I can't let this go on any longer. I'm at my limits,' Ren reminded himself just as he came to a stop. The sweat drenching his collar was evidence that his body was taking more than it should. The pain in his lungs was like flames dancing in there, constantly burning the walls the more he drew in heavy breaths.

He was glad that the sect leader and the other elders hadn't bothered stopping him. Why? He couldn't even guess. His focus was Han's killer who was using his knowledge of the sect to flee and hide from them.

To counter this tactic, Ren decided to open up his heightened perception to see and feel through the air and the ground.

He spotted his target as it was the only moving soul in his field of senses.

'Bingo!'

'Just a little more,' he comforted himself as he forced his dantian to draw in the energy from the void, causing pain to himself both physically and mentally. 'You cannot let him escape again. He deserves death.'

Using the void energy, he created a bubble barrier around his target before they could escape it again. 'Yes. I now have you.'

"Sect leader, should we hel-"

"Hush! Do you want me to sacrifice the lives of hundreds for a single person? I warned every one of you not to act in anger, did I not?"

The elder who had spoken nodded going silent.

"He may not be too strong himself, but the ability he yields and the lightning he holds is enough to destroy an entire city. Have you forgotten about the punishment already?"

"No, sect leader. I was just concerned for Elder-"

"Enough! Why don't you take the others and protect any disciple around this area? I have a feeling that this is the end for Elder Xi."

The elders standing behind the sect leader exchanged confused glances. Each wondered why he was certain that Elder Xi would die in the hands of the intruder when they hadn't even engaged in actual combat.

As they soared in the air to follow their leader's instructions, Elder Jun came to stand by the sect leader's side.

"What do you think of all this?" asked Elder Jun.

The sect leader sighed turning his eyes to the sky to close them for a few seconds. "If we manage to survive this, then we will have a huge blessing. I do not know what it is, but it is closely related to our disaster."

Elder Jun didn't ask anything more, he simply let his eyes fall on the fight still going on. But it was already over when Ren opened up six black holes in an array setting, further trapping Elder Xi.

Like a prey that could not escape its predator, Elder Xi tried fighting back by striking the barrier and the black holes with his qi slashes. But both devoured them like pouring water on a desert hoping to get rid of the ground's thirst.

"Who are you? How dare you come to Soul Se-"

His gasp cut him short as the sizzling of lightning could be heard from the six open holes. Feeling its intensity, Elder Xi's ego vanished and he began pleading for his life. A sudden change in attitude which made Ren feel utterly disgusted.

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"Forgive you?" He chuckled. "Did you forgive Han who had done nothing wrong to you? Did you forgive my disciples? Did you forgive the beasts you slayed for no reason? Go. To. Hell."

Gritting his teeth under his mask, Ren unleashed the lightning, giving Elder Xi no room to escape. He was certain that this was his final action. His body could not take it anymore lest it shut down and he'd die.

Having been brutalized by three bolts of the strongest lightning in the fourth star without anyone or anything to help, Elder Xi was reduced to ash amidst his horrified screams, which reverberated throughout the entire sect and beyond.

His peers, the sect leader, and some disciples could only watch in terror as even his soul was destroyed right after his body was gone, marking the end of his life. There would be no reincarnation for him. This, was the last life cut short by Ren. A befitting punishment for all he had done to Ren indirectly.

Once his existence had been erased, the barrier faded into nothing just as Ren coughed up some blood.

His throat, his lungs, his mouth, his dantian, they all felt like someone had lit hell's flames inside them and added fuel to keep the fire alive.

But even with almost every part of his body on the verge of collapsing, he managed to look up at the sect leader. "My beasts!" he yelled with the little energy remaining, glaring at the man standing still in the air.

The sect leader nodded at Elder Jun who flew away immediately while he lowered his feet till they touched the ground.

He saluted and bowed at Ren, further confusing and irritating the elders in the air who had been protecting the sect from any danger even though Ren had put a barrier around his target.

"Thank you for your mercy. I will not forget this and will forever be in your debt." The sect leader then straightened with a small smile on his lips.

He brought forward his open palm, where a small elixir bottle appeared. "This is the Celestial Essence elixir. It is the most valuable elixir in my sect. Please take it as compensation for-"

Ren grabbed it. Not because it was valuable, but because his ginseng body had reacted positively to the breath emitted by the elixir in the bottle. If he could heal his primary body, his secondary body would get better without the need for any further pills.

"This is not compensation, old man. My sect is in ruins; my disciples are wounded, and my beasts are dead. Do you think a little pill will make up for-" *cough*

"Do not worry about all that. I will have my people repair everything, as well as any monetary compensation needed. Elixirs will be provided and beasts will be-"

"Just send over the money to do all that. I will repair it myself with my people."

As if he would trust disciples from the sect he had half destroyed to come into his home and rebuild.

"As for the others, I will be back for them soon. If I find them missing, I promise, I will finish what I have started today."

The sect leader nodded, "I understand. Don't worry. They will be confined immediately, awaiting your punishment."

Something felt odd. Ren wondered why the sect leader wasn't scolding and cursing him for the trouble he had caused but was instead thanking and even offering so much compensation.

Half his questions were answered when he made eye contact with Elder Jun, reminding him of the calamity he had spoken of not too long ago.

################

Ren placed Wu Tao, Liuyue, and Liu Ming on the sixth floor, the twins on the seventh floor, and Clay and the sect beast on the fifth floor. Leaving each floor with some supplies.

He did this despite his body screaming for relief.

And when all was settled, with Xian left outside to guard the pagoda, Ren occupied the first floor which was the closest to the source. It was time to take care of himself. Time to recover his energy and heal his internal wounds as well as expel the void energy that was still sparking in his dantian.

Keeping in mind that the realm was to open in three weeks, he swallowed the elixir and shut his eyes.

'Han should be fine, they didn't hurt him after all. He must have been scared that he had to hide in his consciousness for so many hours.' He sighed mentally, preparing himself to shut off the world.

###########

The sun rose, set, and made way for the night. This repeated for several days, while news of the sect's destruction spread around the city as well as in other sects.

They simply shook their heads, feigning sympathy but gossiped about the sect when others were not watching.

They said that Dragon Sword Sect had no foundation to begin with and this was the only ending it was to receive from the beginning.

Those who had been turned away from the sect rejoiced, thanking the gods for saving their lives while cursing the sect and laughing at their downfall.

The only sect that remained silent about the gossip going around, even when all the sects gathered to prepare for the coming event, was Soul Sect. Their mouths remained sealed about what happened to them and how it was related to Dragon Sword Sect.

They brushed it off with a lie that would not inconvenience either of them. A duel gone wrong was what they said about the commotion that had been heard that night from their sect.

They did not disclose just how powerful and destructive the leader of Dragon Sword Sect was. Only watched the eerie stillness in the ruins, and protected what remained of it from afar.

Elder Jun volunteered to be in charge of the group tasked to protect Dragon Sword Sect while it was in retreat. He wanted to be there as Ren came out of seclusion as he followed his instincts about Ren's rebirth which would soon shake more than just the city.

Like any person with a good brain, Elder Jun wanted to remain in Ren's good graces rather than abandon him in his time of need and make an enemy out of him.