Perched atop the tree, Li Feng scanned the dense forest below, the moonlight glinting off his long sword, its edge gleaming with a subtle, silvery hue—a telltale sign of the rare Moon Vein material from which it was forged. The number "2" on his belt shimmered faintly, marking his status as a level two Gu master.
As he shifted his weight on the branch, his thoughts wandered, a scowl darkening his face.
'Of all the times for those two Gu masters to go missing,' he thought, 'why now, when I could be enjoying myself with Zhi Mei?' The memory of his lover's smile surfaced, softening his expression briefly before the mission's weight dragged him back to the present.
He was using a gu gifted to him by the clan, it could detect gu masters of grade 2 and below.
With this gu, he was hoping to find the two gu masters as fast as possible, getting his reward and returning home.
Just then, a cold sensation wrapped around his neck. Reflexively, his hand darted to the tightening coil, fingers brushing against rough, scaled skin. His eyes widened as he realized what it was a snake .And not just any snake, but one known for its resistance, only a rank 3 attack could harm it, as most attacks used by a gu rank three gu where futile. Despite his best efforts to free himself, the serpent's grip only tightened, choking the air from his lungs.
'Damn it,' he cursed internally.
Lucky for him, he had a trump card, he was no ordinary fighter.
He was the clans most talented gu master.
Focusing his breath, Li Feng activated his vital gu, the Moonscar Gu. A faint glow radiated from his body, and suddenly the moonlight intensified around him, sharpening into tangible blades that extended from his sword. The Moonscar Gu's power doubled the range of his moonlight blade, normally only as strong as a rank one attack, but when paired with his family's Moon Vein sword, it surged with the force of a rank three gu.
With a swift slash, the glowing arc cut cleanly through the snake. He felt the pressure on his neck release as the creature fell limp. Li Feng gasped for air, spinning around to examine his foe.
But something was wrong.
The snake was already dead, its body unnaturally still even before his sword made contact. A soft chuckle drifted through the air. From the shadows, a figure stepped forward. An old man, stood grinning, his eyes gleaming with amusement. He casually tossed aside the dead serpent's head, as if discarding a toy.
It was none other than Ning Zu.
Ning Zu smirked, his fingers still pulsing with the faint glow of necrotic gu energy.
Li Feng's grip tightened around his sword, the tension in the air palpable as his eyes narrowed. "Who are you?! Where are the two gu masters!"
He was very careful, as he couldn't feel his presence even with the gu that he received from the clan.
'Best case scenario he has a consealment gu, worst case… He's a rank 3 or higher!'
What he didn't know was that this guy didn't even have an aperture.
Li Feng got into position, ready to strike this mysterious opponent. He was uneasy, but he was no coward.
"Bring it on!"
...….
Somewhere else.
The squad was moving swiftly through the dense woods, their eyes scanning the surroundings as they called out to one another. The trees whispered in the wind, their branches creaking under the weight of the unknown. They were a well-trained group, accustomed to the dangers of the wilds, but today their focus was different.
At the center of the group was Gu Yu Mo Tien, a rank 1 gu master, who had only recently joined the squad. His face was tense with worry, his thoughts consumed by his father's mysterious disappearance. He had been restless ever since his father vanished, and now, as they searched the woods, his desperation was palpable. He ran ahead of the others, eager to find a trace of his father, his heart pounding in his chest.
The other squad members tried to keep up, their calls blending with the sounds of the forest. "Mo Tien, slow down! Stay with the group!" But Mo Tien paid them no mind. He couldn't afford to slow down, not when his father might still be out there, waiting to be found.
Suddenly, in the midst of his frantic sprint, Mo Tien felt something strange. His hands—he couldn't feel them anymore. The connection to them had vanished, as if they had ceased to exist. Confusion flashed across his face, his mind struggling to comprehend what was happening. He looked down, but before he could process the sight of his severed arms, the cold touch of the blade met his throat.
A sharp, wet sound filled the air as the blade cut deep into his neck. His breath caught in his chest, a gurgle of blood spilling from his lips as he tried to scream, but no sound came. His vision blurred, the world around him spinning as he staggered forward, his legs no longer able to support him.
He collapsed to the forest floor, his lifeblood pooling around him, staining the earth. His team members, who had been chasing after him, froze in shock. They stared at Mo Tien's lifeless body, their eyes wide with horror and disbelief.
In the distance, standing still and calm, was Ning Zu, holding the bloodied sword. It had all happened so fast that the squad could barely register what they had just witnessed.
Their shock turned to panic as they realized the sword in Ning Zu's hand was the very one belonging to Mo Tien's clan. They had just watched a child, desperate for his father, butchered in a heartbeat by someone wielding a familiar blade.
The squad stood frozen for a moment, disbelief and fear sweeping over their faces as they witnessed Ning Zu standing among them, wielding the long sword that belonged to their clan member. The blade dripped with the blood of their fallen comrade, Mo Tien. The air around them felt thick with tension, but Ning Zu's expression remained calm, almost detached.
The first to act was the squad leader, a rank 2 gu master, whose crescent moon blade flew from his hand in a swift arc. The sharp gu attack was deflected with a casual flick of Ning Zu's wrist, his sword effortlessly turning it aside. The squad leader barely had time to react before Ning Zu's sword was already at his throat. The blade cut through flesh like silk, and the leader crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
Before the others could process what had happened, Ning Zu moved again, his movements as fluid as water. He spun towards two of the squad members who had regrouped, their moon blades flying toward him. This time, he didn't even bother deflecting them. He sidestepped the attacks with such precision that the gu masters' own blades nearly struck each other. With a graceful sweep of his sword, he cut through both of their chests simultaneously, their bodies collapsing before their minds could catch up with the pain.
The remaining members were panicked now. They tried to call out to Ning Zu, their voices trembling. "Why? Why are you doing this? What did we do to deserve this?!"
But Ning Zu's expression never changed. He said nothing. His silence was deafening, cold, and unrelenting. Another squad member rushed toward him in desperation, summoning her moon blade in a last-ditch effort to survive. But Ning Zu moved like a shadow, evading her attack with a simple step. His sword flashed once, and her head rolled from her shoulders, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
The remaining gu masters were paralyzed with fear. They hesitated, unsure if they should fight or flee. One of them, trembling, called out again, "Stop! Aren't you human!"
Ning Zu tilted his head slightly, as if considering their words, but there was no hesitation in his movements. He closed the distance between them in an instant. His sword pierced the heart of the speaker, who gasped in shock, his eyes wide with tears as he crumpled.
Two gu masters were left now, their fear palpable. They summoned their gu to attack, desperate to take him down together. But Ning Zu's mastery of the sword was beyond their comprehension. His strikes were too fast, too precise. He moved between them like a ghost, his sword a blur of silver.
One of them had his abdomen sliced open before he even realized Ning Zu had closed in. The other raised his weapon in a feeble attempt to block, but Ning Zu's sword sliced through it, and his neck, in a single, clean stroke.
The last gu master, barely clinging to life, crawled on the ground, trying to escape. His breath was ragged, his vision blurred with the blood streaming from his wounds. He looked up one last time as Ning Zu approached him, his face still expressionless. The fallen gu master reached out a trembling hand, pleading, "Please…"
Ning Zu said nothing. He brought his sword down with finality, severing the man's life with a single, swift strike.
The battlefield was silent now, the ground littered with the bodies of the slain. Ning Zu stood in the middle of the carnage, his sword dripping with blood, his posture relaxed. He hadn't broken a sweat. He hadn't uttered a word.
Ning Zu was turning to leave the blood-soaked clearing, the remnants of the battle fresh in his mind. The silence of the woods enveloped him, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves in the wind. His hand tightened around the long sword as he prepared to vanish into the shadows once more, leaving no witnesses behind.
But then he felt it—a faint stir of life where there should have been none. His eyes flickered back to where Mo Tien had fallen, and to his surprise, the boy was still alive. Though his hands were severed and his body weak, his throat—the fatal wound Ning Zu had dealt him—was miraculously healed.
The boy lay there, gasping, his eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and relief. He wasn't thinking about his fallen comrades or the danger he was still in. Instead, his mind clung to a single memory, one that surged to the surface in his moment of near-death: the face of his grandmother, the one who had gifted him the gu that had just saved his life. She had passed years ago, leaving him this one small token of protection, a one time use gu that could mend a fatal wound.
Ning Zu narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected this. The gu that healed the boy must have been powerful, but it didn't change the fact that Mo Tien was still crippled, both hands gone. The gu had only healed his throat; it wasn't enough to save him from what was coming next.
Without a second thought, Ning Zu stepped forward, raising his sword once again. This time, he would slice horizontally, severing the boy's brain from his body, ensuring there would be no more surprises. His movements were swift, merciless, as he prepared to end the boy's life for good.
But just as he was about to strike, a flash of gold caught his eye.
A golden moon blade hurtled through the air with terrifying speed, cutting through the woods like a comet. Its trajectory was aimed directly at Ning Zu's heart, faster than any moon blade he had faced before. Any other gu master in Ning Zu's place would have been dead before they realized what had hit them.
Ning Zu reacted on instinct. At the very last moment, he twisted his body and brought his long sword up, deflecting the golden blade with a metallic clang. The force of the impact sent him skidding backward, his feet digging into the earth as he fought to keep his balance. His eyes widened slightly in surprise, feeling the force behind the attack.
As he steadied himself, he glanced down at his sword, noticing a thin crack running along its edge. This sword made from the rank 5 moon vein material, had barely withstood the strike. This wasn't an ordinary moon blade.
Ning Zu's gaze shifted to where the attack had come from, and his expression grew colder.
Emerging from the shadows of the trees was an elder, his presence commanding and dangerous. The elder's golden moon blade still shimmered faintly in the air, the remnants of his powerful attack dissipating as he strode forward. His eyes were fixed on Ning Zu, his expression one of grim determination.
The elder's name was Qin Han, a name spoken with respect throughout the clan.He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, though the wisdom and power he carried hinted that he was far older. His face was youthful, with smooth skin and sharp, defined features that gave him a striking appearance. His dark hair, tied back loosely, still retained much of its original color, with only a few strands of silver streaking through it—a subtle sign of his true age and experience.
His eyes, however, told a different story. They were a deep, molten gold, radiating the depth of someone who had seen countless battles and lived through the trials of a seasoned warrior. They were intense, yet calm, revealing the control and mastery he had over his emotions and gu.
He wore a white robe, embroidered with silver belt with the number "3" on it, a symbol of his cultivation.
His movements were smooth and measured, exuding an aura of quiet authority, the kind that comes not from boasting, but from confidence and countless victories.
The little boy, Mo Tien, layed there in shock, his life spared once again. His heart raced with a mix of fear and hope. He recognized the figure approaching—it was an elder of the clan, someone he had grown up hearing stories about. The elder had come to his rescue, just in time.
Ning Zu remained silent, his eyes narrowing as he sized up the elder. This wouldn't be as easy as the squad he had just butchered. The elder had power—and more importantly, skill. But Ning Zu had no intention of backing down. He gripped his sword tighter, the crack in the blade a reminder of the challenge ahead.
The elder said nothing, but the weight of his intent was clear. This was a battle Ning Zu wouldn't walk away from so easily.