The first sign of trouble was the silence.
Shen Yuan had grown used to the distant echoes of the canyon—the shifting of rock, the occasional whisper of wind—but now there was nothing. The stillness pressed on him like a held breath.
He rose slowly from his crouch, spear in hand, scanning the ridges above.
They're here, the System said quietly.
Shen Yuan's grip tightened. "The Bone Court?"
No. The Red Fang Sect.
The name made his stomach twist.
They've been tracking you since you killed those scavengers. The Bone Court may rule the Nexus, but the Red Fang profits by delivering them strays like you.
Shen Yuan didn't answer. He was already moving, slipping into the shadow of a jagged outcrop.
A figure appeared on the ridge, crimson paint smeared across his face. Another followed. Then three more.
They moved with the confidence of predators who had already cornered their prey.
There are at least eight, the System said. Possibly more.
Eight against one.
Shen Yuan's pulse hammered in his ears. He couldn't fight them all.
Then you must be clever, the System said. Use the terrain. Draw them into a bottleneck. Strike first. Hard.
He waited until two broke off from the group to scout ahead. They moved quickly, weapons ready, scanning the rocks.
Shen Yuan stepped from the shadows behind them, silent as a ghost.
The first man didn't even have time to cry out before the spear drove clean through his back. Shen Yuan wrenched it free and spun, catching the second in the leg.
The man screamed as he fell, and the shout carried down the canyon.
"Over here!"
Shen Yuan cursed and sprinted for cover as arrows hissed through the air behind him.
The Red Fang hunters poured into the canyon, their painted faces twisting with hunger.
"There!" one barked, pointing. "Alive! The Bone Court will pay triple for him!"
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth and forced himself into a side passage, a narrow gash in the canyon wall barely wide enough for one man to pass.
Good, the System said. Make them come to you one at a time.
The first hunter lunged into the passage, blade flashing. Shen Yuan sidestepped, letting the man's momentum carry him forward, and drove the spear into his chest.
The second tripped over the body and died just as quickly.
But there were too many.
Shen Yuan's breath came ragged as he fought, each swing of the spear slower than the last.
A blade clipped his shoulder, hot blood soaking his tattered sleeve. Another arrow grazed his thigh.
Focus, the System snapped. You can't falter now.
Shen Yuan forced himself to ignore the pain. He thrust low, catching a hunter in the knee, then spun to deflect a sword strike.
Two more bodies fell.
But more kept coming.
He was cornered at the end of the passage when the Red Fang leader stepped forward.
He was taller than the others, his crimson paint etched in intricate patterns across his face and chest. His weapon was a heavy glaive, chipped but still deadly.
"You've caused us trouble," the man said, voice cold. "The Bone Court doesn't like trouble."
Shen Yuan raised his spear. "Then maybe you should leave."
The leader's laugh was short and sharp. "Kill him. Leave enough of the body for the brand."
The hunters surged forward.
Shen Yuan didn't think—he reacted. The spear darted like a viper, striking throats and hearts, driving them back step by bloody step.
But the leader was already upon him.
The glaive slammed into his spear with enough force to send him stumbling.
"You're quick," the leader said, advancing, "but you're not strong enough."
He swung again. Shen Yuan barely avoided the blade, the wind of its passage brushing his cheek.
Use the technique, the System barked. Now!
Shen Yuan drew in a breath and let the System's instructions guide him.
The spear blurred, its shadow splitting into three as it darted forward. The leader's eyes widened in surprise, but he was too slow to deflect them all.
The tip pierced his shoulder, driving him back with a grunt of pain.
Shen Yuan didn't hesitate. He drove the spear forward again, the shadowed thrust bypassing the leader's guard and slamming into his chest.
The man collapsed, his glaive clattering to the stone.
The remaining hunters froze.
Shen Yuan's eyes swept over them, cold and hard.
"Run," he said.
They did.
He knelt beside the leader's body, chest heaving, and searched him for anything of value. The man's storage bag was heavy with supplies: qi stones, talismans, and a rough map of Grave Omega marked with Red Fang camps and Bone Court patrol routes.
Good, the System said. This will save us days of guesswork.
Shen Yuan tightened the strap of the bag across his shoulder and wiped the blood from his spear.
But we're not finished, the System continued. The Bone Court will know the Red Fang failed. They'll send enforcers to investigate.
Shen Yuan looked out at the canyon.
"They're already on their way," he said softly.
As if to confirm it, a distant horn echoed through the star system.
Shen Yuan's pulse quickened. He couldn't fight another group—not yet.
He grabbed the map and turned to flee, but the System's voice stopped him.
Wait. Look.
Shen Yuan followed the System's guidance to the canyon rim.
In the distance, a line of figures marched toward the Red Fang camp, armor gleaming with scavenged talismans, their banners marked with the jagged bone sigil of the Bone Court.
The purge had begun.
Shen Yuan's grip tightened on the spear.
He could run now, hide until the Bone Court's wrath passed.
But the map in his bag showed something else: caches of resources, hidden away in the Bone Court's domain.
He glanced back toward the canyon where Yun Xue waited.
Running wouldn't save them.
He had to be stronger.
"I'll survive," he whispered.
Then you must act, the System said. Because Grave Omega's law has come for you.