In the Southern Wilderness, all it took was a climb to high ground to see mountains rising and falling as far as the eye could reach, peaks and cliffs standing like a forest, miasma billowing and foul mist spreading everywhere. They looked magnificent, yet resembled hell itself, brewing all manner of atrocities that stripped away a person's humanity.
In a valley where a tribe had settled, a clear stream gurgled along, nourishing the soil and watering the plants. Unlike the rivers nearby, perpetually stained with poisonous miasma, it was a precious source of life.
Inside an earthen hut in the tribe, a young man stared at the corpse before him, his eyes red-rimmed with shock, fear, and grief. Someone had stripped away its skin and shaved off every protrusion from its body. A trace of pain and hatred still lingered on its face.
An hour ago, the corpse had been his sister: his cheerful, lively, warmhearted sister. She had someone she loved and dreamed of the future, but a disciple of the Blood Robe Sect had taken a fancy to her while collecting the sect's tribute. After satisfying his lust, he still hadn't stopped. He had done something so heinous it beggared belief.
Xi Da clenched both fists and knelt before the corpse. Like a wounded beast, he made a hoarse, rasping sound in his throat, consumed by grief and hatred.
He abruptly raised his head and looked at his father, who was smoking a water pipe with sorrow etched across his face. His voice was hoarse but resolute as he said:
"I want revenge! I want revenge!"
His father took a draw from his water pipe and sighed. "How are you going to get revenge? One finger from one of the Blood Robe Sect's venerables could kill you. How