," Hú Yì sneered, before sprinting forward. He landed multiple, focused blows across Lei Ze's chest. Lei Ze instantly coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his vision began to blur rapidly.
Hú Yì showed no mercy, delivering one last, powerful kick that sent Lei Ze flying over the edge of the tall valley and plummeting down toward the river below, a river rumored to be forbidden and deadly.
Lei Ze plummeted from the cliff face and plunged into the churning water. Hú Yì and his allies stood watching from the valley edge, waiting to confirm if Lei Ze had survived. But there was no sign; Lei Ze simply drowned beneath the surface.
Hú Yì signaled his allies to disperse quickly, knowing he had a more critical task to complete.
He stood at the edge of the towering cliff for a moment, staring down into the violent, dark waters, formulating a sinister plan.
"Lei Ze," he whispered the name, shaking his head with a show of false disappointment. "I'm telling everyone you're dead. So soon." He turned swiftly and leaped away, rushing toward the central hall to alert the elders.
He burst into the assembly where the Sect Master and the Elders were deep in a serious discussion about the upcoming treasure hunt, scheduled to take place in only one week.
Hú Yì slid to a halt, dropping dramatically onto one knee.
"Lord Lǐ Yúnzhōu, I am here as an urgent informant," Hú Yì declared, his body shaking slightly, a performance designed to look like distress, not fear.
The elders and Jìng Xū all stood instantly, a sense of panic rippling through the hall.
"Speak, Hú Yì. What news do you bring?" Lǐ Yúnzhōu demanded, clasping his hands behind his back, prepared to hear the worst.
"My Lord, my Elders, the unbearable truth is that my junior brother, Lei Ze, has fallen into the Forbidden Stream." Hú Yì finished the statement, squeezing out a few fake tears.
Lǐ Yúnzhōu's heart seemed to stop. He genuinely cared for the boy, even taking him on as a student for swordsmanship, separate from Jìng Xū's tutelage. Jìng Xū, however, remained calm. He simply stepped forward a few paces, staring at Hú Yì with a profound, scrutinizing doubt.
Overcome by anger and grief, Lǐ Yúnzhōu immediately ordered the elders to descend to the forbidden land and search for Lei Ze.
"Whether he is still alive or not," he commanded fiercely, "bring him back!"
The elders bowed in immediate obedience, flying toward the deadly, forbidden gorge in search of the lost disciple.
"Jìng Xū, why are you not saying anything?" Lǐ Yúnzhōu asked, his voice now calm.
Jìng Xū sighed, a deep sound of frustration, and settled back onto his seat. "You know something, Lǐ Yúnzhōu. That boy is far beyond what mere mortals can imagine. His time is not yet finished."
Hú Yì, still kneeling, frowned, unable to grasp the meaning of Jìng Xū's words.
"What do you mean by that, Jìng Xū?" Lǐ Yúnzhōu questioned.
"Lei Ze is not dead," the monk stated simply.
"He will return."
Lǐ Yúnzhōu found the statement hard to believe. No one who had ever fallen into that deadly stream had returned alive. Yet, knowing his old friend, he knew Jìng Xū spoke with absolute certainty.
Deep inside the Forbidden Stream, Lei Ze's unconscious body continued to sink.
Something massive, covered in dark, heavy scales, its immense form coiled like a dragon, slowly began to swim circles around the boy.
Far away, in a desolate, shadowed realm, a figure with flaming red hair, unnervingly sharp teeth, and a handsome, sinister face opened his eyes. This was the long-lost Demon King. He had been chained for millennia, waiting patiently for a new, suitable vessel.
He smiled, observing a spiritual bubble that showed the unconscious Lei Ze floating in the dangerous stream.
With a final, shattering burst of power, he tore the ancient chains apart. He rose from the dark earth where he was bound and whispered, his voice echoing across the dimensions.
"It is time. For I, Kun Zhan , have finally returned to take what belongs to me."