The scene was chaotic. Kellan's heart pounded as he fought desperately to fend off Trace. Each strike from the shadow blade hissed through the air, forcing him to stay on the defensive. His eyes kept darting to Big Bone, lying motionless on the bloodied ground. Every fiber of his being screamed to rush to his fallen comrade's side, but Trace blocked him at every turn, his movements swift and unrelenting.
Meanwhile, Linen stood over Big Bone, her cruel smile growing as her blade pulsed with dark energy. It hovered menacingly over Big Bone's heaving chest. Blood pooled around him, his breaths shallow and uneven.
"No!" Kellan shouted, panic surging through his veins. He tried again to break away from Trace, but his opponent was relentless, intercepting him with lethal precision.
"This is the end," Trace sneered, his voice low and mocking. "You should've run while you had the chance."
Time seemed to stretch thin, the sounds of battle muffled in Kellan's ears as Linen raised her blade for the final blow. Kellan's legs burned with exertion, his muscles aching as he strained to break free. He was too far. Too late.
Just as Linen's blade whistled downward, a powerful voice rang out.
"Enough!"
A massive figure barreled into the scene, blocking Linen's strike with a resounding clash. The force sent Linen stumbling backward. Kellan blinked in shock as he saw who had intervened.
Shi Lin.
Shi Lin stood over Big Bone, his body radiating dark gray Qi that coated his skin like armor. His expression was cold, and his muscles bulged as he unleashed the Titan Refinement Technique, the same one Big Bone used, but on a far more terrifying level.
"You think you Nightshade Clan bastards can just swoop in here and kill members of our Shi Clan so close to our territory?" Shi Lin's voice was thunderous, filled with barely-contained rage. "Who do you think you are?"
Linen's eyes widened in surprise, and she instinctively stepped back. Trace's confident smirk faltered, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation.
"Shi Lin," Kellan whispered, a surge of relief washing over him. He hadn't expected reinforcements, but now that Shi Lin was here, the tide of battle had shifted.
Trace clicked his tongue, the annoyance clear on his face as he scanned the battlefield, his eyes lingering on Shi Lin's imposing figure. His frustration was palpable, his once arrogant demeanor now dulled by the overwhelming presence of Shi Lin and the shift in their chances of survival. "It seems we've overstayed our welcome," he muttered, his voice laced with reluctant resignation. He cast a sideways glance at Linen, his expression hardening. "Let's go. We'll finish this another day."
Shi Lin's gaze remained locked on Trace, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Cowards, running the moment you're no longer the ones with the advantage," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "I expected more from members of the so-called Nightshade Clan."
Trace's jaw clenched, but he refused to take the bait. His hand still hovered near the hilt of his blade, ready to strike, but even he knew this wasn't the time for reckless action. Linen, however, wasn't so quick to hold her tongue.
"You're lucky," Linen hissed, her voice thick with venom. Her eyes glinted with barely-contained rage as they flicked between Kellan, Big Bone, and Shi Lin. "Lucky that your savior arrived just in time to prevent your corpses from being scattered across this forest. Next time, you won't be so fortunate." She spat the words out like poison, her fingers twitching toward her blade, clearly itching for a final strike.
Shi Lin took a step forward, his towering frame casting a long shadow over the Nightshade cultivators. His muscles coiled with barely restrained energy, and the dark gray Qi surrounding him flared with dangerous intent. "Next time?" he rumbled, his voice low and dangerous. "There won't be a next time. You step foot near our Shi Clan again, and I will personally see to it that you don't leave alive."
The words hung in the air, heavy and filled with lethal promise. Trace and Linen both tensed, recognizing the gravity in Shi Lin's tone. Trace's lips curled into a bitter smile, his frustration barely hidden.
"Big words for someone so close to their territory," Trace shot back, his voice steady but with an undercurrent of menace. "You may have won today, but don't mistake this for a victory, Shi Lin. The Nightshade Clan doesn't forget, and we don't forgive."
Shi Lin's eyes flashed with a cold, deadly glint. "Neither do I," he replied, his voice like iron. "If you value your lives, you'll remember that."
For a moment, the air seemed to still, the tension thick enough to cut with a blade. The forest itself seemed to hold its breath, waiting to see if the standoff would explode into violence once more. Kellan, bloodied and bruised, kept his gaze fixed on the Nightshade cultivators, ready to fight again if it came to it, though relief simmered beneath his resolve.
Linen, sensing the escalating danger, scowled, her fingers tightening around the small dark orb in her hand. "Enough of this," she snapped. "We'll see how long your bravado lasts when your precious clan falls under our shadow."
Without waiting for a response, she threw the orb to the ground. The moment it hit, it exploded in a burst of dark smoke, thick and suffocating, swirling around the battlefield and obscuring everything from view.
Shi Lin's Qi flared in response, dark gray energy sweeping around him, ready to strike. But the smoke was too dense, swallowing everything in its path. When it finally began to dissipate, Trace and Linen were gone, retreating into the shadows like the assassins they were.
Shi Lin didn't lower his guard immediately, his eyes scanning the tree line, searching for any sign of the Nightshade cultivators. "Running away like the vermin you are," he muttered, his tone dripping with disdain.
Kellan exhaled a shaky breath, his body finally relaxing as the danger receded. "They're gone," he said, his voice a mix of relief and exhaustion. He glanced over at Shi Lin, his expression grateful but tinged with respect. "You saved us... I don't know how to thank you."
Shi Lin turned to Kellan, his expression as stoic as ever, though his eyes held a glimmer of acknowledgment. "Save your thanks," he replied, his voice gruff. "I didn't do this for you, I may not like you and Big Bone, but you're still members of the Shi Clan. And no one—Nightshade or otherwise—kills our people under my watch."
Big Bone, still nursing his wounds but managing a weak grin, lifted a hand. "Still... thanks, Shi Lin. You came just in time."
Shi Lin merely nodded, his eyes flicking over Big Bone's injuries. "Don't get used to it," he said, though there was a faint edge of concern in his voice. "If you keep getting into trouble like this, there might not always be someone to save you."
With the threat of the Nightshade Clan gone for now, Shi Lin turned to the other tribe members who had arrived with him. "Let's get them back to the clan," he ordered, his tone brooking no argument. "These two are injured, and we've wasted enough time here."
Shi Lin turned to Big Bone, who was barely holding on. Without a word, someone from their tribe, bringing with them medicinal herbs began to treat Big Bone's wounds.
Kellan staggered over, still bleeding but relieved beyond words. "Shi Lin... you saved us."
Shi Lin didn't look up, his focus entirely on Big Bone's injuries. "I don't like you two," he said bluntly. "But you're still members of the Shi Clan. Nobody can bully our people under my watch."
Kellan nodded, feeling a newfound respect for Shi Lin. Despite their tense relationship, Shi Lin had come when it mattered most. Kellan had always thought of him as cold and indifferent, but now he saw a side of him that cared deeply for the clan.
Big Bone groaned, his face pale but grateful. "Thanks... I owe you one."
Shi Lin snorted, helping Big Bone to his feet. "Just stay alive. I don't plan on saving you twice."
With that, Shi Lin signaled to the other tribe members who had arrived with him. They quickly moved to support Big Bone, lifting him onto a makeshift stretcher. Kellan winced as he limped alongside them, his injuries catching up to him.
"I need to find a way to protect myself better." Kellan thought, "I knew the cultivation world was cruel, but killing someone for a spider?" Kellan felt himself getting sick at the thought that they almost died as he stared at Big Bone.
"I need to get stronger" Kellan said to himself "So these things wont happen to us again."