The white glare faded slowly, like a torn curtain being pulled back from reality itself. The air still trembled, filled with drifting fragments of shattered Qi that sparkled like dying stars in the dust-choked sky.
Far above the scorched valley, Old Lady Shen hovered. Her sleeves were shredded, and a thin line of blood trailed from her lip, but her eyes remained terrifyingly calm. Across from her, the Halo Ring Senior—Hei Zun—stood with a flickering serpent halo. His breathing was heavy, yet his predator's grin had not vanished.
"That technique…" Old Lady Shen's voice cut through the ringing silence. "It does not belong to the Heaven Devouring Demon Sect. Where did you obtain such forbidden power?"
Hei Zun tilted his head. "Does it matter? You survived it. That is answer enough."
"Survival is not victory," she countered.
"Nor is endurance defeat," he shot back with a dark chuckle.
Below, the valley groaned. The villagers Hei Zun had sought to erase were crawling from the ruins. Doctor Lu Cheng lay among them, his robes soaked in blood, his face pale as he clutched the cracked formation artifact. The "victory" felt like a funeral.
"You are reckless," Old Lady Shen said, her gaze moving over the broken homes. "That power devours your lifespan, and its wake has cost my people their lives. How do you intend to take responsibility?"
Hei Zun's smile dimmed. "Responsibility? Everything has a price, even your 'righteous' blade. So we both bear the responsibility." She paused, studying him. "What do you truly want, Old Lady Shen asked the Halo ring senior?"
"I seek the end of limitation," he replied. "I seek transcendence."
"Then you will destroy yourself,"she said softly.
"Or I will outgrow the world," he countered.
The air grew cold between them. Old Lady Shen knew that if they continued, one of them would likely die, leaving the village defenseless. Then Her mind raced. I came out only because of this village. but She thought, what his asking for is impossible, Even at my peak, I couldn't defeat the beast inside the forbidden mountain. But If we join forces… we might survive.
She looked at Hei Zun, then at the trembling Elder Han Yue. "I have a proposal," she announced, descending toward the fractured earth. "Come down. This requires the truth."
Minutes later, the experts gathered in the ruins of the village square. Old Lady Shen laid out the secret they had all been hunting for.
"It is a Tier Five monster," she stated plainly.
The silence that followed was absolute.
Han Yue staggered back, his knees hitting the dirt. "Tier Five…?" he whispered, a hollow laugh escaping his throat. "A Nascent Soul-level beast? My sect's records… they said there was nothing but a treasure vault. What a joke… we sent our disciples to a slaughterhouse."
Hei Zun—now identified as Elder Hei Zun—narrowed his eyes. "A Tier Five beast. And you think a few Core Formation 'worms' can skin it?"
"Fear is not surrender, Demon," Han Yue spat, finding a spark of courage. "It is understanding the scale of the hunt."
Old Lady Shen watched Hei Zun carefully.
Even now, he is arrogant. He thinks his dark Qi can bridge the gap to a Nascent Soul-level beast.
"Everyone, listen," Old Lady Shen commanded. "We will open the passage in three days. We need time to heal, and I need time to prepare."
She paused, her expression turning grave as she looked toward the looming, jagged silhouette of the Forbidden Mountain.
"But before we step a single foot into that abyss… there is something we must do first."