“What you say is absolutely right, sir!” Gavin nodded repeatedly, a pleading look appearing on his face. “Sir, Elder Flint has already fallen, and Rockhold Gorge has been destroyed. We must return to the Myriad Beast Sect headquarters at once to report this matter…”
“Sir, your kindness toward us is unforgettable. We sincerely ask you to accompany us to the headquarters! There are countless powerful figures there. You’ll be properly received, and the Sect Master will personally learn of your help, and your strength.”
Beside him, Yvette nodded so hard her pupils quivered with hope. They had witnessed Jared’s true might. If this mysterious savior walked into their headquarters, it could shift not only their personal fates but the very balance in their brutal war with the Infinite Soul Demon Sect.
Jared hesitated only a breath. He needed a base of operations to hunt information on the Infinite Soul Demon Sect and its master, the Soul Devourer.
The Myriad Beast Sect—local, powerful, and already at odds with his enemies—was an obvious choice, Garrick’s arrogance notwithstanding.
“Very well,” Jared said, nothing more. The simple answer hit Gavin and Yvette like sunrise. Relief flashed across their faces before they leapt into motion.
They rallied the dozen remaining disciples, gathered fallen comrades’ keepsakes, and set the gorge ablaze—better ashes than fodder for the Infinite Soul Demon Sect.
Under star-drowned skies, the party slipped into the deeper reaches of the Myriad Beast Mountains, Gavin and Yvette leading while Jared’s silent presence hovered like an invisible shield.
Beyond scorched Rockhold Gorge, the forest thickened into primeval darkness. Every branch dripped with unknown threats; every gust of wind carried the scent of lurking predators.
The deeper they went, the richer the spiritual energy—pearlescent veils that promised power yet hid monstrosities sharpened by that same energy.
Had Jared not been there, Gavin and the other wounded disciples would have collapsed long before the halfway mark.
A cloud of Blood-Wing Bats, each the size of a war-horse, fangs gleaming, descended like living night to blot out the moon.
Moments later, a Frostdrake Python erupted from an icy tarn, its frigid breath capable of sealing a hundred kilometers in crystal winter.
Both threats lasted no longer than a heartbeat.
One flash of Jared’s sword and the bats rained from the sky; one blazing fist, infused with chaotic fire, smashed the python’s scales and sent the leviathan howling back beneath the ice.
Each time danger surfaced, Jared ended it before his companions could even draw breath, leaving only the echo of violence in his wake.
In every surviving beast-clan disciple, fear melted into veneration. Their eyes followed Jared now with unwavering trust, as though he alone carried the promise of dawn through the endless, lethal night.
The small Fire Unicorn feasted without restraint, its sharp teeth tearing through sinew as though the meal had been prepared for royalty.
Each swallow of blood-rich meat and each molten monster core sent a crimson-gold shimmer racing across its hide, and the creature’s compact frame thickened another fraction, the promise of future majesty glowing at every joint.
While they walked, Gavin and Yvette used the lull to brief Jared on the land he had entered.
The Myriad Beast Mountains, they said, stretched for millions of miles, a living fortress where untamed spirits and raw nature still ruled.
The Myriad Beast Sect was less a single monastery than a coalition of countless beast clans bound by shared totems and guided by a council of venerable elders.
Disciples trained according to bloodline: some channeled tiger or eagle, others bore wolf or bear, all learning to fight in fur, fang, and spirit.
Across the border, on the blood-dark plain, the Infinite Soul Demon Sect thrived on devouring spirits, forging fiends, and poisoning every stream it touched. Over the last thousand years, its raids had grown bolder, pressing ever deeper into mountain territory.
Jared listened in silence, filing away each fact. Yet when Gavin mentioned the Infinite Soul Demon Sect, Jared caught a tremor behind the warrior’s eyes—anger, yes, but also a quietly gnawing fear.
After three days and three nights threading perilous gorges and icy rivers, the party finally reached the soaring heart of the range.
