The sun had begun to dip into the sky, casting orange and golden hues over the forest as Bai Cheng knelt beside the river, breathing shallowly. Beside him sat his dog faithfully, ears erect and watchful. Cold mist swirled thickly around them, leaving the water hushed and spooky.
Bai Cheng's mind was racing. The rogue cultivator, Shen Yue, was somewhere in the fog with her clones—a dangerous ability that amplified her advantage in this terrain. He gritted his teeth, flexing his fingers around his staff. His injured arm throbbed, but he pushed the pain aside.
"I have to outthink her," he whispered to himself, glancing at his dog. "She's using her cultivation to overwhelm me, but there's no way she can keep this up forever."
A sharp, chilling laugh echoed through the mist, sending shivers down Bai Cheng's spine.
"Running won't help you, little human," Shen Yue's voice joked, coming from many places.
"You're just a mouse in my trap. Why don't you give up? It'll hurt less."
Bai Cheng grinned even with the tension. "Trap? This mist is all you have? I've seen snowstorms that are stronger than this!" he yelled back, his voice bouncing through the fog.
A short pause. Then, Shen Yue laughed again, this time it sounded colder and sharper.
"You talk tough for a boy who has no Qi. Let's see how long you can act brave."
Bai Cheng paid attention to his surroundings, feeling the cold air against his skin. He narrowed his eyes, looking for any signs of movement. The first shadow appeared—a clone of Shen Yue, moving quietly over the misty ground. Another came after it, and then two more. Each one moved perfectly, looking the same, with blank faces.
"They're not real," Bai Cheng said softly, holding his staff more tightly. "But which one of you is the real Shen Yue?"
His dog barked suddenly, loud and sharp, breaking the quiet. The clones stopped, turning their heads together at the sound. Bai Cheng's eyes became narrow. "Too robotic," he whispered, with a smirk on his lips.
"The real one wouldn't be that easy to guess."
He put his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hey, Shen Yue! Did you make these clones to keep you company? It must be lonely being the least skilled rogue in your group!"
The clones stayed quiet, their faces empty. A loud hiss of anger came through the mist, proving his point.
"You talk too much!" Shen Yue shouted back, sounding annoyed. "I'll shut you up myself!"
Bai Cheng laughed. "I hit a nerve, didn't I?"
The clones attacked. Three of them charged at Bai Cheng simultaneously, moving in step.
Bai Cheng sidestepped the first one and tripped it with his staff. The clone vanished in a cloud of frost, leaving a cold mist that hurt his skin. The second clone leaped forward, its icy blade aimed at his chest. Bai Cheng ducked and rolled to the side as the blade cut through the air.
"Not bad," he muttered, spinning his staff and slamming it into the clone's side. Another burst of frost.
The third clone was faster, swiping at his injured arm. Bai Cheng winced, the cold blade grazing his skin, but he countered with a swift kick that shattered it.
His dog barked again and ran through the mist, catching the attention of another clone. Shen Yue shouted a command. "Ignore the dog! Focus on the boy!"
Bai Cheng smiled even more. "You can divide your attention all you want. You will still lose."
He retreated further into the mist, crouching low to the ground. The icy fog thickened, obscuring his view, but it worked both ways. Shen Yue's clones, while numerous, were mindless and predictable. He counted on her impatience to reveal her location.
"You're just delaying the inevitable!" Shen Yue shouted, frustration creeping into her voice. "I'll turn you into an ice sculpture!"
Bai Cheng stayed silent, using her fog as cover. He moved quietly, his footsteps muffled by the damp earth. Another clone emerged from the mist, but this one hesitated—a fraction of a second's delay before moving. Bai Cheng's eyes lit up.
"There you are," he muttered, his grip tightening on his staff.
He drew near, his dog swinging around to the left, keeping her off balance. As Shen Yue flung a hail of shards of ice at the mist, Bai Cheng lunged.
Shen Yue whirled around, and her eyes flew wide as she saw Bai Cheng standing behind her. She stepped back, throwing up a screen of frost to keep him away.
"You think you're clever?" she sneered, her hands glowing with icy Qi. "Let's see how clever you are when you're frozen solid!"
She unleashed a barrage of ice shards, each one whistling through the air with deadly precision. Bai Cheng ducked and weaved, his movements erratic. One shard grazed his shoulder, tearing through his tunic. Another nicked his thigh.
"Is that all you've got?" Bai Cheng teased, even though he was in pain. "I've seen hailstorms hit harder!"
Shen Yue growled, showing her frustration. She focused more on Qi, and the mist around her turned into a spinning cloud of frost.
"This ends now!" she shouted, sending a wave of ice spikes flying toward him.
Bai Cheng jumped to the side, but one spike hit his left hand, going through it. He yelled, holding his hurt hand as blood fell onto the cold ground.
"Got you!" Shen Yue shouted, stepping forward happily.
But Bai Cheng clenched his teeth, his eyes full of resolve. "Not yet," he said fiercely.
Using the special shadow step he had been taught, Bai Cheng easily closed in on Shen Yue, who had little time to even react as he appeared beside her, swinging his staff in a wide arc.
The hit landed on her stomach, making her stumble back. She gasped and held her side as blood came through her fingers. Bai Cheng did not stop, hitting her neck one last time. Shen Yue fell, her body hitting the ground with a soft thud.
Bai Cheng was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling. He looked at the nearby river, where Shen Yue's unconscious body was partly in the water.
"I told you," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Underestimate mortals, and you'll regret it."
As Bai Cheng turned to leave, a low rumble shook the ground. He froze, his dog barking furiously. The earth trembled beneath his feet, and from the riverbank, a massive shadow emerged.
A big spirit rhino, its eyes shining with wild anger, towered over Shen Yue as she lay on the ground. She moved slightly, her eyes opening just in time to see the beast's wide mouth coming down towards her.
"NO!" she yelled, trying to move back. But it was too late. The rhino jumped forward, its teeth
biting into her with a horrible crunch.
Bai Cheng didn't stay to watch. He bolted, his dog at his heels, the sound of the beast's triumphant roar echoing behind him.
Bai Cheng clutched his injured hand, wincing with every step. He knew Shen Yue was gone, but there were still three cultivators—and their leader—left to deal with.
"I need to think," he muttered, his voice tight with pain. "And I need to heal. Fast."
His dog whined softly, nudging his leg as if to reassure him.
"Yeah, I know," Bai Cheng said, forcing a weak smile. "We'll figure it out. One down, four to go."
The forest loomed ahead, dark and foreboding, as Bai Cheng disappeared into the shadows, preparing for the next battle.