"Surprised you?"
A young man spoke, his silky hair floating unnaturally in the air as if submerged in water. His crimson eyes were darker than they had ever been—a bottomless, blood-soaked void.
It was Kirihito.
Neither Lìngxi nor Kage Ou knew who he was; they saw only a demonic entity that had shattered the peaceful moment with a mere flick of his hair. His sheer presence felt like a physical weight pressing down on the temple.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Kage Ou demanded, his voice trembling with fury. "How did you breach the domain?"
"To crack the ice a little," Kirihito replied simply, his tone airy and mocking. "A simple crack is more than enough for me to slip inside."
"What do you mean?" Lìngxi hissed, his voice shaking as the discomfort in his chest worsened.
The demon must have followed them when the domain aperture flickered open as they crossed the threshold. What they couldn't grasp was the benefit this demon gained by 'cracking' them.
Neither could identify which demonic realm he hailed from; he felt fundamentally different from any spirit they had encountered. No barrier seemed to hold him, even as the temple's defenses continued to pulse against the surge of cursed energy.
"No time for talk. I'm bored. Let's play," Kirihito purred, a dark grin stretching across his face.
He was no longer in control of his own vessel; a darker voice pulled the strings from behind the veil of his consciousness. The locks of his hair lunged forward like striking cobras. Cultivators from both clans rushed to defend their Dàozǔ, their swords crossing in a desperate formation, only to have the blades tangled in the suffocating black strands.
"We have to take you somewhere safe. You cannot fight this time," Kage Ou said, firmly grasping Lìngxi by the forearm to pull him away.
The Dark Voice chuckled through Kirihito's lips. "Where do you think you're going? I came specifically to meet you two... not these ants."
He stepped forward effortlessly. His hair twisted the cultivators' steel blades as if they were nothing more than melted candle wax before tossing them aside like refuse.
"He—he will destroy the entire temple if he stays here any longer!" Lìngxi stammered, panic rising as his chest tightened painfully.
"Think about yourself before the temple," Kage Ou snapped, rushing him toward the rear exits. "It can be rebuilt. You cannot be replaced if you break today."
Kirihito tilted his head, watching them flee with a predator's curiosity. "The chase of cat and mouse feels flat today without a fight."
He didn't even acknowledge the attacks from the remaining cultivators as combat; to him, they were merely annoying distractions. With two casual backhanded swipes, he sent the men flying backward with inhuman force.
"Get out of my way. Can't you see I'm busy with my moths?" Kirihito murmured.
The main exit was already blocked by jagged shards of ice. The only way out was a treacherous backward path—a twisted route long forbidden due to the flow of poisonous black water that fed into the main river. They had no other choice. Kage Ou knew he couldn't leave Lìngxi behind to face Kirihito alone; the risk was too great.
Lìngxi struggled to walk. His deliberate steps left frost on the rocks, a physical manifestation of his overflowing anxiety. Kage Ou's jaw tightened in worry; the demon could easily track the trail of ice they were leaving behind.
While Kirihito was momentarily delayed by a fresh wave of disciples, Kage Ou used the opportunity to strike a massive stone pillar with a spiritual-fist technique, collapsing the entrance behind them to buy time.
"Play as hard as you want... I already know what to do."
Kirihito's voice drifted through the cracks just before the path was fully sealed.
"This path was forbidden before I even became the Dàozǔ here," Lìngxi said, swallowing dryly against the rising bile of fear. "We cannot trust it."
"Do you trust me as a friend or not?" Kage Ou asked, looking him directly in the eye.
Lìngxi blinked, startled. "It's not about—"
"I asked for a straight answer this time," Kage Ou insisted. He usually loved to hear Lìngxi talk, but the luxury of time had vanished.
"You two are playing a very poor game of hide and seek," Kirihito's voice echoed from behind the rockfall. The sound was distorted now—two voices speaking in a chilling, demonic unison. A heavy thud vibrated through the blocked passage; he was already breaking through.
Kage Ou looked at Lìngxi with urgent, desperate eyes.
"I do—"
Before Lìngxi could finish his answer, he was swept up into a bridal carry. He let out a small, shaky yelp of surprise.
"What are you doing?" Lìngxi whispered, his eyes fluttering.
"You can't walk properly, and your ice is spreading uncontrollably. He'll spot us," Kage Ou answered. He turned and plunged into one of the ten small tunnels branching off the cave. He wasn't sure if it was the right path, but his singular focus was to get Lìngxi away from the demon and the poisonous black water.
"Kage... there is no guarantee this leads to the other side. It could be a dead end... or the river's double-wave..." Lìngxi mumbled weakly. His eyes drifted shut as he wrapped his arms tightly around Kage Ou's neck, his mind wandering to his daughter and his people. "What if he harms the Mèi Rén Sect? If he entered here, he can find the Lànxìe too!"
"Stop panicking. I'll find a way. Keep quiet and focus on staying alive. Lànhuā and the others
aren't helpless; they can manage without us."
Kage Ou's voice echoed softly through the damp cavern. The water rose to their waists, cold but harmless for the moment, so long as they didn't succumb to the current. He held Lìngxi high, ensuring the man's lips didn't even accidentally touch the dark surface.
Finally, Lìngxi's body gave in, and he slipped into unconsciousness. Deprived of his necessary treatments and exhausted by the spiritual strain, his system had forced a shutdown to preserve what little strength remained.
"Lìngxi? Lìngxi!" Kage Ou called out softly.
He reached up to touch the gem on Lìngxi's forehead. It was still warm, glowing with a faint, steady light. There was still time.
"Rest, then," he murmured, adjusting his grip and staring into the darkness ahead.
Behind them, the sound of shattering stone exploded through the tunnel.
"Good, good... guard him well," Kirihito's voice—intertwined with that of the Dark Voice—reverberated off the wet walls. "How else will my task be finished so quickly?"
Kage Ou swallowed hard, his jaw aching from the tension.
'I've never seen a demon like this, he thought, mentally cursing as the floor beneath the water seemed to vanish from under his feet. It's as if he isn't hunting us... he's herding us.'
••••●••••••●•••◇
A special notice for
my first 119 family :
Hello, my dear Tearstones!
Long time no see – again.
Firstly, thank you for 200k views and almost 110 collections. I am really glad you all still find it worth giving us your time, even when this story is not as perfect or polished as other works.
This story found its rhythm and voice really late. Maybe. I know. I have grown with each chapter. They felt different in each chapter. I have head-hopped, shown some unnecessary parts, gone really slow, and not been able to shape Kirihito into who he should be — because I was kind of driven by making him an almost weightless anti-villain.
But the new version will be better.
Today, I finished 26 chapters of Volume 1 of Version 2. I do not want you to suffer from not understanding, nor do I want to be rejected again this time, so it might take a while to be released. I will revise after finishing the whole book.
You will see a new version of Kirihito. And you will connect deeply with him this time.
I will also prove that a warm and joyful ML — not like any other cultivation bottom ML — can still stand on his own.
Until then, I pray for your well-being.♤♡◇