Huan released Fu with trembling hands and stood up, stepping beside Chu Na. His lips barely moved as he leaned close to whisper in his companion's ear, the weight of the situation pressing on him like a mountain.
"I will create a distraction," he murmured, his tone quiet. "You take Bao and Ming along with Fu and escape while you still can."
Chu Na's brows furrowed deeply. His first instinct was to argue, to refuse outright—yet when he turned to look at Huan, he saw the burning determination in his eyes.
That look said everything. It was the same look Huan had worn the day he swore to protect their family, the same look of a man ready to throw his life away for the sake of others. Chu Na's throat tightened, and in the end, he could only grit his teeth and nod.
"…Fine," he conceded reluctantly. "But make sure to keep yourself safe. Don't fight him head on. Just… distract him."
Huan gave no response, only a faint smirk that failed to mask the heaviness in his chest.
Then—
A low, mocking chuckle slithered into their ears. "Mmmm, such a noble plan. Quite clever, really."
Their hearts froze.
The air itself seemed to grow heavier, suffocating. Both men felt their backs instantly drenched in cold sweat, their breathing hitched as the atmosphere twisted into something oppressive and unnatural.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Huan turned his head, the movement stiff and mechanical.
And there he was.
The figure that turned their blood cold.
The demon himself—Zheng Xie.
He stood there casually, as though he had been there the entire time, hands tucked behind his back, black robe fluttering slightly even though there was no wind.
His presence pressed down on them like a nightmare given form. A crooked smile tugged at his lips as his eyes gleamed with an eerie calmness.
"Hello," Zheng Xie drawled, his voice disturbingly soft, almost courteous. "Nice to meet you."
Zip!
Both Chu Na and Huan immediately leapt back, widening the distance between themselves and that dreadful man. The ground beneath their feet cracked from the force of their sudden retreat, dust scattering in the air.
Cold sweat drenched their backs, dripping down their spines. Instinctively, their qi flared, coats of spiritual qi shimmering faintly across their arms as they raised their guards.
"Don't try anything foolish," Huan forced out, though his voice quivered despite his best efforts to remain steady. "There are four of us and only one of you. Even if you're at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, you won't be able to withstand us together."
Chu Na's jaw clenched, and he followed up with harsher words, doubling down to mask his fear. "And considering you're nothing but a soul path cultivator… at best, you must have reached Cleansed Soul Realm. Soul path is inherently weaker than orthodox cultivation. You can't possibly survive against us."
For a brief moment, silence.
Then—
"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
The sound of Zheng Xie's laughter shattered the stillness around. It was no ordinary laugh—it was loud, cruel, suffused with madness and yet disturbingly composed.
He abruptly stopped, head tilting slightly to the side. His eyes gleamed with an unsettling light as his voice dropped into something sharp, cold, and cutting.
"…Do you fools truly not know why the Soul Path was banned?"
The words seemed to ripple through the air like poison.
Huan's face twisted, but he forced himself to answer. "We do know. It's because the Soul Path is a heinous, wicked path—a path used by beasts and demons. It harvests the souls of others, using them as fuel to nurture one's own spirit. It is despicable."
For a moment, Zheng Xie nodded almost pleasantly. "Correct. That is indeed one reason."
But then his lips curled again into that crooked smile. His eyes narrowed, and the weight in his voice deepened.
"…But is that all?"
The question struck like a hammer.
Huan and Chu Na froze. Their breath caught. For the first time, they felt a thread of unease lace its way into their chests.
Huan frowned. "…Isn't that all? What else could be worse than harvesting souls?"
Before Zheng Xie could answer, the air rippled.
Swoooosh!
A blur of motion sliced through the space between them. A shadow darted forward, faster than the blink of an eye, hand like a sharpened blade cutting straight toward Zheng Xie's torso. The killing intent in that strike was sharp enough to split stone.
But Zheng Xie barely moved.
He simply stepped back, casual as though strolling, and caught the arm mid-strike with one hand. With disturbing ease, his grip twisted, bones cracking audibly as he spun the attacker and slammed them down to the ground in a single, fluid motion.
The earth splintered under the impact.
A foot came down immediately, pinning the figure by the face.
Chu Fu.
The unfortunate attacker's head was crushed mercilessly into the dirt beneath Zheng Xie's heel. Her body jerked, but no scream escaped—her face was fully smothered under the crushing weight, her desperate muffled struggle drowned by the pressure.
"Fu!" Chu Na and Huan both cried out, eyes wide with horror. Their voices broke with desperation as they screamed together.
"WAIT! STOP! SHE'LL DIE THAT WAY!"
Their pleas fell on deaf ears. Zheng Xie did not so much as glance at them.
Instead, his calm, almost conversational tone resumed, as though nothing had happened, his voice chillingly indifferent while his foot pressed harder into Fu's skull.
"The true reason why the Soul Path is despised," he said slowly, deliberately, "is not simply because it harvests souls… but because of what comes after."
His gaze swept across them, sharp and merciless.
"…Because the Soul Path cannot ascend to the upper realms."
The words struck like thunder.
Chu Na and Huan both sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening. Even Bao, who had been trembling silently, paled further. The mere mention of "ascension" rattled their hearts to the core.
Ascension—the dream of every cultivator, the path that led beyond mortality into the higher heavens.
Their blood ran cold.
This was something they had never expected to hear.
Zheng Xie ignored the bulging expressions and widened eyes that stared at him as though he had just spoken blasphemy. His voice was calm, leisurely, and laced with an undeniable confidence.
"As a path, the Soul Path is inherently more versatile than the others. There is no such thing as tribulations during ascension of your realms, your cultivation base cannot be suppressed by the heavens, realms, or even secret formations, and most importantly—you are practically immortal. Something which every cultivator in this world strives for, yet few can even dream of achieving."
His words dropped like boulders in a pond, rippling across their Dao Hearts.
Chu Na and Huan unconsciously took a half-step forward, their minds shaken.
Huan narrowed his eyes and asked, voice laced with disbelief, "What do you mean you are immortal? If immortality were this easy, everyone under the heavens would have abandoned their pitiful orthodox paths to pursue the Soul Path."
Chu Na, however, had different priorities. His lips tightened as he grasped the subtle meaning beneath his words. "Forget about immortality. What did you mean by your cultivation base can't be suppressed? Does that mean… your cultivation base would remain unaffected by the secret realm's laws?"
The space grew suffocatingly silent.
Clap! Clap!
Zheng Xie suddenly clapped his hands together, the crisp sound echoing unnaturally loud within the cavern. A bright smile bloomed across his face, as though he were applauding children for answering a riddle correctly.
"Excellent! Very good! That's exactly it." His blood-red eyes gleamed with amusement. "That is why I don't see any of you as a threat. Even if I stood here and allowed you to strike at me with all your strength, what could you possibly do? Nothing. Yet…"
He let the words draw out, his tone softening in mock generosity. "I am not a bad man simply because I walk the Soul Path. So, I will give you all a chance."
Huan's brows furrowed, though he still forced himself to ask cautiously, "What chance?"
Zheng Xie straightened his robe sleeve with elegant precision, as though he were about to explain something trivial rather than dictating their lives. "I heard what that little girl said earlier—about concocting a pill, using recipes similar to those of the recipe yet different, to heal your injured companion. So how about this… while I seek a way to ascend to the island above, you three shall attempt to refine that pill. If you succeed—if she survives before I find my method—you may live. But there will be one condition. You will swear never to speak of me to anyone, not even your ancestors' graves."
His words lingered in the air like a guillotine.
Huan clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened. He looked at Chu Na and Bao, seeing the same turmoil etched across their faces. Eventually, he took a deep breath and said, "As you wish. We will take an oath upon our Dao Hearts if you demand it. But… can you at least release our friend? She is suffocating beneath you."
Huan gestured toward Chu Fu, who was still pinned beneath Zheng Xie's leg.
Zheng Xie glanced at her, his eyes sweeping her trembling form as though she were nothing more than an insect. With deliberate slowness, he lifted his leg and stepped back.
"This young miss will accompany me while you attempt your little alchemical miracle. Do not mistake me—I will not negotiate this. You have no choice. Any retorts you hold in your throats, swallow them."
Huan's lips parted, his eyes burning with anger, but no words emerged. He turned sharply, back toward Chu Na and Bao, gesturing silently for them to leave.
There was no need for words; they understood. Chu Na lifted the unconscious Ming onto his back, and Bao gave one last look of hatred toward Zheng Xie before following Huan out of the boulder area. Their footsteps faded, leaving only two figures inside.
Chu Fu and Zheng Xie.
Fu collapsed against the wall, her body shriveled and trembling. She bit her lips so hard they bled, trying not to let a single sob escape her throat.
Zheng Xie's head slowly turned toward her. That simple motion froze her blood. Her breath hitched, her entire body shaking as if the very air around her had turned into chains.
In a fluid motion, he crouched before her, his shadow falling over her fragile frame. His smile carried no warmth, only an unnerving gentleness.
"You and your companions are quite courageous," he said softly. "But you needn't fear me so much. I will not kill you for crying. If you wish to weep, then cry. Cry until your throat tears. Pain must hurt, after all… tell me, does it hurt?"
His tone was tender, almost soothing, as though he were coaxing a child.
Fu nodded meekly, unable to form words.
Pat. Pat.
His hand descended, lightly patting her head as though she were a loyal pet. "Good. Honesty is a virtue I admire. If you want to cry, then do so. Your friends will take time with their pill refining… tell me, do you believe they will succeed?"
Fu swallowed, her small hands clenching against her robes. Her eyes, though wet with unshed tears, gleamed with stubborn determination. "Yes. As long as Brother Huan is with them, they will succeed. They must."
Zheng Xie chuckled, a low sound that soon rose into open laughter. "Hahahahaha! Such confidence. Such blind faith. I cannot deny—I find it admirable. Rare, even. But unfortunately…" His laughter died into a whisper. "It is not something mutual."
Fu's eyes widened, her trembling ceasing for a moment as dread took its place. "W…w-what do you mean?"
Zheng Xie tilted his head innocently, red eyes glinting with mockery. "You truly don't understand? Your blind devotion, your desperate love for that man you call 'Brother Huan'—it is one-sided. Don't tell me you've deluded yourself all this time, convincing yourself that he shares even a fragment of your feelings?"
The words slithered into her ears like venom, seeping into the deepest cracks of her heart.