Light rippled ahead of the fleeing elders. Zevon materialized out of that shimmer, calm as dusk, blocking the narrow gorge they had hoped to escape through.
Terror froze the group. One elder, voice shaking, managed, “S-Sir, w-we only followed orders. Please, spare us…”
Zevon’s eyes hardened to ice. “Did you ever spare a soul when it was your turn to strike? Today, you pay the price for every drop of blood you spilled.”
As soon as Zevon finished his sentence, his hands blurred through a storm of hand seals. Spears of condensed spiritual power erupted around him and shot forward at the elders of Malevolent Path Hall like a hail of midnight arrows.
The elders threw up frantic defensive cultivation techniques, glimmering shields, runic walls, but Zevon’s force ripped through their defenses as if through rice paper, leaving nothing but splintered light in its wake.
“Argh!”
Screams sliced the wind. Bodies ruptured under the impact, dissolving into crimson mist that drifted away on a cold breeze, erased as though they had never existed.
Duty finished, Zevon flickered back to Jared and Sylvia’s side, the battlefield’s silence collapsing in behind him.
Awe shone in Jared’s eyes. “Mr. Swanson, that was astounding. Thank you for wiping out those monsters…”
Zevon allowed himself a small smile. “Think nothing of it. A simple chore. Still, Winston slipped away. He may trouble us again.”
Jared’s expression steadied into quiet resolve. “Once we uncover the Heaven Gate Sect’s ruins, my strength will soar. If Winston dares return to trouble us, I’ll finish him off with one sword strike.”
Jared felt a quiet, almost electric certainty rise in his chest.
If he could just locate the entrance to Heaven Gate Sect’s ruins hidden somewhere deep within Heaven Gate Mountain, then Winston, no matter how terrifying the rumors that clung to that name, would no longer be a threat.
The thought steadied his breathing and sharpened his gaze, as though the mountain itself had become a compass guiding him toward salvation.
“You intend to head for Heaven Gate Sect’s ruins?” Zevon asked, his voice low and measured, like a testing blade sliding from its sheath.
“We do…” Sylvia dipped her chin once, the pale lantern-light glinting across her dark eyes. “We have already found the gateway that leads inside.”
Zevon’s brow pinched, the faintest crease between his eyes betraying an unspoken worry. A sentence flickered on his lips, then died unvoiced.
Not missing the hesitation, Jared stepped forward. “Mr. Swanson, is something bothering you?”
Zevon gave a tiny start, then exhaled.
“Nothing at all…” he said, forcing a small smile. “But I will not be able to accompany you into Heaven Gate Sect’s ruins. I’ll remain close, however, within reach should you require me.”
He drew a lustrous emerald badge from inside his robe. The badge shimmered faintly, as if a silver tide swirled beneath its surface.
“I forged this myself,” he said, placing it in Jared’s palm. “A sliver of my own spiritual energy rests within it. Should danger find you, break the emerald badge. I will sense the fracture and come as swiftly as Heaven allows.”
Warmth flooded Jared’s throat. “Thank you, Mr. Swanson. I will remember this favor for as long as I draw breath!”
Beside him, Sylvia pressed a fist to her heart. “Your generosity will not be forgotten.”
Zevon waved away the praise. “Chance brought us together. Courtesy is needless between us. If hardship hunts you again, you know where to find me.”
He turned, robes stirring like morning mist, then paused when Jared’s voice chased after him.
“One more favor, could you rouse the Celestial King?” Jared gestured toward the mighty figure slumped nearby, his gaze vacant and childlike.
Zevon flicked his wrist. A whisper of light leapt from his palm, brushed Celestial King’s brow, and vanished.
Instantly, a spark of clarity ignited in Celestial King’s eyes, smothering the veil of stupor.
“My work here is done…” Zevon’s words drifted in the air, and his body dissolved with them, leaving only a ripple where he had stood.
Following Zevon’s disappearance, Celestial King straightened, armor clinking with sudden awareness. His gaze swept the stone corridor, then fixed on Jared and Sylvia.
“Who are you, and what are you doing in my hall?”
“My name is Jared Chance,” Jared answered, voice calm yet firm. “I am here to rescue you.”
“Sylvia Vale,” Sylvia added, every syllable crisp. “Sect leader of the Earth Fiend Sect.”
Celestial King blinked, baffled. “Rescue me? When did I become someone in need of rescue?”
Jared did not argue. Instead, he slipped a carved token from his item pouch, an ancient crest of aged gold inlaid with a single star of crimson jade.
It was the command token of Celestial Palace’s very first Celestial King.
Color drained from Celestial King’s face. “T-That is the founding Celestial King’s Celestial King Decree! How could it possibly be in your possession?”
