The cave Khaos had created was a sanctuary from what had just happened earlier. It was deep, dry and completely concealed from the outside world. A faint residual trace of Khaos's void energy clung to the entrance. It was a silent and terrifying warning to any wandering demonic beast.
Li Yu worked with methodical efficiency. He first tended to his own injuries. The Foundation Establishment expert's pressure had caused minor internal damage, cracking a few of his ribs and bruising his organs. His «Kraken's Heart» physique was already working to heal him but he aided the process by swallowing a high-grade healing pill. A warm soothing energy spread through his body and the dull aching pain began to recede.
Next, he turned his attention to the five unconscious survivors. They were all in a bad state. Their bodies were battered and their meridians in chaos. He went to each one and carefully diagnosed their injuries and fed them good-quality healing pills from his own stash to stabilize their conditions. Beasts and humans were nearly fundamentally the same so he was able to apply what he knew of beasts to humans to roughly gauge their injuries.
He recognized their leader immediately. It was the handsome young man who had been fighting so fiercely, the one at the Fourth Stage of Qi Condensation. His injuries were the most severe. Li Yu gently poured a stream of his own pure and refined True Qi into the man's body, carefully guiding it to soothe his ravaged meridians and stabilize his life force.
With the immediate crisis handled, he finally allowed himself a moment to process the day's events. He sat at the mouth of the cave looking out at the silent empty clearing while his mind was a turbulent sea. Khaos had come out to save him. He had revealed his greatest trump card, a power that defied all logic and understanding for someone of his cultivation level.
'You were… impressive', he projected into the sanctuary.
Khaos's ancient and arrogant voice echoed back with a note of what might have been satisfaction. 'The creature was a minor annoyance. Its energy was impure. Disappointing.'
'You saved my life, thank you.' Li Yu stated simply.
'Our fates are linked.' Khaos replied. 'Your death would inconvenience my growth. It was an act of self-preservation.'
Li Yu couldn't help but let out a small and tired smile. Even in this, the creature was proud. He knew he could not rely on Khaos for every battle, he had to get better himself. His first real fight had been a complete failure. Khaos was a weapon of last resort, a secret to be buried deep to keep it his trump card.
A low groan from inside the cave broke his reverie. The leader of the green-robed group was beginning to stir. Li Yu quickly composed himself, his aura once again suppressed to the level of a Fourth Stage Qi Condensation disciple. He turned his expression into one of weary concern.
He walked over as the young man's eyes fluttered open. They were sharp, intelligent eyes, now filled with a deep disoriented confusion.
"Where… what happened?" he whispered, his voice hoarse. He tried to sit up but a wave of pain shot through his body.
"Rest," Li Yu said, his voice calm and gentle. "You are safe for now. Your injuries are severe but they are stable."
The young man looked at Li Yu, his brow furrowed in confusion. "You… you are the one from the sky." His memories were clearly fragmented. "The old man… that pressure…"
"He is gone," Li Yu said simply.
"Gone? How?" the man asked, his eyes wide. "A Foundation Establishment expert… did your master arrive?"
This was the critical moment. Li Yu had to craft a story that was believable, that explained how they were all alive. "No," he said, shaking his head. "I do not know what happened. One moment, he was about to kill us all. The next… a different power appeared. It was a presence so ancient and terrifying it made the old man seem like a child."
He looked into the distance, his eyes filled with a convincing lingering awe and terror. It was convincing because that was how Li Yu truly felt after briefly seeing Khaos take action.
"I did not see a form. There was only a wave of absolute darkness, a feeling of the world itself being erased. The old man and his followers… they just vanished. Then, the presence was gone as quickly as it came."
He was attributing Khaos's intervention to a mysterious, passing expert, a wandering powerhouse who had acted on a whim. It was a common trope in the stories told around the sect so he used it himself, a convenient explanation for events that defied logic.
The young man stared at him, his mind trying to process the incredible tale. A mysterious expert? It was a far more believable explanation than the truth. "So… we were saved by a passing senior?" he murmured, a look of profound,dazed gratitude on his face. "I have always been a lucky person, I guess my luck continues." He said, softly laughing to himself.
"It would seem so," Li Yu said with a nod. He offered the man some water. "My name is Li Yu, of the Green Mountain Sect. And you are?"
The young man took the water and drank deeply before answering. "I am Feng Xuan of the Jade Spring Sword Sect. These are my fellow disciples. We were escorting a valuable herb back to our sect when we were ambushed by the Blackwood Syndicate."
"The Blackwood Syndicate?" Li Yu's eyes narrowed. He had heard the name. They were a notorious, ruthless organization of rogue cultivators who operated in the lawless borderlands known for their assassinations and smuggling operations.
"They are dogs of the Demon Clans," Feng Xuan said, his voice filled with a cold hatred. "They do their dirty work for them. The herb we were carrying is a key ingredient for a pill that can counter one of the Demon Clan's most insidious poisons. They could not allow it to reach our sect."
He looked at Li Yu, his expression one of deep gratitude. "Li Yu. You got involved because of us and even tried to save us. My life and the lives of my fellow disciples, we owe them to you."
He struggled to sit up and cupped his fist in his palm in a solemn formal salute. "If you ever have need of me or of my friends here, you have only to say the word. I, Feng Xuan, swear a life debt to you."
"Senior Brother Feng is too serious," Li Yu said, gently pushing him back down. "We were all caught in the same disaster. It was only right to help each other."
Over the next few hours, the other disciples began to awaken. Feng Xuan explained the situation to them and each one looked at Li Yu with gratitude. They were a small, tight-knit group and Li Yu had saved their family.
They spent the rest of the day tending to their wounds and sharing some healing pills. When they sensed his cultivation was only at the 4th level, he explained that in order to help he activated a forbidden technique that massively increased his cultivation level at great cost. He would have to spend a long time recovering before he would be fully healed. He felt bad about lying about it to these people that seemed righteous but he had no choice.
He learned their names and listened to their stories. They were slowly forging a quiet bond with each other. They were a world away from some of the scheming disciples of his own sect. They were righteous, straightforward and fiercely loyal to one another.
On the morning of the second day, Feng Xuan and his disciples were stable enough to travel.
"We must return to our sect and report what has happened," Feng Xuan said, his gaze firm. "The Blackwood Syndicate has grown bold to operate so close to our territories and to have Foundation Establishment experts in their ranks is a grave threat." He looked at Li Yu. "Will you travel with us? We would be honored to host you and thank you properly."
Li Yu shook his head. "I must return to my own sect. My master will be worried." He handed Feng Xuan a small detailed map he had drawn from his experience. They all thought it was best to stay on the ground for a while just in case there were people still after them.
"This is the safest route out of this forest. It will lead you to a merchant's road a day's travel from here. You should be safe from there."
He also gave them the remaining half of his healing pills. "Take these. Your journey will be difficult."
Feng Xuan looked at the map and then at the generous supply of pills. He then finally looked at the calm unassuming young man before him. He did not know what to say. The debt he owed was becoming heavier.
"Li Yu," he said, his voice filled with sincerity. "The world of cultivation is a treacherous one. If you ever find yourself in need of a friend, if you ever find yourself with your back against a wall, send word to the Jade Spring Sword Sect. I will come."
"I will remember that, Senior Brother Feng," Li Yu said with a small smile.
He watched as the five disciples bowed deeply one last time then disappeared into the forest, following the path he had laid out for them.
He stood at the mouth of the cave, the silence of the clearing a stark contrast to the chaos of the past two days. He had been forced into a conflict he did not want. But he had emerged not just with a collection of valuable storage rings but with a new unexpected set of potential allies.
He turned and looked back into the dark and empty cave. A chilling thought solidified in his mind. The encounter with the Foundation Establishment expert had been a brutal wake-up call. His own strength, at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm, had been utterly insufficient. He had been a child before a giant, his powerful physique and techniques nothing more than a slightly tougher shell to crack.
He knew that he could not allow that to happen again. He needed to understand that level of power for himself. He needed to experience the pressure of a Foundation Establishment expert. He had to learn how they fought and to feel the way they manipulated the world's energy. This way, the next time he faced one he hopefully would not be so helpless.
He had to find a way to train with Khaos. He had to ask the ancient beast to spar with him. He would have to suppress its world-ending power and allow him to temper himself against its might. It was finally time to go home.