The Aftermath

The moment Wolf Soul collapsed, even the mountain winds of the northern foothills fell silent.

The massive, dark green body shattered like a collapsing snow mountain, layer by layer peeling away and transforming into scattered points of light. These lights drifted in the night sky, like countless fireflies, gradually dimming and extinguishing.

Li Xuan stood on the pile of rubble, his right fist still held in a punching pose.

The crimson-gold flames on his fist slowly receded, and the Blood Fiend Gang Qi retracted back into his Stamina.

He lowered his arm. The flesh on his knuckles had been torn open, revealing the white bone beneath, but the bone itself glowed with a faint golden light and was healing at a visible rate.

Blood Fiend Diamond Body.

Elder Bai Chen was the first to react. He sheathed his Long Sword and strode forward, his gaze lingering on Li Xuan for several breaths, as if confirming he wasn't seriously injured.

"You've cultivated the Red Sun Scripture?" Bai Chen's voice held unconcealed surprise.

Li Xuan nodded. "Steward Liu taught me."

Bai Chen was silent for a moment, then glanced back at Zi Yue and Hei Yan. The eyes of both elders held complex emotions.

Shock, admiration, and something indescribable.

"Let's head back first," Bai Chen said. "The Shadow Division will handle matters here."

He turned to the disciples who had been knocked over by the shockwave, raising his voice. "Everyone, retreat to the mountain gate! Do not approach the northern foothills without orders!"

The disciples picked themselves up in twos and threes. Some had pale faces, some had vacant eyes, and some were still trembling. Their gazes towards Li Xuan varied.

Some held awe, some jealousy, some confusion.

Shi Yong squeezed through the crowd and ran to Li Xuan's side. He had also been thrown by the shockwave, a large patch of skin scraped off his back, bleeding, but he was oblivious.

"You damn..." Shi Yong opened his mouth, wanting to curse, but found himself at a loss for words. Finally, he just managed, "When did you get so strong?"

Li Xuan didn't reply.

He looked down at his right fist. The wound had already healed more than halfway, the new skin a faint pink.

With that punch, he had simultaneously pushed the Crimson Sun True Qi and Blood Fiend Gang Qi to their limits. The two opposing Strengths clashed and tore within his Stamina, only to achieve a fragile balance at the last moment.

The feeling was like holding fire and ice simultaneously.

A slight misstep, and he would have exploded.

Su Ying also ran over. The little girl's eyes were red, whether from fear or some other reason was unclear.

Clutching her hammer, she stood behind Shi Yong and whispered, "Senior Brother Li, you were so amazing just now."

Li Xuan glanced at her, saying nothing.

In the distance, people from the Shadow Division had already begun to seal off the mine ruins.

Seven or eight figures in black dispersed, setting up some kind of formation around the collapsed entrance. Faint cyan light patterns spread across the ground, gradually dispelling the residual Yin Sha energy.

Li Xuan's gaze passed over them, looking further towards the small hill.

The spot where Ghost Face had stood was now empty.

Yun Qingxuan walked over. She had a lot of dust on her, but her Spirit seemed calm.

She glanced at Li Xuan and said in a low voice, "The Elder wants you to go back and rest. Tomorrow, the Shadow Division will question you."

Li Xuan nodded.

"Also," Yun Qingxuan paused, "Steward Liu wants to see you tomorrow morning."

Li Xuan's heart stirred. After failing to break through to the Grandmaster realm and entering seclusion, Steward Liu's Stamina had been poor. He hadn't even been able to attend tonight's battle. Now, being summoned so suddenly, it probably wasn't good news.

"Understood," he said.

By the time he returned to Courtyard Seven of Class C, it was past midnight.

Li Xuan pushed open the courtyard gate. The old plum tree was still there, the stone table and stools were still there. Everything was as it was when he left.

But he knew, some things had already changed.

He sat on the couch and closed his eyes, looking inward.

[Li Xuan]
[Status: Lightly Injured (Recovering)]
[Realm: Inner Qi Realm Layer 3 (Stable)]
[Strength: 28.7]
[Stamina: 79.4]
[Agility: 5.2]
[Spirit: 10.0]
[Potential Points: 21.5]
[Cultivation Method: Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique Layer 3 (Break Limit Triple)]
[Cultivation Method: Mountain Suppressing Art (Mastered)]

[Cultivation Method:Red Sun Scripture (Novice)]

[Special:Wolf Soul Mark (Restless), Blood Fiend Diamond Body (Bones Gleam Gold), Yin-Yang Harmony (Blood Fiend Gang Qi and Crimson Sun True Qi preliminary fusion)]

His gaze stopped on the line "Wolf Soul Mark".

Restless.

When Gurqin's clone dissipated, the Wolf Soul Mark within his Stamina twitched violently.

It wasn't fear, nor struggle, but—

Resonance.

Gurqin's dying words still echoed in his mind: "I am but a clone. The real me is still..."

Still where?

If the seal beneath the mine was just a clone, then where was the real Gurqin? In the Northern Territory? In the Barbarian Royal Court? Or—

He recalled the black-robed Shaman who summoned the Wolf Soul on the night Iron Wall City fell.

He recalled the densely packed twenty to thirty black Yings in the cave beneath Black Stone Market.

He recalled Ghost Face's words about "cooperation."

None of this was isolated.

Gurqin had spent thirty years extending his reach beneath the Crimson Firmament Sect's feet.

And they only discovered today that it was merely a clone.

Li Xuan opened his eyes and took out the Pure Yang Stone from his embrace.

The stone was much dimmer than a month ago, its golden aura almost invisible.

To cultivate the Red Sun Scripture, he had absorbed seventy percent of the stone's pure yang energy.

The remaining thirty percent wasn't enough to cultivate another Cultivation Method, but it was enough for other things... like refining the Wolf Soul Mark.

He gripped the stone, feeling a faint warmth in his palm.

Steward Liu had said refining the mark would take half a year.

But now, with the Red Sun Scripture and pure yang energy, perhaps it wouldn't take that long.

Yet, he also knew now wasn't the time to refine it.

Gurqin's clone was just destroyed, Ghost Face was still lurking in the shadows, the Shadow Division would question him tomorrow, and Steward Liu still needed to see him...

Things piled up one after another, like a tide, leaving no room to breathe.

He put the stone away and lay down.

The moonlight outside shone in, falling on the floor before the bed, as white as frost.

In the distance, a wolf howled.

It was short, light, as if from a great distance.

But Li Xuan heard it clearly.

He closed his eyes.

The wolf's howl echoed in his mind, again and again.

The next morning, before Li Xuan could even leave his room, someone arrived.

It wasn't someone from the Shadow Division, but Zhou Ning.

The young man in green stood at the courtyard entrance holding a lacquered tray, his expression grim, dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept well.

On the tray were two vegetable dishes, a bowl of rice, and a pot of tea, just like usual.

"Senior Brother Li, breakfast." Zhou Ning placed the tray on the stone table, secretly glanced at Li Xuan, and hesitated to speak.

"What is it?" Li Xuan asked.

Zhou Ning hesitated, then lowered his voice, "Senior Brother, were you at North Foothill last night?"

Li Xuan looked at him without speaking.

Zhou Ning swallowed. "This morning I heard the steward say something big happened at North Foothill last night. Many inner disciples were injured, and some even said... said the demon sealed beneath the mine had escaped."

He paused, his voice even lower. "Some people said you were the one who killed the demon."

Li Xuan picked up his teacup and took a sip. "It wasn't a demon, but a Barbarian Shaman. And it wasn't killed, just a clone."

Zhou Ning froze, clearly not understanding what "clone" meant, but he didn't dare to ask further.

He bowed and turned to leave.

"Wait." Li Xuan called out to him.

Zhou Ning stopped.

Li Xuan took out a piece of broken silver from his embrace and placed it on the edge of the lacquered tray.

Zhou Ning repeatedly waved his hands, "Senior Brother, I haven't finished the ones you gave me last time—"

"Take it," Li Xuan said. "Help me inquire about something."

Zhou Ning looked up.

"Inquire about what the Shadow Division has been investigating recently," Li Xuan said. "Don't be too obvious, don't let them know you're asking for me."

Zhou Ning bit his lip, nodded, put away the silver pieces, and walked away quickly.

At a quarter past the morning hour, people from the Shadow Division arrived.

A middle-aged man came, dressed in black, with a short saber at his waist. His face was so ordinary he could disappear in a crowd.

But his aura was not ordinary—True Qi Realm, at least fifth level.

"Li Xuan?" the man asked, standing at the courtyard entrance, his voice flat.

"It's me."

"Shadow Division, Zhou Qian." He flashed a token. "Come with me."

Li Xuan followed him out of Courtyard Seven-C, through several alleys in the inner sect, and walked towards the west side of Crimson Firmament Peak.

The west side had a cluster of independent courtyards. Unlike places like the Contribution Hall or the Cultivation Method Pavilion, the buildings here had black walls and gray tiles, with narrow windows, exuding a solemn atmosphere.

This was the Shadow Division's base.

Zhou Qian led him into a small room with only a table and two chairs. A lamp and a stack of papers sat on the table; the walls were bare.

"Sit," Zhou Qian said, pointing to a chair.

Li Xuan sat down.

Zhou Qian sat opposite him, took out a jade slip from his sleeve, and placed it on the table.

"Elder Bai Chen has already reported the incident on the Northern Foothill last night," he said. "We need your cooperation to recount the events. Especially—the details of your fight with Gurqin."

Li Xuan nodded and recounted the events of last night from beginning to end. From emerging from Quiet Heart Cave, to the Northern Foothill mine ruins, to Gurqin's appearance, to his punch. He told the truth, but omitted some things—like the Pure Yang Stone, the Yin-Yang Harmony state, and Gurqin's last words.

Zhou Qian listened, then fell silent for a moment before asking a question that surprised Li Xuan.

"When did you get the Wolf Soul mark within your Stamina?"

Li Xuan's heart tightened.

The Shadow Division really knew.

"The night Iron Wall City fell," he said. "It was planted by a Shaman before he died."

"What is the relationship between that Shaman and Gurqin?"

"I don't know."

Zhou Qian stared at him for a few breaths, then took a piece of paper from his sleeve and pushed it in front of him.

A rune was drawn on the paper.

A circle, with a vertical line in the middle, the top of which branched like a twig.

It was exactly the same as the rune at the mine entrance.

"Recognize it?"

"I've seen it," Li Xuan said. "There's one at the mine entrance, and also in the cave in the Black Stone Market."

Zhou Qian nodded. "This is Gurqin's mark. Thirty years ago, when he was still in the Barbarian Royal Court, he used this rune to mark his followers. The mark within your Stamina is part of this rune."

Li Xuan remained silent.

"Do you know what this means?" Zhou Qian asked.

"It means I've been targeted by him since that night at Iron Wall City."

"More than just targeted," Zhou Qian said. "The mark within your Stamina is a portion of the Strength Gurqin dispersed. He can sense your location through this mark, and even—control you when you are weak."

Li Xuan's fingers tightened slightly.

"But this is not the most troublesome part," Zhou Qian continued. "The most troublesome thing is that after his clone was destroyed by you last night, the mark within your Stamina not only didn't weaken, but grew stronger."

Li Xuan's pupils contracted.

"Our people detected that after midnight last night, the activity of the mark within your Stamina increased by thirty percent," Zhou Qian said. "Do you know what this means?"

Li Xuan was silent for a breath. "It means that after the clone dissipated, a portion of its Strength was absorbed by the mark within my Stamina."

Zhou Qian looked at him, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

"You're smarter than I thought," he said. "That's right. After Gurqin's clone was destroyed, the dispersed Strength didn't completely disappear. Most of it was sealed by us, but a small portion—" he paused, "—entered you."

Li Xuan closed his eyes.

The "resonance" he felt last night was not an illusion.

A portion of Gurqin's clone's Strength had been absorbed by his Wolf Soul mark.

This meant that the mark within his Stamina was growing stronger and stronger.

The stronger the imprint, the easier it would be for Gurqin's Stamina to find him.

"So," Li Xuan opened his eyes, "I've become a lamp."

"More accurately, a lamp that's already been lit," Zhou Qian said. "Gurqin's Stamina might already know your location."

The two exchanged glances.

The room was so quiet you could hear the faint crackle of the burning wick.

"How do we fix it?" Li Xuan asked.

"Two ways," Zhou Qian said. "First, we can help you seal the imprint. But sealing takes at least three months, and during this time, you can't use more than thirty percent of your Strength, or the seal will break."

Li Xuan shook his head. "Three months is too long. What's the second way?"

Zhou Qian looked at him, silent for a few breaths.

"The second way is for you to refine it yourself," he said. "Use your Red Sun Scripture to completely burn away the Yin Sha Qi within the imprint. This will not only solve the imprint problem but also allow your cultivation to advance further."

"How long will that take?"

"If you go into full Strength seclusion, half a month," Zhou Qian said. "But there's a problem."

"What problem?"

"When you refine the imprint, the Crimson Yang True Qi and Blood Fiend Gang Qi within your Stamina will violently conflict," Zhou Qian said. "If you can't suppress it, your meridians will shatter, making you even worse off than Qin Lie back then."

Li Xuan fell silent.

Qin Lie had been backlashed back then, severing an arm to save his life.

Now, he faced the same risk.

"There's also another piece of news," Zhou Qian stood up, collecting the papers and jade slips from the table. "We've found out Ghost Face's identity."

Li Xuan looked up.

"His name is Yan Wugui," Zhou Qian said. "Thirty years ago, he was an inner disciple of the Crimson Firmament Sect, Qin Lie's junior brother."

Li Xuan's pupils contracted sharply.

"Qin Lie's junior brother?"

"Yes," Zhou Qian said. "He entered the mine with Qin Lie back then, and fought Gurqin together. But when Qin Lie sealed Gurqin, he was eroded by Gurqin's soul Strength and disappeared. Everyone thought he was dead."

He paused.

"Now it seems he didn't die. He became Gurqin's subordinate."

Li Xuan clenched his fists.

Qin Lie's junior brother.

Gurqin's follower.

Ghost Face.

What happened to these three in that mine thirty years ago?

Zhou Qian walked to the door and looked back at him.

"Half a month. You only have half a month to refine the imprint," he said. "Because in half a month, the Shadow Division will send people to the Northern Territory to investigate the whereabouts of Gurqin's Stamina. If you don't get rid of the imprint, going to the Northern Territory will be suicide."

He pushed the door open.

"Of course, you can choose not to go. No one is forcing you."

The door closed.

Li Xuan sat alone in the room, motionless for a long time.

After leaving the Shadow Division, Li Xuan didn't return to Courtyard C7 but went to the back mountain.

Quiet Heart Cave.

The cave entrance was open. Steward Liu sat on a meditation cushion, in the same posture and with the same expression as yesterday.

But his complexion was even worse than yesterday, ashen like old paper.

"You're here," Steward Liu said. "Sit."

Li Xuan sat down.

"The Shadow Division questioned you?"

"Mm."

"What did they say?"

Li Xuan recounted Zhou Qian's words.

After Steward Liu finished listening, he was silent for a long time.

"Yan Wugui..." he murmured. "He's still alive."

"Does the Steward know him?"

Steward Liu gave a wry smile. "Know him? More than know him. Back then, Qin Lie, Yan Wugui, and I were taught by the same master. Qin Lie was the eldest disciple, Yan Wugui was the second, and I was the youngest."

Li Xuan's heart trembled.

"I didn't go to that incident back then," Steward Liu said. "I had just broken through to the Inner Qi Realm. Master said my cultivation wasn't enough and made me stay in the sect. Qin Lie and Yan Wugui went. When they returned, Qin Lie had lost his right arm, and Yan Wugui was missing."

He paused.

"Master searched for him but couldn't find him. Later, Master died of grief, still muttering Yan Wugui's name on his deathbed."

Li Xuan was silent for a breath. "Why did he help Gurqin?"

"I don't know," Steward Liu shook his head. "But I can guess. Yan Wugui, his talent wasn't as good as Qin Lie's, but his ambition was even higher. He always wanted to prove he was stronger than Qin Lie. If Gurqin made him some promise, he might have been tempted... like power, or a chance to surpass Qin Lie."

He looked at Li Xuan.

"You're going to the Northern Territory."

It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Li Xuan nodded.

Steward Liu sighed and took out a jade slip from his embrace, handing it to him.

"This is the last scroll Qin Lie left behind. I never had the heart to give it to anyone."

Li Xuan took it.

"He said if one day someone could go to the Northern Territory in his stead, they should be given this scroll," Steward Liu looked at him. "Now it seems that person is you."

Li Xuan pressed the jade slip to his forehead.

Information flooded in... it was a letter.

"To Li Xuan:

By the time you read this letter, I should be dead. Or close to it.

I've made many mistakes in my life. The biggest was carrying everything alone back then.

I thought I could solve everything, but I ended up harming my junior brother, myself, and those who believed in me.

Don't be like me.

When you need to find help, find help.

When you need to retreat, retreat.

Living is more important than anything.

That place, the Northern Territory, I went once and never want to go again. But if you must go, remember three things:

First, Gurqin's origin, is in the deepest part of the Northern Territory, a place called 'Black Abyss'. There is no light, no sound, only endless darkness. He has been cultivating there for three hundred years and is no longer human.

Second, Ghost Face—that is, Yan Wugui—he helped Gurqin not for power. He was trying to save someone. As for who it is, you'll have to find out yourself.

Third, the Blood Fiend Gang Qi within your stamina is a double-edged sword. Used well, it can kill Gurqin; used poorly, it will kill you. Remember, the malevolent energy is the blade, you are not the hilt, you are the hand holding the blade. The sharper the blade, the steadier the hand must be.

Don't die.

--Qin Lie"

Li Xuan read it and remained silent for a long time.

He put away the jade slip, then stood up.

"Steward, I'm leaving."

Steward Liu nodded, not getting up to see him off.

Li Xuan walked to the cave entrance and looked back.

Steward Liu sat on the futon, his back hunched, like an old house about to collapse.

When he returned to Courtyard Seven, it was already dark.

Li Xuan sat on the couch, took out the Pure Yang Stone from his embrace, and held it in his left palm. He placed his right hand on his dantian and circulated the Red Sun Scripture.

Within his stamina, the Scarlet Sun True Qi and the Blood Fiend Gang Qi surged simultaneously.

He took a deep breath.

He began to refine.

The Scarlet Sun True Qi flowed into the Wolf Soul imprint deep in his right shoulder, like a red-hot knife cutting into frozen flesh.

Intense pain exploded instantly.

He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

The imprint struggled, resisted. It sensed danger and desperately tried to shrink deeper into the meridians, to escape the scorching strength.

But the Scarlet Sun True Qi was relentless, stripping away the Yin malevolent energy on the imprint layer by layer, burning it into nothingness.

With each layer stripped away, the imprint weakened.

With each weakening, the Scarlet Sun True Qi within Li Xuan's stamina grew stronger.

One waned, the other waxed.

The time it took for one stick of incense to burn.

Two sticks of incense.

Li Xuan was drenched in sweat, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

[Wolf Soul imprint: 75%... 62%... 48%...]

The numbers on his status panel flickered.

Each flicker was a tearing pain.

But he endured. He had to live, and he had to rip this thing out of his Stamina first.

Outside the window, the moon had risen.

The lights of Crimson Firmament Peak lit up one by one, then extinguished one by one.

Crimson Sun True Qi burned within his Stamina, like an inextinguishable fire.

On the windowsill, the last trace of golden light from the Pure Yang Stone slowly seeped into his palm.

The stone darkened.

It became an ordinary gray stone.

And the Wolf Soul imprint within his Stamina shattered.

[Wolf Soul imprint: Refined]

[Obtained: Pure Yang True Qi (Minor Accomplishment)]

[Effects: Red Sun Scripture proficiency +50%, damage against Yin and evil entities +500%]

[Stamina: 79.4 → 85.0]

[Strength: 28.7 → 32.1]

[Spirit: 10.0 → 15.0]

[Potential Points: 21.5 → 25.0]

Li Xuan opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, crimson-gold light flickered like flames.

He looked down at his right hand.

On his palm, Blood Fiend Gang Qi and Crimson Sun True Qi intertwined, no longer repelling each other, but...

fusing.

Like two rivers flowing into the same ocean.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.