The forest finally grew quiet.
Not peaceful — just distant.
Far behind them, the echoes of battle rolled like muted thunder. Trees trembled. Stone cracked.
The Spirit-Grade ape had found new targets.
Karma and Nie Li didn't stop running until the sounds faded into the wind.
Only then did they slow.
They reached a narrow depression between broken stone ridges — half-hidden by vines and collapsed masonry. A temporary shelter. Safe enough.
Karma leaned back against a cracked pillar and exhaled slowly.
"…That thing's stubborn."
Nie Li rested against a tree trunk, steadying his breathing. His body was tired — but his mind was not.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Nie Li looked at him.
"When did you master the Laws?"
Karma blinked once.
"The what?"
"The Laws," Nie Li repeated calmly. "Gravity. Inertia."
Karma scratched the back of his head lazily.
"Master is a big word." He gave a small shrug. "I just… pull a little. Push a little."
Nie Li stared at him.
"Pull a little?"
"Yeah." Karma flexed his fingers casually. "It's not like I understand them completely. I can only use a tiny bit."
A tiny bit.
Nie Li lowered his gaze slightly.
Tiny.
He replayed the fight in his mind.
Gravity increased mid-air — multiplying the ape's own mass against itself.
Then removed at the precise moment of impact.
Then inertia manipulated — acceleration amplified beyond natural muscle output.
That wasn't random strength.
That was control.
Careful.
Measured.
Exact.
Most cultivators trained the soul force. Some controlled elements. A rare few touched fragments of a Law — like fire, ice, lightning.
But those were derivative.
Surface-level.
What Karma touched… was deeper.
Nie Li's thoughts grew quiet.
This world is governed by Laws.
Each Law represents a principle of existence.
Flame. Wind. Time. Space. Life. Death.
Behind each Law… stands a God.
A divine entity that embodies and governs it.
No one commands a Law without entering the domain of its God.
And yet—
Karma didn't command a single Law.
He touched the fundamental forces beneath them.
The invisible rules that allow matter to exist and motion to occur.
They were not elements.
They were the framework.
The architecture of reality.
Nie Li's eyes darkened slightly.
That's why.
In his previous life…
No god dared oppose him.
Because gods ruled domains.
But Karma interfered with the structure that allowed those domains to function.
He isn't borrowing power.
He isn't invoking a deity.
He's interfering with the operating system of existence.
Nie Li exhaled slowly.
An anomaly.
Karma tilted his head.
"Why are you staring at me like I just stole something?"
Nie Li shook his head slightly.
"You said you can only use a little."
"Yeah." Karma stretched his arms over his head. "It's weird. I don't even know why it works. I just… feel it."
He tapped his chest lightly.
"Like something sleeping in here."
A brief silence passed between them.
Nie Li knew.
Karma didn't remember.
Not fully.
Not yet.
Even now, he's holding back without realizing it.
The gravity he used earlier… The precision of timing… The control over momentum…
If that's "a little"…
Nie Li's lips curved faintly.
Then when he fully awakens…
The forest wind shifted softly through broken branches.
Far away, another distant roar echoed.
Karma stood up and brushed dust from his clothes.
"Alright," he said casually. "Break times over, let's go"
Leaves rustled softly.
Shhh… rustle… rustle…
Nie Li paused mid-step, eyes narrowing as he scanned the trees.
The forest path ahead curved between thick trunks and scattered stone. For a moment, everything seemed calm.
Then—
Footsteps.
Light. Hurried.
Ziyun stepped out from behind the trees, breath slightly uneven, violet hair swaying against her shoulders.
Nie Li's eyes widened.
"Ziyun?"
She slowed when she saw him, relief flashing across her face.
Nie Li frowned immediately.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Didn't I ask you guys to leave first?"
Ziyun hesitated for half a second, fingers tightening lightly at her side.
"I heard some big commotion over here…" she said softly. "And I was afraid that you might be in trouble…"
She looked away briefly.
"So I stayed nearby to meet up with you."
Nie Li went silent.
He stared at her for a moment.
In his past life… she had always done this.
Quietly worried. Quietly following. Never saying too much.
His expression softened slightly.
…She's still the same as before.
Before he could say anything—
A sharp voice cut in from behind her.
"Ziyun!"
Karma stepped out from between the trees, expression tight, brows furrowed.
"I told you to stay with the others. Why are you—"
He didn't get to finish.
Ziyun suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Her face buried into his chest.
The movement was so sudden that Karma stiffened in surprise.
Her fingers gripped his clothes tightly.
Her voice came out small. Shaky.
"I was worried about you…"
Karma froze.
The frustration in his eyes faded almost instantly.
He slowly exhaled.
His shoulders relaxed.
Carefully, gently, he placed one hand on her head.
His fingers brushed through her hair.
"…Alright," he said quietly.
His voice was no longer sharp.
"Don't worry."
He rested his chin lightly against the top of her head for a brief second.
"I'm here now."
Ziyun's grip loosened slightly.
Karma gave a faint smile, though it was softer than usual.
"Let's go. Before the others do something reckless without us."
Nie Li looked at the two of them silently and smiled.
He grabbed Ziyun's hand firmly.
"We don't have time," he said sharply. "The people from the Darkness Association are fighting the ape, but they'll catch up very quickly. We should escape first!"
Ziyun gasped softly as he pulled her forward.
"Eh—?!"
Her fingers tightened instinctively around his hand as he led her through the trees.
Her face flushed deep red.
T-This is the first time… someone other than Karma pulled my hand…
She stumbled slightly but didn't let go.
For a second, her heart beat louder than the chaos behind them.
Nie li glanced back briefly, unaware of her inner turmoil.
"Stay close."
They ran through the thinning forest as the sky shifted into hues of orange and gold.
Far away— The ruins grew quieter. Too quiet.
⸻
Meanwhile—
Back near the regrouping point, the remaining members slowed as dusk began settling over the forest.
"The sky's already dark…" Huyan Lanruo murmured, scanning the tree line. "Nie Li and Karma are nowhere to be found."
Her fingers tightened around her weapon. A faint crease appeared between her brows.
Chen Linjian stood beside her, equally tense.
Lanruo lowered her gaze slightly. "They stayed behind because of me… they have to be safe…"
Shisui stepped forward calmly.
His expression was steady. Unshaken.
"It's alright," he said in his usual quiet tone. "I've already sent a squad to search for them."
Lanruo looked up quickly. "You did?"
Shisui nodded once.
"They won't fall easily."
His gaze flicked briefly toward the deeper forest. And though he didn't say it—
He knew.
If anything, The forest should be more worried about Karma than the other way around.
The forest had grown quiet under the moonlight.
"Wait a minute…" Ziyun whispered.
Karma turned. "Hm?"
She pointed between two massive tree trunks. "There seems to be something there…"
Through the gaps in the trees, a dark outline stood against the night sky.
Karma squinted. "…It looks like some sort of building."
Broken stone walls. A partially collapsed roof. Vines crawling across ancient pillars.
Nie li stepped forward carefully. "We should check it out."
Karma immediately raised a hand.
"Hold on."
Both Ziyun and Nie Li looked at him.
His tone shifted—still calm, but sharper.
"You two take a look inside," he said. "I'll scan the perimeter."
Nie Li frowned slightly. "Alone?"
Karma shrugged lightly. "I won't go far. Just checking for hidden movement. After the Darkness Association mess, I don't trust quiet places."
Ziyun nodded. "Be careful."
Karma grinned faintly. "Hey. I'm always the careful."
He stepped back into the shadows of the trees, movements light and controlled, senses stretching outward.
—
Inside the ruins—
Moonlight spilled through a cracked ceiling.
A broken stone statue lay shattered at the center of the chamber.
Nie Li crouched beside it. "I think this used to be a statue…"
Ziyun walked toward a stone wall. "There's a plaque here. Words are written on it."
Nie Li stood and examined the script carved into the stone.
"This is the language of the Sacred Empire."
Ziyun blinked in surprise. "Eh? Nie Li, when did you learn the Sacred Empire's language?"
Nie Li scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Ah ha… how did I learn? Er…"
Ziyun tilted her head. "Forget it if you don't want to say."
Nie Li gave a small relieved smile and read aloud:
"Those who comply with me will be honored in return. Those who go against me will definitely be destroyed."
Ziyun frowned. "What an arrogant tone…"
A sudden chill ran through the room.
Outside—
Karma paused mid-step.
His eyes narrowed.
The ground beneath the ruin gave a faint vibration.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
His head snapped toward the structure.
Inside—
Ziyun took a step backward.
CRACK.
The floor beneath her feet fractured instantly.
"Ah—!"
The stone collapsed inward in a burst of dust and debris.
"Ziyun!" Nie Li shouted.
The ground gave way completely.
BOOOOM!
The earth split open into a deep chasm.
Ziyun's body dropped downward, violet hair whipping around her as she fell into darkness.
Nie Li lunged forward without hesitation.
He jumped after her.
Outside the ruin—
Karma felt the collapse through the ground before he even saw it.
His expression sharpened instantly.
"…Damn."
He dashed forward.