Deep within the third region, darkness ruled.
Seven figures in black cloaks sat in a loose circle around a jagged stone embedded in the earth. The stone pulsed faintly, threads of dark energy leaking out like black smoke, warping the air around it. Every pulse carried an oppressive, evil aura that made even seasoned cultivators feel uneasy.
One of the cloaked men, the same one who had touched the stone earlier, clicked his tongue in irritation. "Damn Beast Mountain Sect. How the fuck can they take this long just to bring a single artifact."
Across from him, another man casually tossed a dagger into the air. It spun once, twice, before he caught it cleanly by the hilt. "You're right. If those idiots show up now, I'll beat them first for making us wait this long."
They laughed lightly, completely relaxed, utterly unaware they were already being watched.
High above them, hidden among dense branches, two figures crouched silently.
On one tree branch sat a woman with snow-white hair, her expression cold and sharp. On a nearby branch, another woman with flowing pink hair mirrored her posture. Their movements were so controlled that even the wind failed to notice them.
The white-haired woman narrowed her eyes, staring at the stone below. "That thing… I can feel it. There's a heavy evil aura leaking out."
The pink-haired woman's hand slid into her spiritual ring. "I don't know what the hell it is, but it's not something that should exist. Either we destroy it here or take it back to Master after killing every last one of them."
A soft metallic whisper echoed as she drew her sword. The blade remained sheathed, but the sheath itself was striking—pink, with an intricate golden dragon pattern etched along its length.
The white-haired woman drew her own sword as well. Identical in make and design, only her sheath was pure white, the same golden dragon pattern gleaming faintly.
Both women released their beast qi.
Golden light erupted around the white-haired woman, coating her body and sword like a blazing halo. Beside her, pink beast qi surged outward from the pink-haired woman, wrapping her like blooming flames.
Their killing intent rose sharply—
Then both of them froze.
Someone was coming.
At the same instant, they suppressed their beast qi completely, vanishing back into the shadows as if they had never been there.
Below, the seven black-cloaked men stiffened.
One of them turned his head sharply. "Did you feel that qi just now?"
"Yeah," another replied, scanning the surroundings. "You think someone's here?"
"I swear someone was watching us."
Before their suspicion could grow, movement appeared from the direction of the disturbance.
A group of disciples emerged from between the trees.
They wore the insignia of the Beast Mountain Sect.
The moment the black-cloaked men saw what they were carrying, their expressions shifted.
The disciples dragged a headless corpse across the ground. Blood had long dried, but the stench of death clung heavily to it. Behind them, the massive corpse of a Metallic Bear was being hauled with great difficulty, its once-majestic body broken and lifeless.
The man playing with the dagger scoffed. "Oh. So that was their qi."
"Hah," another said lazily. "I thought someone was actually spying on us."
The man who had touched the stone earlier wrinkled his nose and covered it. "Fuck, that stinks. Why the hell are they dragging a dead body here?"
The Beast Mountain Sect disciples stepped forward, faces grim, unaware that they had just walked straight into a nest of vipers—and that two hunters still watched silently from above, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
From the branches above, the pink-haired woman's eyes widened in shock. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Those are Beast Mountain Sect disciples… why the hell are they here?"
Her thoughts raced. Are they working with Evil Sanctum?
Beside her, the white-haired woman remained calm, her gaze cold and focused. She had already suspected something was wrong. When she had previously gone to the Beast Mountain Sect to recruit disciples for Heaven Academy, she had briefly sensed a trace of dark energy within the sect. It vanished almost instantly, but it had been real. On top of that, their disciples were abnormally strong for their cultivation levels. There was no way all of that was just coincidence.
"For now," the white-haired woman said quietly, "we watch. Don't act yet." Her sharp eyes never left the Evil Sanctum cultivators below.
On the ground, the Beast Mountain Sect disciples approached cautiously. They placed the headless corpse to the side and straightened their posture despite their exhaustion. Walking such a long distance while hauling bodies had nearly drained them dry.
In unison, they bowed. "Greetings to seniors."
The man who had touched the stone earlier waved impatiently, still pinching his nose. "Alright, alright. First tell me—whose fucking body is this?"
One disciple stepped forward, swallowing nervously. "Senior… this is the body of our elder's son. He came with us."
The man playing with the dagger tilted his head, a cruel smirk forming on his lips. He flipped the dagger once and caught it. "Oh? Then where's this so-called elder? He dares to keep us waiting?"
The disciple's face turned pale. "Ah… senior, the elder is not with us. He went to hunt down the one who killed his son."
The moment those words left his mouth, the dagger-playing man stepped forward. In a flash, he was right in front of the disciple, the cold blade pressed against the disciple's throat. "So you useless trash think it's fine to keep us waiting for this shit?"
The disciple's legs gave out. He dropped to his knees instantly, forehead slamming into the ground. "Senior, p-please spare us! It's not our fault!"
The man's eyes turned vicious. "Spare you? Fuck that."
Beast qi surged around the dagger as he raised it, aiming straight for the disciple's head.
Before the blade could fall, a sharp, furious bird's roar tore through the forest.
Clang.
A black-cloaked figure intercepted the dagger mid-swing, stopping it inches from the disciple's skull.
Everyone froze and looked up.
From the sky descended a massive Four-Winged Roc. Its condition was miserable—feathers torn out, blood staining its body, its aura unstable. Clutched in its talons was a heavily injured Pan Lun, barely conscious but still alive.
The dagger-playing man clicked his tongue in annoyance, turning toward his companion. "Why the fuck did you stop me?"
The black-cloaked man withdrew his hand calmly. "I know you want to kill them all," he said flatly, "but we need the artifact first. Once we're done here, we can wipe out an entire village on the way back. Satisfied?"
The dagger-playing man grinned slowly. "Hah… fine."
Above them, hidden among the trees, the two women watched silently.
The white-haired woman's eyes narrowed. "So it's confirmed."
The pink-haired woman tightened her grip on her sword. "Yeah… Beast Mountain Sect has already fallen."