“He died? Damned bastard. Find the girl!” The silver patriarch extended his spiritual sense but found no traces. Wherever the bright patriarch sent Ming Lan was beyond his reach. The Sunflower Pavilion spear wielder then searched the patriarch’s body.
“The treasure isn’t with him, it must be back at the clan. Kill them.” Silver-hair interrupting his duel earlier still bothered him but finding the treasure was the priority.
The cultivators massacred the warriors from the Bright Clan without mercy.
“Should we attack the clan directly?” The white-haired cultivator asked.
“Let’s take down the formation and our forces can deal with them. We’ll only look for the scripture,” the silver patriarch worried about losing face by massacring people as a Spirit Gate cultivator.
“Don’t act like you’re the boss,” the spear wielder vanished together with white-hair.
The silver patriarch glanced at the bright patriarch’s body, “Bring it back to the clan, we will send it to the overlord. Burn the others, no need for burials.”
*
The scene changed once again to the Bright Clan, where waves of armored cultivators attacked the defensive formations. Arrows flew from spirit crossbows and ballistas, cultivators gathered into battle formations and struck at full power. The formation trembled, it would not last much longer.
“The patriarch hasn’t returned?” The chief alchemist led the defensive efforts since other elders either went with the patriarch or had different jobs.
Another elder shook the head, “No, I’m afraid he…”
The chief alchemist sighed, “Is everyone ready?”
“Yes. Spirit Sea cultivators will fight, the others will escape once the formation is down.”
“The younger generation must survive. Our Bright Clan cannot disappear here.”
A very strong attack shook the bright formation vigorously. The three Spirit Gate cultivators arrived and struck repeatedly. It didn’t take long to exhaust the spiritual energy inside the formation.
“Warriors of the Bright Clan! Today we fight and die, but the light of our clan will live on!” The cultivators clasped their hands loudly, shouting in fury. The attacking force was much stronger, led by the Sunflower Pavilion and the Silver Clan.
The formation vanished and a bloody battle ensued. Blades slashed cultivators and servants, elderly and children, no one to be spared. The three Spirit Gate cultivators killed anyone in their way and plunged into the clan, searching for the Bright Scripture.
The chief alchemist fought bravely until a powerful cultivator almost took his life, and then fell to his knees, “Yu Ming, I couldn’t protect your son… I didn’t even let them take him away… at least you are away from this madness…”
Just then…
“ENOUGH!” A shout coming from the skies stunned the whole battlefield. Yun Shufen jumped from the back of a big red-nosed eagle, donned in a flashy purple armor.
“Who the hell are you?!” A murderous looking cultivator nearby pointed his finger at her. Shufen’s graceful body moved in a second, cutting the finger off with a clean slash of her sword. She struck directly from the scabbard in a fluid quick-draw movement and sheathed it right after. The cultivator screamed in pain and retreated bleeding.
“Y-you! How dare you!” The wounded cultivator went crazy, a girl at the third layer of the Spirit Sea Realm dared to cut off his finger. His cultivation was at the sixth layer and he held a good position in the Silver Clan. He attacked Shufen with a long sword in a rough but strong move.
Yun Shufen frowned. Purple energy circulated above her head, striking at the cultivator’s mind directly, freezing him on the spot. The sword once more left the sheath, this time cutting off his head before going back. A few others that thought about moving against her stopped instantly. Everyone froze.
“Mental energy!”
“That’s the prodigy from the Cloud Clan, Yun Shufen!”
Yun Shufen deep and mysterious brown eyes glared at them, her tomboyish looks with a slightly more mature charm now.
“Prodigy or whatever, you killed a member of the Silver Clan!” A late-stage Spirit Sea cultivator stepped up, “Let’s see if your mind attack works on me!”
The cultivator trained in mind techniques and had complete confidence in his defense. He slashed at Shufen with a sharp movement, and a few others also attacked at the same time.
“Wait, she is-” One cultivator tried to stop them but it was too late. Their swords pierced Shufen’s body, and she screamed in agony. A quick death.
The cultivators rejoiced, “Hahaha, you were nothing special after all!”
“You… have you gone crazy? Why are you all stabbing air? She is over there!”
“Huh?” The cultivators could see the bloodied body in front of them. The “dead” Yun Shufen opened her eyes, making them jump back in fright.
[Cloud Clan Art – Mind Cloud]
Yun Shufen cast an invisible spiritual energy net that invaded their minds, clouding their judgment and creating an illusion.
“Illus-” Too late. Wind Qi encircled her body in a spiral, and she slashed in a circular arc, creating dozens of fast and sharp wind blades.
[Earth Tier Spirit Sea Technique, Royal Sword Art – Wind Blades, Wind Qi Enhancement, Large Accomplishment Stage]
The wind blades cut through their bodies, lifeless cultivators falling to the ground in pieces. Yun Shufen sheathed her sword once again.
“True Element of Wind with a powerful Spirit Sea art…”
“Fierce…” The cultivators from both sides stared in awe. Few could match Yun Shufen, even at higher cultivation.
“Don’t be too arrogant, little girl,” a peak Spirit Sea cultivator from the Silver Clan stepped forward, carrying a middle-grade first rank curved long sword, “You’re strong, but can you take me? I will teach you some manners.”
“Oh? I would like to see who can touch my daughter!” Killing intent surged forth, the air rumbling with furious Qi. Yun Jie’s half-step Spirit Gate pressure landed on the cultivator from the Silver Clan, and he stumbled back. The cloud patriarch arrived with an entire battalion at his back.
“The Cloud Clan…”
“Their strongest cultivators! Do they want war?”
An elder from the Silver Clan roared, “Yun Jie, do you want war? Are you trying to defy the overlord?”
“I’m here for my daughter! You know whose disciple she is, and you still dare to touch a hair on her head?”
The elder stayed silent, no one daring to refute. Shufen looked to the chief alchemist of the Bright Clan on his knees, “Senior, where is Ming Ren?”
The elder opened his eyes wide in surprise, and pointed to the right direction, “His chambers…”
Yun Shufen visited the clan before, dashing out right away and ignoring everything else.
“Fen’er…” Yun Jie wanted to stop her but only sighed.
The cultivators made way, and Shufen found Ming Ren peacefully laying in his bed, looking the same as before. Time seemed not to pass for him. She came back carrying the youth in her arms.
“She came for that boy?”
“Crazy, she stopped this fight to rescue him?”
Yun Shufen gazed tenderly at Ming Ren’s sleeping countenance. She still had hope, “Nobody else from the Bright Clan will die. Go back!”
Her thundering voice almost scared the cultivators into retreat and yet they didn’t move. Her killing intent spiked.
“Hahaha, crazy girl with a death wish,” the pressure of a Spirit Gate cultivator spread. The young-looking Sunflower Pavilion spear wielder showed himself, “We are punishing a traitorous clan, do you want to be a traitor too?”
“Do you feel no shame? They have been expelled, must you do more? I will not allow it!” Yun Shufen didn’t back down even in front of the mighty pressure. Her eyes showed no fear.
“Shufen…” Yun Jie feared things getting out of control. He looked to the Spirit Gate cultivators of the Cloud Clan in the shadows, willing to protect Shufen at all costs. With his father there, not even the Sunflower Pavilion would be too daring.
“How bold of you to say that in front of me, do you think I fear your poor Cloud Clan? They are no match for me!”
“Sunflower spear, that’s enough,” the silver patriarch also appeared from the shadows. None of them found the scripture.
“You, are you going to meddle in my affairs again?” Sunflower spear glared at him while gritting his teeth.
“Feel free to attack, but… do you know who she is?”
“Do I look like I care? I kill whoever I want to kill!”
“Oh? You sure are brave, threatening dreaming star’s favorite disciple…” The silver patriarch rolled his eyes.
“D-dreaming star? Really?” Sunflower spear shivered.
The white-haired cultivator put a hand at his shoulders, “Don’t be crazy now.”
“But the boy is important,” the silver patriarch said before shouting to everyone, “The fighting stops here but leave the boy, I will take him to the overlord.”
“Over my dead body!” Yun Shufen shouted back.
“Shufen!” Yun Jie had a headache. All cultivators tensed up.
“Even if you are not alone,” the silver patriarch glanced at a hidden spot further from Shufen, “We have four Spirit Gate cultivators on our side, and you only have three. We can’t kill you, but everyone else…”
Shufen frowned. Her master sent a Spirit Gate cultivator as a bodyguard but he would only protect her. Aside from sunflower spear, the white-haired cultivator, and the silver patriarch, the remaining Spirit Gate cultivator from the Silver Clan also arrived. Even with her grandfather here, their side was at a disadvantage.
But she still shook the head. She’d rather die than give Ming Ren up. Sunflower spear feared dreaming star, but he wasn’t someone that dwelled on those things too much. His killing intent spiked, and he said while grinning, “Everyone else is fine, right? Isn’t that her father?”
“You!” Shufen gritted her teeth.
“Who dares to move my brother!” Bai Xun’s powerful shout shook the battlefield. He was much bigger than before, his scarlet eyes and slightly tinted red skin turning into a fierce sight. The cultivators from the White Clan came with him, two Spirit Gate auras spreading.
“What?”
“The White Clan…”
“What the hell is going on…”
“Listen to me, whoever moves against my brother, KILL WITHOUT MERCY!” Bai Xun was enraged. If Shufen hadn’t come first, how would he atone before his brother?
“Yes, young master!” The elite cultivators from the White Clan clasped their hands, carrying a ferocious aura by nature, turning into fierce beasts to hunt other beasts.
“Bai Xun!” Shufen smiled.
Sunflower spear frowned, “What the hell is going on?”
“We can’t win,” white-hair said after probing the newcomers with his own spiritual sense. The silver patriarch wasn’t willing to back off but even he didn’t want to offend two prodigies at the same time. No one moved, and yet no one backed off.
“Everyone, why don’t you let me save some face?” The green-robed city lord of Bluecloud City arrived with many of his generals, “This won’t end well for any of us.”
The appearance of the city lord provided an excuse for the stalemate to end with no one losing face. No one wished to wage war under those circumstances since the punishment could come to all of them.
“The overlord will hear of this!” Sunflower spear and white-hair had no choice but to leave, “Leave only their lives, take the rest.”
The cultivators from the winning side took whatever they wanted from the clan and the dead. Yun Shufen and Bai Xun would have stopped them but couldn’t risk triggering all-out hostilities. Saving Ming Ren and the other clansmen was already a great victory. The silver patriarch bowed to the city lord and left sighing since no one found the scripture. The Bright Clan was no more but someone still hid the treasure.
“Many thanks, city lord,” Shufen bowed in gratitude.
The city lord bowed back slightly. He looked at Ming Ren in Shufen arms and said to the people of the Bright Clan before leaving, “It’s best if you do not linger.”
The chief alchemist approached Shufen and kneeled on the ground, “I thank the young lady of the Cloud Clan in behalf of the Bright Clan.”
Shufen nodded, “I’m sorry, I can’t protect you from now on but I’ll buy as much time as I can. I don’t think they will give up.”
“I understand, we will leave right away,” he looked around to the scenery of death with a sad face, “…What about Ming Ren?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep him safe.” Shufen smiled.
“Sister Shufen, do you want me to take him?” Bai Xun approached.
“Many thanks, young lord!” The chief alchemist also bowed to him.
Bai Xun waved his hands, “Ren is my brother, this is nothing. Those bastards, they just wait!”
“No need, I’ll take him with me. Bai Xun, Are you sure about going there?”
“Hehehe, is sister worried about me? Don’t worry, I might have lost to brother in the past, but I won’t lose to anyone else.”
Shufen nodded. Every cultivator had their own Dao to walk.
“When he wakes up, let’s surprise him with our accomplishments!” Bai Xun smiled amidst disaster.
**
The scene changed to Shufen arguing with the elders of the Cloud Clan about Ming Ren.
“Young Lady, it’s not proper to keep him… there are already rumors… “
“Who cares!” Shufen paid no attention to him.
“Granddaughter, he is from a traitor clan. The overlord might use it to punish us.”
“Then I’ll talk to my master about it!” Shufen didn’t back down, “Enough. Grandfather, elders, Father, when have I asked anything of the clan? Can’t I protect a single friend? You either take him in, or expel me with him!”
All of them became silent.
“Fen’er, that’s…” Yun Jie had no energy against his daughter.
“Then, it’s decided, he stays!” Shufen bowed and left. Everyone glared daggers into Yun Jie’s back. This daughter of his was too wild!
***
The chief alchemist sped with the survivors night and day, running away from the Cloud Province. The clansmen dispersed, either hiding or fleeing along the way.
In another place, Ming Qiu walked with a dejected look. He fled the clan before the combat with some of the younger generation and hated not being able to fight. He guided the others, trying to lift their spirits, but didn’t keep any hope for himself.
After a while, the hunt began.
As the story of the Bright Clan’s demise spread, different clans put bounties on the survivors. Ming Lan and Ming Qiu ranked high, together with some elders with a high chance of carrying the Bright Scripture. Even the servants were not spared.
The members fled for their lives, many got captured. A lot of the friends they once had turned their backs and sold them off. The chief alchemist stayed behind to delay their pursuers. He was captured and sold off to the White Clan, a fate worse than death.
****
Ming Ren experienced their suffering first hand, sorrow and pain as if he lived through it. People he grew up with, cared about, and loved. When the visions ended and the invisible [Power of the Stars] returned to his body, all those experiences crashed down on his mind.
A tribal and ferocious roar echoed from the depths of his slumbering ancient soul, more brutal than anything this world had ever seen.
A beastly, supreme soul-shaking roar.