Into The Sea

By the time they reached the temple, it was already dusk on the seventh day.

From a distance, the resplendent palace shone with golden brilliance, resembling the opulent residence of a mortal emperor rather than the ethereal, sacred abode of an immortal. Their journey had been long and exhausting, but it hadn’t seemed dangerous. It was only after they crossed the towering golden arch, over a hundred feet tall, and saw the bloodstained ground within that unease began to settle in.

As they ventured deeper, they entered a vast, open hall. One by one, the group came to a stop, their eyes widening in shock.

Ah Li’s face turned pale as she covered her mouth, stifling a gag.

The once-pristine golden bricks of the floor were drenched in blood, strewn with dismembered limbs and shattered corpses. Corpses, broken and incomplete, lay scattered across the floor, some even dangling grotesquely from the high beams. Ji Lingyue’s expression turned grave as she swiftly moved to examine the bodies, gently rolling over a woman lying beneath the gruesome pile.

The woman’s white robes were stained red with blood. Her eyes were wide open in horror, but she was already dead.

Yu Shanye walked over, wincing in sympathy. “Isn’t that… Senior Sister Lin from Guangxing Peak?”

Ji Lingyue nodded grimly. Her gaze swept across the hall, falling upon more familiar robes adorning lifeless bodies. “What could have happened here…?” she murmured.

Suddenly, a cry rang out from the distance. “Master! There’s one alive over here!”

Lan Wu’s heart skipped a beat. She rushed towards the sound of Ah Li’s voice.

The survivor was huddled in the shadows where the wall met a towering pillar, their body almost entirely concealed by the darkness. Had it not been for Ah Li’s sharp eyes, they would have gone unnoticed.

The woman’s long hair was a disheveled mess over her face, and her clothes were torn to shreds, revealing deep, bloody gashes that cut to the bone.

Ji Lingyue quickly examined the woman, her eyes widening in recognition as they fell upon a jade pendant hanging from her waist. “Xuan Yu,” she breathed.

Lan Wu turned to her. “You know her?”

“She’s a senior disciple of Yunxiao Pavilion,” Ji Lingyue explained, “and their Young Pavilion Master. She wasn’t born into a beast taming family, but she became a demon tamer nonetheless. In the previous Immortal Sect Competition, she never ranked below the top three.”

“What about you??” Lan Wu asked, unable to help herself.

Even in this serious situation, Ji Lingyue couldn’t help but lift her chin slightly, a hint of pride showing. “I was the champion.”

Lan Wu chuckled. “You’re amazing.”

Yu Shanye sighed. “Enough already. Can you two give her some medicine first?”

Lan Wu blinked and quickly stepped aside, mumbling an “Oh, right.” Ji Lingyue pressed her lips together, perhaps realizing her behavior was inappropriate, quickly took out a Shalan flower, a gift from a fellow cultivator a few days prior. “Let’s feed her this.”

Yu Shanye accepted the flower, pondering how to administer the flower when she felt a chill rush up her spine. Lan Wu’s eyes flashed, and she swiftly drew her sword, the blade materializing in her hand with a soft hum. She parried a set of razor-sharp claws that had been aiming for Yu Shanye, throwing the attacker back.

The figure, a slender, graceful woman, landed lightly on the ground a few steps away.

Lan Wu narrowed her eyes, finally getting a clear look at their assailant. It was a graceful and enchanting woman. Her beauty was striking and alluring, her eyes long and seductive, her lips naturally red as if painted, and her gaze was like rippling water, captivating as if trying to steal one’s soul.

Frowning, Lan Wu hesitated. “A fox demon?”

The fox demon raised an eyebrow, looking them over before laughing. “How strange, two cultivators and two demons, and you haven’t started fighting. What, did you two get contracted as well?”

“Also?” Lan Wu echoed, her curiosity piqued. “You’ve been contracted too?”

The fox sneered, touching her forehead, where blue patterns appeared. Lan Wu blinked, let out a sigh of relief, and lowered her sword. “Why did you attack us?”

“You were getting close to my master. How was I supposed to know what you were planning?” she drawled lazily. “So, I made the first move.”

Ji Lingyue’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “If you’re Xuan Yu’s contracted beast, why weren’t you with her at the last Immortal Sect Competition?”

“The last Immortal Sect Competition was seven years ago,” the fox demon countered, her tone laced with amusement. “Surely even a distinguished cultivator like yourself can grasp how much can change in seven years.” She retracted her claws, approaching them with an air of confidence. “It seems you all know my master. Well then… I apologize for the misunderstanding. I thought you were those crazy cultivators.”

With that, she unceremoniously brushed past Ji Lingyue and crouched down, gathering Xuan Yu into her arms. Lan Wu observed her, noting the stark contrast between the fox demon’s flippant demeanor and the surprising gentleness with which she cared for the injured woman.

Yu Shanye finally saw an opportunity to speak. “Crazy cultivators? What do you mean?”

The fox demon paused, turning back to look at them suspiciously before realizing. “You must have just arrived.”

Yu Shanye nodded. “We did.”

“Well then,” the fox demon continued, gesturing towards the carnage that painted the once-majestic hall a gruesome red. “That explains it. Two days ago, most of the surviving cultivators gathered here. They ransacked the palace, taking every treasure and artifact they could get their hands on. There were some scuffles, but it was relatively peaceful. But last night, a shadow claiming to be the temple’s master appeared and plunged a divine sword in the throne… Don’t bother looking, the throne was already destroyed by them.”

Yu Shanye, who had instinctively turned to look, quickly whipped her head back, muttering under her breath, “It wouldn’t hurt to take a look.”

The fox demon continued, “Anyway, that sword brought disaster because it was supposedly a divine artifact, so they all wanted to possess it.”

Her eyes darkened. “In the end, they lost their minds. This grand hall became the most brutal arena, echoing with the clash of steel, the agonized screams of the dying, and the intoxicating scent of blood. The smart ones ran to the teleportation formation and escaped the secret realm first. The weak tried to leave but were crushed by the pressure from the powerful, like insignificant insects being squashed in an instant.”

Ji Lingyue said in shock: “So they slaughtered each other just for one divine artifact?”

“Young cultivator, divine artifacts are extraordinary. If that sword were truly divine, such a bloody battle would be worth it. But unfortunately, it wasn’t.” The fox demon laughed mockingly, stretched out her hand, and a golden sword appeared out of thin air.

The group jumped in surprise. Lan Wu’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That can’t be… is that the sword?”

“Indeed,” the fox demon confirmed with a nod. “My master, being very clever, wanted to leave early but got injured in the chaos. I took her and hid, waiting until the palace fell silent before going back in. By then, most of them were dead.”

“The one who finally got the sword was gravely injured and didn’t last long. I ended up picking it up by chance. After using it for a few hours, I realized,” she skillfully twirled the sword, clicking her tongue, “it’s just a high-grade spirit sword.”

She met their stunned expressions with a shrug, her lips curving into a wry smile. “This entire temple,” she declared, “was nothing more than an elaborate ruse.”

Ji Lingyue frowned, “But if they made it this far safely, how… how could they fall victim to their own greed?”

“Why ask such an obvious question?” the fox demon retorted, her tone laced with a hint of scorn. “It’s not like senseless violence is exclusive to demons. You should count yourself lucky you weren’t here.” She carefully hoisted Xuan Yu onto her back, navigating the gruesome obstacle course of bodies with surprising grace. “Though I must say, those Haochen Mountain disciples were smart enough. Half of them managed to escape early on.” She paused, her gaze sweeping across the devastated hall. “This realm is closing soon, and the treasures are long gone. I suggest you leave as well. I Wouldn’t want to be trapped here for the next sixty years.”

Ji Lingyue pressed her lips together and remained silent.

Lan Wu let out a heavy sigh, her gaze sweeping across the carnage that surrounded them. She stepped forward and began retrieving the identity tokens from the fallen Haochen Mountain disciples.

After a while, Ji Lingyue joined her, bending down to help.

“I should have protected them,” she whispered.

Lan Wu paused, glancing at her companion. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“She’s right,” Yu Shanye added. “You heard what the fox said. If you had been here, you might not have survived yourself.”

Ji Lingyue’s long eyelashes trembled. She clenched the hard token in her hand and lowered her gaze to search for the next body.

The teleportation formation was located at the center of the hall. They circled around, ensuring they found all the unfortunate Haochen Mountain disciples. Only at the last moment did they step into the formation. As they exited the formation, they saw a familiar figure standing motionless ahead, long hair blowing wildly in the wind.

Dark clouds choked the sky, punctuated by flashes of lightning and the ominous rumble of thunder. The air was thick with the stench of blood and demonic energy. Lan Wu took a step forward, her blue eyes reflecting the carnage identical to what they had just seen in the secret realm.

But this time, the victims were different. Scattered across the beach, their bodies broken and lifeless, were countless ordinary people. People she might have passed on the street just days ago, their faces etched in her memory. A street vendor hawking breakfast, a child laughing in their parents’ arms—now all gone, reduced to lifeless corpses, their blood spreading and almost dyeing half the beach red.

A deafening clap of thunder shook the heavens, momentarily illuminating the fox demon’s face. She turned, her eyes gleaming strangely, and gave them a twisted smile. “What did I tell you?” She raised her voice, hoarse. “Whether humans or demons… none of them are any good.”

While the cultivators had been busy fighting amongst themselves for a worthless prize, the demons had unleashed their fury upon the unsuspecting town.

It felt like both a demonstration and a provocation.

Ji Lingyue’s entire body stiffened as she instinctively turned to look at Lan Wu, her eyes red.

Lan Wu clenched her fists, and after a long moment, sighed wearily: “An endless cycle of vengeance…”