By the time the chores in the courtyard were finished, the ink of night had grown even darker. Kai Fu and his companions left after spitting on the ground near LeeHan and giving him a final, cold warning. LeeHan's body was now little more than a living corpse. With staggering, dragging steps, he moved toward the place the Sect had assigned him to live—a dilapidated, damp, and moldy shack. How "generous" the Blood-Refining Sect was, to provide a roof for their slaves to die under.
The moment LeeHan stepped into the darkness of the hut and closed the door, his remaining composure shattered. He collapsed onto the floor. The sound of his sobs echoed in the dark. His entire face was swollen, and the throbbing pain from his broken teeth felt like it was tearing through the nerves of his brain.
He joined his blood-stained hands and whispered in a trembling voice, "Great Buddha... please have mercy on me. Was I born only for this hell? Has the price of my entire life been paid in just ten gold coins?"
His tears fell onto his open wounds, making the stinging sensation even worse. He clutched his torn shirt to his chest, whimpering. "Just give me one chance to leave this place... just one chance. This place is evil; there are no humans here, only beasts. God, set me free from this hell... I cannot stay here anymore."
His voice was swallowed by the silence of the empty hut. Outside, the whistling wind sounded as if the very walls of the Sect were laughing at his helplessness. LeeHan knew there was no one here to listen to a prayer to Buddha, yet his breaking heart begged for just one ray of hope.
Suddenly, while tears were still falling from LeeHan's eyes, the entire valley shook with a terrifying explosion. Dust and debris began to rain down from the shack's ceiling. From outside, screams of agony and the clashing of steel erupted.
This was no ordinary attack. Beams of brilliant white light fell from the sky, as if thousands of lightning bolts had descended at once. Thousands of warriors from the Holy Sword Sect, riding upon their flying swords, were tearing down the Sect's walls.
But the most terrifying sight was at the very center of the sky. Parting the clouds, a Messenger of the Heavenly Court appeared. He was surrounded by an aura so potent it made the soul shiver—he was at the Quasi-Immortal stage! His mere presence forced the powerful Elders of the Blood-Refining Sect to their knees.
"Blood-Refining Sect!" the Messenger's voice thundered, "By using Forbidden Techniques, you have challenged the laws of Heaven. Today, this empire of sin ends!"
Chaos erupted throughout the Sect. The disciples who were just a moment ago kicking LeeHan were now scurrying like rats to save their lives. People like Kai Fu and Wang Bo, who had been boasting of their power, now lay in the dirt awaiting death.
LeeHan saw that the guards had abandoned their posts. Fire raged everywhere, and the Sect's protective barrier had been shattered into pieces. His body was in pain, but the fire for freedom was far stronger than the ache in his bones.
"This is the chance..." LeeHan gathered his courage despite his broken jaw and bloodied body. He crawled out of the hut and, using the smoke and flames as cover, ran toward a secret passage he had spotted while cleaning. Behind him, the entire Sect was becoming a graveyard, but LeeHan did not look back even once.
The slave of ten gold coins had broken the chains of hell and vanished into the dark forest.
Up in the sky, the eyes of the Heavenly Court Messenger suddenly flashed. For a fleeting second, he felt a terrifying and ancient 'Aura' emanating from LeeHan's direction—an energy so primal it made even his Quasi-Immortal soul shudder. Yet, the power felt dormant, as if it had not yet fully awakened. Due to the urgency of the battle, he didn't dwell on it and turned his full attention back to the massacre below.
At that moment, three or four ancient Elders emerged from the depths of the Blood-Refining Sect. These were no ordinary men; they were at the Peak of the Sky Lord stage. With madness in their eyes, they sliced their palms open and shrieked in unison—"Ancient Blood Devouring Art!"
The entire sky turned a visceral red. Rivers of blood floated in the air, forming a massive shield. But the Elders of the Holy Sword Sect were just as formidable. They immediately activated their "Heavenly Support Technique." Thousands of glowing swords rained from the heavens, clashing against the blood shield. The collision between the two forces was so violent that the earth itself began to crack.
"Puny insects!" the Messenger's voice boomed.
He drew his Quasi-Immortal weapon—a massive spear. The golden light radiating from it was so blinding it seared the eyes of all below. As he struck downward with the spike, a deafening explosion occurred.
BOOM!
The attack was so powerful it scattered the Elders' Blood Art like dry leaves. The entire Blood-Refining Sect began to turn into a heap of ash. The Messenger had intentionally controlled his power slightly, wanting to capture a few Elders and key figures alive to take back to the Heavenly Court for interrogation.
Amidst this horrific destruction and thick smoke, minor disciples were fleeing through secret paths like vermin. No one paid any attention to the 'servant' LeeHan, who had already vanished into the darkness with his destiny and that strange, haunting aura.