The disciples marched in tense silence. After the failed midnight assassination, no one trusted the one walking beside them. Every glance was sharp, every whisper poisoned.
"They were from his faction.""No, they were Lin Xuan's men, staging a show.""Maybe the sect planned it from the start…"
Suspicion coiled tighter than the mist around their boots.
Wu Ming hunched his shoulders, muttering under his breath. "Senior Brother… I think we've already killed each other five times in our minds before the beasts even arrive."
Chen Yu said nothing, his grip on his sword white-knuckled. Li Mei's eyes stayed hard, scanning every shadow.
Lin Xuan walked calm, spear resting against his shoulder. Trust crumbles faster than stone. If the beasts strike now, they'll scatter like leaves in a storm.
And then the storm came.
The first sound was a rumble — deep, like thunder rolling underground. Birds scattered from the canopy. The earth itself seemed to tremble.
Then came the roar. It split the air like a war drum, echoing across the ridges. Disciples staggered, some clapping hands over their ears, faces pale.
From the trees ahead, trunks shuddered. Branches cracked. A hulking shape emerged, black fur gleaming with qi. Its back was ridged with bone-like plates, glinting like iron beneath the sun.
"Ironback Beast!" someone screamed. "A second-rank spirit beast!"
Panic erupted at once. Disciples stumbled back, some breaking formation entirely.
The beast lowered its head, tusks gleaming, and charged. The ground shook with each thunderous step.
A group of disciples loosed arrows, but they bounced harmlessly from its armored hide. Swords struck sparks against its ridges, doing nothing but angering it further.
It plowed through the front line, sending two disciples flying with broken bones. Screams filled the air.
Zhou Ren barked orders, his voice sharp. "Circle it! Aim for the eyes!" His lackeys obeyed, but their strikes were frantic, sloppy.
"Form the triangle," Lin Xuan's voice cut through the chaos. His circle snapped into place without hesitation.
The Ironback's tusks swung low, nearly skewering Wu Ming. Lin Xuan's spear blurred, deflecting the strike just enough to throw it off balance.
"Li Mei, the legs. Chen Yu, the flank. Wu Ming, guard the rear!"
Li Mei darted forward, blade flashing against the softer joint at the beast's knee. Sparks flew, but blood welled too — the beast roared, stumbling for the first time.
Chen Yu struck its side, blade sliding between plates. Not deep, but enough to draw a snarl.
Wu Ming shrieked as a tail nearly smashed into him. He dove, staff raised blindly — and by miracle or terror, deflected just enough to keep the beast from crushing Li Mei.
Lin Xuan's spear moved constantly, intercepting the strikes that would have killed them all, his presence like a wall of steel.
Other disciples, too terrified to act, began to notice.
"They… they're holding it?""Lin Xuan's group— they're coordinated!""No… he's coordinating them. He's the anchor."
Even Zhou Ren's eyes narrowed, his grin faltering for a heartbeat.
The Ironback reared, qi surging as it prepared to smash down with bone-plated weight. Lin Xuan's spear blurred — Crane Step flowing into Gale Slash, merging seamlessly into his new hybrid technique.
Flowing Wind Cut.
The strike swept across the beast's exposed eye. Blood sprayed, and the Ironback roared in fury, staggering back, blinded on one side.
Gasps erupted."He struck it!""He blinded the beast!"
Zhou Ren's teeth ground together. Damn him… every battle only makes his shadow longer.
Blinded, the Ironback thrashed wildly, tusks gouging trees, tail smashing into fleeing disciples. One boy screamed as he was sent tumbling, bones snapping.
Panic threatened to break the column completely.
Lin Xuan's voice cut through again, calm but commanding. "Do not scatter! Circle the beast, drive it back. Together, or none will leave alive."
His calm steadied more than his own circle. Disciples from nearby groups hesitated — then obeyed. Blades stabbed at its legs, arrows at its wounded side.
The tide shifted, just barely.
At last, with one final roar, the Ironback staggered, bleeding heavily. It crashed into the undergrowth, smashing trees as it fled deeper into the forest, vanishing into the mist.
Silence fell over the survivors, broken only by ragged breathing and groans of the injured.
All eyes turned to Lin Xuan. His circle stood, battered but alive, their formation unbroken. His spear rested calm against his shoulder, his gaze unreadable.
Whispers began again, louder this time."He led them.""He blinded the beast.""Without him, we'd all be corpses."
And from the shadows, Zhou Ren's smile returned — sharp, but strained.
"Good," he whispered. "The higher he climbs, the further he will fall."