Before the devastating blow could connect with Jìng Xū's face, Lǐ Yúnzhōu moved like a flash of lightning. He caught Lei Ze's fist in mid-air, the force vibrating through his arm, and gently but firmly redirected the momentum to pull the boy aside.
"Lei Ze, stop this!" Lán Tíng screamed, her voice cracking with terror at the sight of her brother-figure consumed by such darkness.
"How could you?" Lei Ze's voice was a jagged rasp, thick with a pain that went deeper than anger. Tears finally escaped his eyes, trailing through the soot on his cheeks.
"I trusted you with everything, and you looked me in the eye and lied. You told me you had no idea where that dark smoke came from!"
He hovered in the air, the violent black aura flickering as his initial burst of rage began to sink into a hollow, agonizing grief.
Watching from the sidelines, Yáng Zhàn's smile widened. His plan hadn't just worked; it had flourished. "So, the boy carries a demonic core as well," he mused internally, his eyes narrowing in calculation. "How many cores is he hiding in that small frame?"
Jìng Xū offered no defense. He looked up at Lei Ze with eyes full of deep regret and sorrow. He took a staggering step forward, presenting his chest. "If my death is what you need, then take it. Kill me! I deserve nothing less. I made a terrible mistake—I thought that by keeping the secret, I was keeping you safe."
A fresh blast of dark energy erupted from Lei Ze, scorching the air. "For my safety? No... you didn't do it for me. You did it to hide your own shame! You should have told me the truth from the start!"
Lǐ Yúnzhōu stepped forward, his heart heavy. He reached out a hand to comfort the boy, but Lei Ze recoiled as if the touch were poison. Jìng Xū fell silent then, his face turning a ghostly, sickly pale as the weight of his guilt finally broke his spirit.
"I'm never coming back," Lei Ze stated, his voice suddenly cold and distant. He turned his back on the only family he had ever known.
"Lei Ze, think about what you're saying," Lǐ Yúnzhōu asked softly, trying to bridge the widening gap.
"I am going to the Northern Lands," Lei Ze declared, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "I'm going to find my father. I'm finished with sects. I'm finished with all of you."
He accelerated into the sky, leaving the Green Pine members standing. Lán Tíng screamed his name, her voice echoing off the valley walls. She tried to take flight to follow him, but the other disciples held her back, fearing she would only be caught in his wake.
"Let him go," Lǐ Yúnzhōu whispered, his eyes following the receding black speck in the distance. "This is the path he has chosen for himself."
Jìng Xū didn't say another word. He simply turned and flew toward the Green Pine Sect, looking like a man who had lost his soul.
On the other side of the clearing, Yáng Zhàn watched the spectacle with pure satisfaction. "This is just the beginning of your end, Jìng Xū," he whispered to the wind. With a sharp gesture, he and his disciples took to the skies, leaving the valley behind.
Lǐ Yúnzhōu watched the Jīn Yàn Sect depart, his hand clenching until his knuckles turned white. "You'll pay for this, Yáng Zhàn. I won't let this treachery go unpunished."
Finally, the elders and the remaining disciples took flight. The Great Hunt had reached its bitter conclusion. No one was left in the valley except for the crackling of the dying fires and the distant, rhythmic roar of the exploding volcano.
Back at the Green Pine Sect, an atmosphere of mourning hung over the central hall. All the elders and disciples had gathered, the air thick with tension. Jìng Xū sat in his high chair, his head resting in his hands, lost in a sea of silent remorse.
Lǐ Yúnzhōu stood before the assembly, his voice steady but grim. "From this moment on, we must be more vigilant than ever. The Jīn Yàn Sect is making its move to dismantle us. They want to be the undisputed masters of the Eastern Lands. With the other four continents in ruins, we are the only ones left standing in their way. Our enemies will come from every side now."
"Lord Elder," one of the junior elders asked, his voice hesitant. "What about Lei Ze?"
Lǐ Yúnzhōu looked away. "Lei Ze... he is alive. But he needs time to walk his own path."
He turned his attention back to the sect's affairs. "Our resources are growing, and our influence in the towns is stabilizing, but all of that will crumble if we let our guard down. We are at a turning point."
"What about the Grand Tournament?" another voice called out.
Lǐ Yúnzhōu paced the floor, his brow furrowed. "The tournament begins in only a few weeks. Ten students from each sect will compete. But with Mò Zhàn staying in the region, the Jīn Yàn Sect has a massive advantage. If Lei Ze were here, we would have stood a chance. Now... I fear the outlook is bleak."
Lán Tíng stepped forward then, her eyes red from crying but burning with a new, terrifying resolve. The sorrow had been replaced by a thirst for vengeance.
"I will do it," she said, her voice echoing through the hall. "I will face Mò Zhàn. I will be the one to pay him back for what he did to our brothers. That monster doesn't deserve to breathe."
Wèi reached out, grabbing her arm in a panic. "Lán Tíng, be reasonable! That guy is a freak of nature. You can't defeat him on your own!"
She shook his hand off with a sharp jerk. "I don't care. I will make him lose. Even if it costs me my life, I will take him down!"
"Lán Tíng, that's suicide! Do you really want to die?"
"If it's for the sake of my brother, then yes!" she snapped.
Lǐ Yúnzhōu raised a hand, silencing the room. He looked at the young woman and saw a reflection of the same fire that had consumed Lei Ze. "Lán Tíng... if you are truly set on this, then you must spend every waking second of the next few weeks in the harshest training possible."
"I will, Lord. I crave it."
Lán Tíng bowed stiffly and flew out of the hall without looking back. The brother who had protected her was gone, and she was alone.
If she wanted to survive Mò Zhàn, she would have to become something much more dangerous than a mere disciple.