From her vantage point on the boulder, Li An could see the first signs of movement at the edge of the clearing. The wild beast, cautious at first, began to creep closer, its nose twitching as it caught the scent of fresh blood.

The groans of the assassin leader grew louder and his eyes rolled in their sockets. He could sense the approach of a predator. Although the northern forest barely had any strong beasts, he was weaker than a Foundation realm stage 1 disciple right now.

The wolf came out of the fog, its eyes glowing in the dim moonlight. The beast was lean and had matted fur. "It looks like an old wolf. It will not be stronger than Foundation realm stage 3, so I can control it easily."

Li An had to move quickly before more beasts were attracted to the clearing.

The wolf circled their group, its growls low and menacing. Its gaze was locked on the forms of the fallen assassins, sensing that they were the source of the blood.

"Do you want to eat?" Li An asked as she dropped down from the top of the boulder.

She had read in the book "Geography of Yi Jian Valley" about the wild beasts in the cultivation world. They could also cultivate just like humans, but their cultivation was focused on improving their bodies. This allowed them to become more intelligent and understand basic human words.

Li An was new to this concept, but she was willing to give it a try with an old wolf that posed no threat to her. Truth be told, her instincts were telling her to finish this beast as fast as possible, but she ignored them.

"If you want to eat, wait."

The wolf hesitated, and its ears flicked back as it assessed her. After a short while, it complied with a low growl, sitting back on its haunches and watching her with a wary gaze. The beast was feeling a strong sense of danger from the puny human, so it decided to be obedient.

Li An nodded slightly, feeling glad that it worked. She was not used to animals having an intelligent mind of their own, so she had been a bit nervous about this part of the plan.

Ever since Li An started to train You Mei, she was already preparing for this exact situation. All her actions until now were for the sole purpose of stealing information from whoever was sent to deal with her. She could already guess who the 'master' of the assassins was, but the valuable information was the 'reason' behind their actions.

Li An moved to the fallen temporary leader of the assassins, who lay barely conscious with blood pooling around him. She crouched beside him with the dagger in her hand, her face smiling as she spoke.

"Well then... I'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's alright with you."

The assassin managed a weak, contemptuous smile. He had never forgotten how his father had been sentenced to death for selling private information to the sects around the Yi Jian Valley.

Tears streaked across his cheeks, mixing with the thick smears of blood. No one had ever cared about him and his family as a cancerous disease got hold of his parents. Even though the medicine elder could cure it, he could not be bothered with Grade 5 talents who had a disease hard to heal. Why would he waste time with them?

When his father stole information from the sect and sold it in order to pay for the treatment of his mother, he was beheaded in a public display. Shortly after, a young boy had to watch with wide open eyes as the woman who gave birth to him died a torturous death.

"Elder Jiang was the only one who gave me hope for revenge against this bunch of hypocrites."

"Heh-, go f-fuck y-yourse-"

His head was silently sent flying. Left behind, the assassin's mangled torso toppled forward, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. The wolf could feel a cold chill crawling up his spine.

It was shocking to witness a life end so easily, as if he were nothing more than a flower plucked from a garden.

"Quite unfortunate. Next one, I guess."

When Li An said she would not let him die so easily, she was lying with all her teeth. There was no time to spend torturing him slowly for answers when stronger beasts could come at any moment. Besides, there were two better targets on the ground, not too far away from her.

Li An dragged the assassin's lifeless corpse over to the waiting wolf, including the severed head.

"Eat."

The wolf moved forward, its fangs ripping through flesh and muscle with a sickening squelch. Blood splattered across the ground as it gnawed on an arm, and the sound of cracking bones echoed through the forest. Li An's eyes narrowed in slight irritation as she watched the starved beast.

"Enough." Her tone was harsher than usual. The wolf paused to lift its blood-soaked muzzle and look at her with confusion in its eyes.

"Eat the head first, or there will be no more meals."

The beast hesitated for a moment. "Am I the wolf, or are you the wolf?" Staring at her dark expression, it decided to obediently shift its focus, even though the head didn't taste good.

The wolf sank its teeth into the skull, the crunch of bone reverberating as it began to devour the brain of the assassin.

Li An turned her attention to the female and the middle-aged assassins, ignoring the grisly sounds behind her.

Approaching them, the scarlet edge of the dagger gleamed, eager for its next sacrifice. Li An clenched the handle harder and stabbed the female assassin in the leg.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" She let out a sharp scream and jolted awake. The middle-aged assassin stirred as well, his eyes snapping open due to the noise.

Li An smiled and observed them closely. Noting the flicker of concern in the man's eyes as he looked at the injured girl, the smile widened.

"You two have a close relationship," Li An said casually. "Girlfriend and boyfriend?"

"I will kill you, demon!" The female assassin gritted her teeth, glaring at her.

Li An placed a hand on her chin.

"Mhmm... doesn't seem to be it... brother and sister?"

The eyes of the female assassin trembled for less than a millisecond, but it didn't escape Li An. Besides, she could almost smell the delicious scent of fear coming from the middle-aged man as his eyes darted between the two girls.

"Bingo! I am proud to say I am pretty good at guessing games." The playful tone in her voice did not improve the atmosphere in any way. "Oh, I forgot you guys probably don't know what bingo means."

The middle-aged assassin's jaw tightened. "We won't tell you anything."

"Is that so?" Li An's smile vanished as she regained her indifferent expression. "I think wolfie over there would be glad to know that."

She ripped apart the black cloth covering the female assassin's head and dragged her by the hair, her fingers tangled in the girl's dark locks. The assassin's broken body scraped across the rough forest floor, leaving a trail of torn foliage and disturbed earth in their wake.

The old wolf stood with its hackles raised, and blood still dripped from its maw. The beast was not full yet.

The assassin's eyes slowly widened with terror.

"Brother, help! Please, help me!" She tried to scream as loud as she could, but her voice was hoarse and cracked.

"Li An, stop!" The middle-aged assassin took out his headcloth, showing a handsome face with green eyes and black hair. "Please don't hurt her."

Li An looked over her shoulder, her expression unreadable. "Then talk. Who is your master and what's her goal? That Spirit realm leader of yours didn't refute me when I called her a bitch, so it is definitely a woman; if I had to guess, Elder Jiang?"

The man hesitated, his eyes flicking to his sister.

"Stop wasting my time."

Li An decided to give him some motivation and threw his sister at the wolf. The beast lunged and sunk its teeth into her leg. A high-pitch scream echoed through the fog, scaring some crows away.

"Wait! I'll tell you! Just stop!" The man cried out, his face contorted.

Li An raised her hand and the wolf unwillingly released the girl, who collapsed to the ground while sobbing in pain.

"Speak."

The middle-aged assassin took a shaky breath and gazed at his sister's bleeding leg. "Our master is Elder Jiang. She... she has been plotting with the Hidden Valley sect, the White Temple and the Azure Sword sect to take control of Yi Jian Valley."

Li An furrowed her brow. "Why do they want to take control of Yi Jian Valley? There is nothing special in here except for wild beasts."

"We don't know that either. The only information I can give you is that they plan to overthrow the sect leadership and seize power. Master also told us that the three righteous organizations are even thinking about starting a war if the plan fails."

"Good." Li An slit the man's throat before he could understand what was happening. "You've outlived your usefulness."

It was too dangerous to keep them alive. Since they were siblings, someone could always threaten one of them to obtain information from the other. It was laughable that Elder Jiang thought of using them as assassins.

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"I should have expected it, though. These people grew up in a righteous sect, where morals and principles are more important than survival. She probably couldn't find anyone better." The girl shook her head, a bit disappointed with the so-called greater elders.

The female assassin's body convulsed with fear at watching her brother being killed like a fly.

"No! Please, no! Don't do this! I beg you! We gave you all the information we knew!" She sobbed, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Li An stopped just a few feet from the wolf, yanking the assassin's head up to face the beast. "Your turn," she hissed coldly to the wolf.

It stepped forward, its hot breath washing over the female assassin's face as it opened its jaws wide.

"NOOOOOOO-argh..."

Her eyes bulged, her mouth frozen in a silent scream as the wolf's teeth closed around the top of her skull. The cracking crunch of bone and the wet tearing of flesh filled the air.

Li An could not care less about letting them live. Death is terrifying, yes, but it is also profoundly meaningless. It does not discriminate, it does not judge. Death is not evil; it is simply fair. The assassins died because they were weaker than her; what can be fairer than that?

After witnessing the deaths of countless people she loved, Li An understood that no matter how powerful one was, they would fade to oblivion in the river of time sooner or later. She was not afraid of dying, but of dying without doing everything in her power to pursue the goal of immortality and invincibility.

"Death is worthless, but life... life is hard."

Li An sighed and stood over the last assassin alive, who had been unconscious ever since he was sent flying by the explosion of the spiritual bullet. His body lay crumpled and motionless above a piece of a broken trunk.

She crouched beside him and pressed her fingers against the tendon wounds she had cut all over his body previously. After applying just enough pressure to cause excruciating pain, the assassin's eyes flew open.

He gasped for air, his gaze darting around frantically until it settled on the gruesome scene before him.

The bodies of his fallen comrades lay scattered across the clearing, twisted in unnatural positions. The female assassin's body was the most horrific sight of all. Her left side was dismembered, her flesh torn and ragged where the wolf had bitten.

The assassin's face went pale and he struggled to back away, but his injuries kept him in place.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty. I will go straight to the point. Are you gonna talk... or not?" Although Li An had gathered the information from the siblings, she would never refuse a confirmation that they weren't lying.

His lips trembled, but he clamped them shut, refusing to speak. "As long as Elder Jiang destroys the Gentle Sword sect, I am happy to die for the cause." With this thought, he smiled bitterly.

Li An sighed softly, shaking her head.

"You don't have to die here. I understand your loyalty, but there are bigger things at play."

She paused, her gaze distant as if she was thinking about a sad memory. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with emotion.

"They sent my parents to be devoured by the beasts in the western forest." Li An's eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "The Gentle Sword sect decided their lives were expendable, just as they have with many others. They were left to die, torn apart by the creatures of the forest, all because they were deemed useless."

The assassin's expression softened slightly. He knew how it felt to be betrayed by the sect they trusted.

"He fell hook, line and sinker." Fortunately, Li An had just heard about her body's parents from You Mei in one of her frequent visits. She had no idea if they were killed on purpose or not, but the truth was often not important.

"I don't just want to stop Elder Jiang. I want to destroy the Gentle Sword sect myself. They have caused too much suffering, too much pain. But I need your help to do it. Elder Jiang's plan will fail now that I and the master behind me have the information given by the siblings."

Li An extended her hand towards the wounded assassin. "Together, we can bring down those who have wronged us. Let me introduce myself properly; my name is Li An."

He let out a deep breath and used his spiritual energy to shake her hand. "I'm Su Bing. I am okay with helping you as long as you promise to destroy the Gentle Sword sect."

"I promise," she said in a serious voice.

Before Su Bing could sigh of relief, Li An reached into her robes and produced a small, glowing hexagonal node.

"This is a hexanode," she explained. "Once I insert it into your head, it will ensure your loyalty. If you try to betray me, it will explode, taking your life instantly. But if you serve me well, you will live."

Su Bing's eyes widened in horror. "I have never heard about such a terrifying object. No wonder the plan to capture her failed."

It was normal for him not to know anything about the hexanode. Cultivators knew almost nothing about science, so their low level applications of spiritual energy were severely limited. Electromagnetic fields were a foreign concept to them.

Li An placed the hexanode against his temple. With a flick of her wrist, the hexanode sank into his skin, embedding itself within his skull.

If Su Bing thought she would trust him, he was more naive than she imagined. They were not equals; Li An had a position of total superiority. Why would she trust something as fickle as words?

As for the promise of destroying the Gentle Sword sect,... it was a lie. Promises are made between equal parties. The relationship between them was a bit simpler than that. It was complete obedience.

"Remember," Li an said softly, her tone almost gentle, "you don't have to die. Do your duty well, and you will live."

Su Bing swallowed hard, nodding again. "I understand."

After double checking the information of the siblings and giving him instructions on what to tell his master, Li An remembered that she was running short of time.

"Good. Now get up and leave before more beasts arrive. Use your spiritual energy if necessary. I will contact you when it's time.""

He struggled to his feet, his spiritual energy covering the wounds in the tendons. Although his movements were awkward, he could still run at the speed of a mortal human.

His figure faded into the distance. Li An turned back and glanced at the wolf feasting. Her injuries were starting to get worse, so she had to be quick. The old wolf watched her with friendly eyes, wondering if the girl had more food for him.

Li An stopped three feet away from the wolf, meeting its gaze. "I need you to do something for me."

She lifted her robes, revealing the shallow cut one of the assassins had inflicted on her waistline. The wound was still fresh, and blood was seeping from the edges.

"Bite me here." Her indifferent eyes never left the wolf's.

The beast tilted its head, looking confused. "The human wants me to eat her? A weird human." It stopped thinking and leaned forward, its jaws opening wide.

Li An clenched her teeth and braced herself as the wolf's teeth pierced her skin.

"Ugh." A searing agony shot through her body. She tried to be silent, but couldn't help but groan when the wolf tore a chunk of flesh from her side.

Blood gushed from the wound, pooling at her feet and soaking into the soil.

"Ah... ah..." Li An swayed slightly but remained standing.

She looked down at the wolf again, her face much paler than before. "Now, scratch my upper chest."

The wolf growled and its claws rose to their full height. It slashed at her upper chest just as instructed, the claws tearing through her clothing and raking across her skin.

"I am glad this body has a flat chest." The sensitive flesh was burning, and blood welled up from the deep gashes. Li An staggered, her hand instinctively going to her chest to stem the flow of blood.

"This is necessary," she told herself. "I need an excuse for these injuries, something believable. If anyone finds out I managed to defeat an entire group of assassins at high stages of the Foundation realm, it would raise too many questions."

She winced as the pain flared again, but she forced herself to focus. "If it becomes known that I defeated someone an entire realm above me, they would suspect me of being a spy. My future safety depends on this. No one can know the truth."

Li An knelt down beside the wolf. The creature had been her unwilling accomplice, and she felt a pang of gratitude toward it. She reached out, her hand trembling slightly, and gently rubbed the wolf's head.

"This human is not too bad." The wolf leaned into her touch, its eyes closing in a rare moment of trust between human and beast.

"Thank you," she whispered softly. "You've helped me more than you know."

The wolf's ears perked up and it nuzzled against her hand. Although the clearing looked like a nightmare scene, the atmosphere was peaceful, almost serene.

Splorch!

With one swift motion, Li An plunged her blade into the wolf's brain. The beast stiffened, a single whimper escaping its throat before it collapsed at her feet, lifeless.

As she withdrew the dagger, Li An's heart ached.

"I was truly grateful to you, and I had no ill intent towards you," she thought, staring down at the fallen wolf. "But your mere existence was dangerous. You witnessed everything, and that could not be allowed."

Her eyes hardened. She did not regret killing the wolf or think it was a demonic act. "It hurts to have to kill you, but I know I can never survive in this world with half-baked determination. Every loose end must be tied."

Li An rose to her feet, wincing as the pain from her wounds flared up again. She could feel the sticky warmth of her blood soaking through her clothing, the metallic scent filling the air. She had to leave the forest and find help soon, or risk bleeding out.

As she walked away, the sound of many wild beasts began to rise in the distance. Drawn by the smell of blood and the promise of an easy meal, they moved towards the clearing, eager to join the banquet of corpses.

Li An didn't look back.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

The heavens sighed, and the tranquil veil of night gently enveloped the land.

In one of the central courtyards of the sect village, a white-bearded old man and a young girl sat under a tree.

The Crimson Lotus Tree stood majestically, its towering branches adorned with vibrant red flowers that seemed to ignite the twilight with their fiery hue.

The moonlight was gentle like the warmth of a mother's embrace, illuminating the carpet of fragrant petals on the ground.

A gust of wind blew over and the tree leaves rustled, swaying from side to side.

The sect leader had a kind gaze as he looked at You Mei next to him. "You Mei, your talent is definitely special even among the Grade 3 talents. What do you think you need to improve on right now?"

"Reporting to the sect leader. I would like to increase my cultivation realm as soon as possible to start using spiritual energy techniques." You Mei sounded a bit stiff. After the competition, she now felt ashamed of the way she spoke to the sect leader, even if it was what Li An told her to say.

The sect leader nodded. "I agree. One of the disadvantages of Grade 3 talents is the speed of cultivation. I will gift you two Spirit pills tomorrow. That should be enough for you to reach the fifth stage of the Foundation realm within a week."

You Mei beamed at the news. She could give one of the pills to Li An and start repaying her for everything. "Thank you very much, sect leader!"

"Ha ha ha, call me teacher Song or just teacher."

Although he was laughing, You Mei couldn't bring herself to call the sect leader by his family name. She bowed down respectfully. "Teacher."

"Good," the sect leader said with a satisfied expression. "Personal disciples usually receive a mortal grade artifact as a gift for their accomplishments, but you haven't even reached Spirit realm yet."

When hearing the name 'mortal grade artifact', You Mei felt her hands tremble with excitement. Artifacts were almost considered holy items that could increase the battle prowess of cultivators by many times.

"I can give it to you." The sect leader chuckled at her sparkling eyes. "But I cannot give it for no reason, and you must first have the qualifications to use it."

"What qualifications?" You Mei looked more determined than ever.

"In two years, you have to reach Spirit realm."

You Mei hesitated. It was already hard for a Grade 2 talent to reach Spirit realm in 2 years, let alone for her. Especially the eighth stage and the ninth stage; they were known to be the hardest stages to surpass in the Foundation realm.

"I accept, teacher! I will make sure to do it and change the sect system in the future." You Mei had grown ambitious for Li An's sake. Without authority, she would never be able to help her best friend.

The sect leader thought in his heart. "A good girl. She would be a wonderful Grand Elder in the future, responsible for the political matters of the sect. If I stimulate her enough, maybe one day she will be able to cross the gap between Core Formation and Essence Condensation that stops so many Grade 3s."

Their peaceful moment was abruptly shattered by the sound of hurried footsteps. A subordinate of the sect leader rushed into the courtyard with a pale face and panicked eyes. He skidded to a halt before the sect leader.

"Sect leader, I must-"

"Calm yourself, Jian Fei," the sect leader interrupted, raising a hand. "Compose your thoughts before you speak."

Jian Fei swallowed hard, nodding quickly. "Apologies, sect leader. There is an outer sect disciple at the door. She is severely injured and claims assassins tried to kill her in the northern forest. She said beasts arrived, causing a chaotic fight with the assassins, allowing her to escape."

The sect leader's expression immediately hardened, and anyone could see he was extremely furious. You Mei and Jian Fei felt a lump stuck in their throat; they had never seen this side of the old man.

"Severely injured, you say? What is the name of the disciple?"

Jian Fei hesitated for a moment, his eyes moving towards You Mei. He took a deep breath. "If I am not wrong..."

"...her name is Li An."