Chapter 2: No Other Choice

Mu Feng screamed hysterically, his voice echoing across the battlefield. His eyes turned bloodshot as he gazed at the severely wounded woman before him. His soul energy surged uncontrollably, emanating from his body in a violent storm, while his murderous intent soared to the heavens—his fury reaching its peak.

The black-clad men watched Mu Feng’s transformation and instinctively took a step back. Each gripped their weapons tightly, bracing for battle. They feared that Mu Feng, blinded by rage, might lose control and charge at them recklessly.

"Go… leave…" the woman in the green robe weakly called out, her bruised face filled with regret. If it weren't for her reckless actions, she wouldn’t have been captured, and Mu Feng wouldn’t be in this dangerous situation.

Capture, not kill—it meant they had a plan. And as long as they had a plan, there was a chance to save her.

Mu Feng, after calming down and assessing the situation, raised his sword horizontally, pointing it coldly at the black-clad men. "What do I need to do for you to let her go?"

The leader of the black-clad men chuckled darkly. "Had you handed over the Divine Map earlier, we wouldn't be in this situation. I was planning to use this little girl to threaten that old man from Qinghe Sect…"

Hearing this, Mu Feng was taken aback. He hadn’t expected their true target to be his sect master.

“Hand over the Divine Map and destroy your Seven Souls.”

The black-clad man’s expression turned grave as he intensified his threat, secure in the knowledge that with a hostage, he held the upper hand.

The Seven Souls were the foundation of cultivation—the root of everything. If the Seven Souls were destroyed, one's cultivation would be crippled. Without them, death or permanent disability was inevitable.

Mu Feng’s brows furrowed in response to the black-clad man’s cruel demand. Yu Yihan, lying injured nearby, was in visible distress upon hearing this.

“No…” Yu Yihan cried out, finding a sudden surge of strength. “You need to leave, don’t worry about me. Take care of my father.”

Mu Feng shook his head, offering a faint, helpless smile. "If you die, the Sect Master won't be able to bear it." His voice was tender, a stark contrast to the intense killing intent that still surrounded him.

After a brief pause, Mu Feng made up his mind. Turning to the black-clad men, he declared, “Destroying my Seven Souls, is that all? I’m not afraid.”

With that, Mu Feng reversed his blood flow, forcibly expelling the Seven Souls from his body. Seven orbs of shimmering spiritual light hovered above his head—each one representing one of his Seven Souls.

Heavenly Charge, Wisdom, Qi, Strength, Central Soul, Essence, and Spirit—the Seven Souls were the foundation of life and cultivation, but now they were leaving his body one by one.

The sight caused the black-clad men to relax, as they knew no one could survive after expelling their Seven Souls. Even if he didn’t destroy them, the excruciating pain from their absence would cripple Mu Feng’s cultivation, leaving him with no hope of advancing in the future.

"If the young master finds out that not only did we complete the mission but also killed the Master of the Night Feather Sword, he’ll reward us generously," the black-clad leader thought smugly, lost in his daydreams.

Yu Yihan, seeing Mu Feng’s actions, descended into madness. She screamed hysterically, trying to stop him.

Suddenly, the spiritual energy atop Raven Ridge began to swirl uncontrollably. The crowd turned to Mu Feng, only to realize that the source of the disturbance wasn’t him, but Yu Yihan, who was lying among the black-clad men.

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"If I can’t be with you in life, then in death, I won’t be a burden to you!" Yu Yihan smiled, a tragic yet serene expression on her face. There was a bittersweet beauty in her resignation.

Using the spiritual energy, she lifted herself off the ground, her aura growing terrifying. In that moment, it seemed as though the entire valley had plunged into darkness.

"Watch out, she’s going to self-destruct!" the black-clad leader shouted in panic. In a flash, he struck her, sending her flying towards Mu Feng, determined to drag him to hell, whether or not she managed to explode.

The black-clad man was quicker.

His strike shattered the energy Yu Yihan had painstakingly gathered. Her attempt to self-destruct failed, and she suffered backlash from the secret technique. Blood sprayed from her mouth, forming a dense mist in the air.

Mu Feng caught Yu Yihan as she flew towards him, swiftly treating her wounds and wiping the blood from her lips. His gaze softened as he asked gently, "Does it hurt? Rest for a while; I’ll take you home soon."

Lying in Mu Feng’s arms, Yu Yihan was utterly drained of strength. Despite her weakness, a blush appeared on her cheeks. To her surprise, she felt a small sense of happiness—being in his arms gave her a strange sense of peace, as if all the turmoil of the world no longer mattered. Even her injuries seemed to stop hurting.

With his Seven Souls expelled, Mu Feng had only two choices to survive: either forcibly reabsorb the Seven Souls and suffer severe backlash, or detonate them, which would lead to certain death.

All of this had been caused by the black-clad men. If he didn’t exact revenge now, he might never have another chance. Besides, these men were clearly enemies of his sect—he couldn’t let them go.

A trace of murderous intent flashed in Mu Feng’s eyes. He wasn’t one to hold back. He had always despised the saying, "A gentleman’s revenge takes ten years." Cultivators should settle their scores swiftly.

As he gazed down at the fragile figure in his arms, an image of his kind, smiling master flashed through his mind. He remembered something the old man had once mentioned in passing, and his resolve strengthened.

Mu Feng’s expression hardened. The Seven Souls hovering above him exploded in a strange and terrifying manner.

The enormous energy contained within the Seven Souls rushed back into his body.

Yu Yihan immediately understood what Mu Feng had done. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to stop him, but the shock caused her to faint, her hands still clutching tightly at his robes.

The air on Raven Ridge grew oppressive. The once cold wind now carried a biting chill. In the sky, snowflakes began to fall without warning.

"Run!" The black-clad leader was no fool. He knew what this meant. Even against a normal Mu Feng, they had only a fifty-fifty chance. But now, with him using a secret technique to burn his life force and shatter his souls, if they didn’t flee, they’d be slaughtered.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" Thirteen shadows fled at their fastest speed.

But to Mu Feng, their speed was nothing.

Gently laying Yu Yihan down, Mu Feng disappeared from sight in an instant.

"Swish!"

The Night Feather Sword struck!

Cold light flashed—heads fell!

In the blink of an eye, the thirteen black-clad men were all dead. Their heads rolled across Raven Ridge, blood gushing from their necks, staining the ground.

The leader, who had managed to run a hundred meters, didn’t escape either. The flying Night Feather Sword ended his life.

Mu Feng returned to Yu Yihan’s side as she began to collapse, catching her before she hit the ground. Seeing the bodies of the black-clad men, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Had Yu Yihan been awake, she would have been shocked, for Mu Feng had broken through to a higher realm in the instant he detonated his Seven Souls.

But what did it matter? Destroying the Seven Souls was as good as digging his own grave—certain death awaited him.

Though Mu Feng had remembered a method his master once mentioned for reviving the shattered souls, it was a path fraught with danger. Even with his extraction of a portion of the soul’s essence, survival was far from guaranteed.

Mu Feng, now completely exhausted, used the last remnants of his soul power to heal Yu Yihan’s internal injuries. His body was weak, but he knew he couldn’t lose consciousness yet.

The scent of blood was exceptionally strong on Raven Ridge, and crows had a keen sense for it. The death of thirteen black-clad men had cast a strange, chilling atmosphere over the mountain.

"Caw, caw, caw…"

Hoarse cries echoed from below the ridge, sending chills down Mu Feng’s spine. He quickly picked up Yu Yihan and fled the area as fast as he could.

However, his body soon gave out, and he collapsed. As he fell, he made sure to cushion Yu Yihan, protecting her from harm. After landing, he placed himself over her, shielding her from the crows.

Just before losing consciousness, Mu Feng saw a sight he would never forget.

A swarm of crows blackened the sky, drawn to the blood-soaked battlefield. A few crows broke off from the swarm, heading toward him.

Their black feathers, sharp beaks, and poisonous talons marked them as the most dangerous creatures of Raven Ridge.

In that moment, Mu Feng’s heart filled with despair. He knew that survival was no longer an option. With a final effort, he pulled out the "Divine Map" from his robes and, using his last ounce of strength, flung it off the ridge. Let the map, which held untold secrets, be lost forever.

But to the crows, Mu Feng's action was akin to throwing garbage into their nest. Enraged, they began a frenzied assault on his back, their cries shrill and furious.

Mu Feng used up his last reserves of strength, too weak to move. His consciousness began to blur.

Amid the bleak atmosphere of Night Raven Ridge, he heard the 'joyful' caws of the crows. Looking at the scattered corpses in the distance, a wave of lonely sorrow surged through him.

Feeling his life ebbing away, Mu Feng grew reflective. The path of soul cultivation was long and lonely. If, by some miracle, he survived, did he have the courage to walk it again?

Soon, Mu Feng found his resolve. Well aware of his own insignificance, he shed any lingering despondency. If he lived, he vowed to become stronger and to hunt down the mastermind behind today's events to exact his revenge.

His back was riddled with wounds from the crows’ pecking, his flesh a bloody mess, his consciousness nearing collapse. He looked down at Yu Yihan in his arms, his eyes filled with remorse.

Mu Feng was not heartless. He had long understood Yu Yihan’s feelings for him. Yet, over the years, as he delved deeper into the sword path, focusing solely on becoming stronger, he had inadvertently neglected her devoted love.

“In the next life… I will cherish the people close to me!”

With that final thought, Mu Feng's consciousness faded completely.