The quiet archive room smelled of old parchment, stale ink, and dried leather. Outside, the subterranean bunker of the vanquished Phantom Rat Gang remained frozen in absolute silence, filled with the motionless corpses of those who had built their fortune on the misery of the helpless.
Li-Wen stood before the mahogany desk in the center of the archive room, his pale, slender hand picking up the top leather scroll. The scroll was sealed with a heavy crimson wax stamp depicting an upturned sword wrapped in coiled lightning—the unmistakable, terrifying crest of the Sovereign Sword Sect's Enforcement Division.
He broke the seal with a light flick of his finger and unrolled the thick parchment under the pale light of a glowing spirit lamp.
His sharp eyes scanned the dark, elegant calligraphy written upon the paper:
> "To the Intelligence Chiefs of Obsidian Pass:
> The traitor Li-Wen, former Core Disciple, has broken the Abyssal Valley perimeter. He carries severe internal injuries, damaged meridians, and a fractured sword core. He is accompanied by no allies.
> Search every inn, black market, medical hall, and residential courtyard. The Sect Master has doubled the Sovereign Kill Bounty: 100,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones, a rank-6 Spirit Cleansing Pill, and an elder position within the Inner Court for his head, dead or alive.
> Elder Xuan-Feng and three Blood-Cleaver Enforcers have crossed the northern border ridge. Arrival at Obsidian Pass is imminent within forty-eight hours. Block all outgoing mountain passes immediately."
>
Li-Wen's dark eyes narrowed into thin, icy slits as he read the final lines.
Elder Xuan-Feng... Li-Wen thought, his right hand unconsciously tightening around the leather scroll, instantly crushing the parchment into fine, gray dust that drifted down between his fingers.
Xuan-Feng was not an ordinary mid-level elder. He was a ruthless, late-stage Core Formation master known throughout the southern continent as the 'Blood-Spotted Hawk.' He specialized in soul-tracking arts and possessed a rare, high-tier spiritual beast capable of sniffing out traces of sword-attribute energy across hundreds of miles.
More importantly, Xuan-Feng was one of the key elders who had personally signed the execution order against Li-Wen's former mentor three years ago.
"So, they have finally tracked my trail to the border lands," Li-Wen murmured quietly to the empty room, his voice flat, calm, and utterly devoid of fear.
He evaluated his current situation with cold, surgical precision. Although his cultivation base had stabilized and his broken sword core had begun to mend thanks to his intense meditation and refined energy techniques, he was not yet strong enough to face a late-stage Core Formation elder accompanied by three elite Enforcers in an open, prolonged battle—especially not while protecting a mortal child.
If a battle erupted within Obsidian Pass, the collateral shockwaves alone would destroy half the city, exposing Xiao-Yue to fatal danger. Furthermore, once Xuan-Feng locked onto his location, the nearby Blood-Fiend Pavilion and local corrupt merchant guilds would join the hunt like starving wolves smelling fresh blood.
Remaining in Obsidian Pass was no longer a viable option. The quiet sanctuary he had built near the bamboo forest was about to become a lethal battleground.
Li-Wen turned away from the desk, stepping out of the subterranean bunker without taking a single coin from the gang's gold hoard. He melted into the shadowy alleys of the lower district, his figure moving like a fleeting phantom through the howling, icy night wind.
By the time Li-Wen returned to the quiet courtyard house near the bamboo forest, the first faint wisp of gray light was beginning to break across the eastern horizon.
He stepped silently through the front door, disarming the defensive spirit array with a subtle wave of his sleeve. Inside, the house was warm and peaceful, filled with the faint, comforting scent of dried plum blossoms.
Xiao-Yue was already awake. She had dressed herself in her thick navy blue robe, her hair tied neatly with the red ribbon Li-Wen had bought her. She was standing on a small wooden stool near the kitchen hearth, carefully stoking the fire to boil fresh spring water for morning tea.
When she heard the quiet sound of his footsteps, she spun around, her face instantly lighting up with a bright, radiant smile.
"Brother Li-Wen! You're back!" she called out happily, hopping off the stool and hurrying over to his side. She looked up at him with large, shining eyes, holding out a clean wooden cup filled with warm water. "I boiled fresh water for you! I didn't touch the heavy iron pots like you told me!"
Li-Wen looked down at the tiny, eager girl holding out the wooden cup. Looking into her pure, trusting eyes, the dark, lethal aura he had carried from the bloody subterranean bunker dissolved completely, replaced by a deep, protective tranquility.
He took the cup from her small hands, taking a slow sip of the warm water before setting it on the wooden table.
"Xiao-Yue," Li-Wen said, sitting down on a low wooden bench and looking directly into her eyes. "Pack your thick cloak and your boots. We are leaving Obsidian Pass today."
Xiao-Yue blinked her large eyes, caught slightly off guard by the sudden news. She looked around the clean, cozy room—the soft bed, the warm hearth, the wooden table where they had shared their meals—the very first place in her life she had ever considered a real home. A subtle flick of reluctance touched her heart, but it vanished in less than a second.
She did not ask why they were leaving. She did not ask if they were in danger, nor did she cry about leaving the comfortable house behind.
Instead, she stepped forward, reaching out with her small, firm hands to grab tightly onto Li-Wen's sleeve, looking up at him with absolute, unwavering trust.
"Wherever you go, Brother Li-Wen, I will go with you," she said, her raspy voice ringing with fierce, pure devotion. "As long as I am with you, I am not afraid of anything."
Li-Wen felt a warm, powerful surge expand deep within his chest. He raised his broad palm, resting it gently atop her head, smoothing down her soft black hair.
"Good," Li-Wen said softly. "We leave now."
They needed less than ten minutes to prepare. Li-Wen packed their essential supplies—the remaining spirit stones, medicinal herbs, dried provisions, and warm clothing—into his spatial storage ring. He ensured the courtyard house was left in immaculate order, leaving a pouch of silver coins on the central table to cover the remaining rent for the landlord.
As the morning sun crested the high mountain ridges, casting long, golden beams through the green bamboo stalks, Li-Wen lifted Xiao-Yue into his arms, wrapping his heavy, fleece-lined cloak securely around her small frame to shield her from the biting wind.
He stepped out of the courtyard gate, locking the solid oak door behind him for the final time.
Instead of heading toward the heavily guarded main southern gates of Obsidian Pass—where gang informants and city guards were likely monitoring every traveler—Li-Wen moved toward the treacherous, jagged cliffs of the western ridge.
This forbidden path, known to locals as the 'Sky-Shatter Pass,' was a perilous mountain trail carved into the sheer faces of high stone cliffs. It was swept by relentless, freezing blizzards and infested with low-tier wild mountain beasts, making it completely impassable for ordinary mortals and merchant caravans.
However, to a master sword cultivator, the steep cliffs and howling winds offered perfect cover.
Li-Wen launched himself upward, his boots tapping lightly against the near-vertical stone walls. He moved with staggering, fluid grace, leaping thirty feet at a time from one narrow rock outcrop to another, his body gliding through the swirling mountain fog like an airborne eagle.
Clutched securely against his chest, Xiao-Yue kept her face tucked warm against his shoulder, her tiny arms wrapped tightly around his neck. She felt no fear as the ground dropped hundreds of feet below them; the steady, rhythmic beat of Li-Wen's heart beneath his tunic and the absolute stability of his grip made her feel safer than standing on solid earth.
By mid-afternoon, they had crossed the highest peak of the western ridge, leaving the shadowed valley of Obsidian Pass far behind them.
Li-Wen landed soundlessly on a high, snow-covered stone ledge overlooking the vast expanse of the southern continent.
Behind them, hidden beneath a thick blanket of grey winter fog, lay Obsidian Pass—a border town now plunged into chaotic turmoil as news of the Phantom Rat Gang's total destruction began to spread through the underworld, and as the dark scouts of the Sovereign Sword Sect arrived to find an empty, cold nest.
In front of them stretched a brand-new, magnificent landscape.
Beyond the snow-capped mountain ridges lay the vast, fertile plains of the Central Sun Province—a thriving, prosperous region home to ancient trading metropolises, legendary cultivation academies, neutral merchant leagues, and vast, unexplored mountain ranges rich with spiritual energy.
Far in the distance, shining like a brilliant jewel beneath the afternoon sun, stood the soaring, golden towers of Imperial Sun City—the largest, most prosperous capital of the central realm. It was a city where no single sect held absolute dominion, where powerful merchant guilds enforced strict neutrality, and where a talented cultivator could easily blend into the vast population to grow his strength in absolute secrecy.
Li-Wen stood tall on the edge of the snowy cliff, his dark hair and cloak whipping dramatically in the high mountain wind.
He looked down at the tiny girl nestled in his arms. Xiao-Yue parted her cloak slightly, peeking out at the breathtaking, endless horizon stretching before them, her eyes wide with awe and wonder at the vast, beautiful world she had never known existed.
"Brother Li-Wen..." she whispered in hushed wonder, pointing her small finger toward the distant golden towers shining on the horizon. "What is that place?"
"That is Imperial Sun City," Li-Wen answered calmly, his dark eyes reflecting the brilliant golden sunlight streaming through the clouds. "Our next destination. A place where we will build a true foundation, where you can grow up in peace, and where no dark shadow will ever reach us."
Xiao-Yue looked up at his sharp, resolute profile, a bright, radiant smile gracing her small face. She nestled her cheek back against his warm chest, clutching his tunic securely. "Okay! To the big golden city!"
Li-Wen adjusted his secure grip on the child, his left hand resting quietly upon the hilt of his heavy sword.
The road ahead was long, fraught with unknown dangers, powerful enemies, and the inevitable storms of the martial world. The Sovereign Sword Sect and the Blood-Fiend Pavilion would continue their relentless hunt, sending stronger elders and deadlier assassins to seek his life.
But Li-Wen was no longer the broken, solitary disciple who had crawled out of the Abyssal Valley in cold despair.
He had a purpose. He had a sister to protect. And he possessed an unyielding sword intent forged through blood, fire, and absolute resolve. Whoever dared to stand in his path or threaten the child in his arms would find only a cold, swift, and absolute demise.
With a single, powerful push off the stone ledge, Li-Wen leaped forward into the vast mountain skies, carrying the small, bright spark of life beside him as they descended toward the vast, golden horizon of the Central Sun Province.
[End of Chapter 42 - End of Arc 1: The Shadowed Escape]