A huge white hand loomed out of the dark, reaching for one of the girls. She fled it with a piercing scream, and it closed on empty air, black fingernails flashing as it shut.

Hui stared. He blinked. “Resentment demons?”

“Keep running! If they catch you, it’s all over! You become one of them!” Tian Mo said, racing by Hui.

“Right!” Hui said. Well, wrong, actually. They have to eat you, and I’m not entirely clear on the process… but anyways, he’s right that you don’t want to get caught.

His eyes darted from the girl to the resentment demon, then to Tian Mo. First, let’s save the girl. Then I can go talk to the resentment demons.

Ha! That’s one mystery solved. Eight Tiers Palace dealt with the resentment demons by sealing them in a secret realm. I suppose they couldn’t come up with a method to defeat them.

On one hand, that’s good! They can’t defeat the demons!

On the other hand… they easily suppressed the demons. Less good.

I guess an immortal army is only as useful as it is unstoppable. Good immortal armies must be both unstoppable and immortal, or else they’re no good at all. An immortal army that can be easily contained in a secret realm or prison is nothing more than a paperweight. Noted!

Hui operated his footwork technique and broke ahead of Tian Mo. Tian Mo took the hint and charged at the resentment demon’s pale arm instead. He leaped into the air and threw his hand out. A dagger shot from his sleeve toward the resentment demon’s inner elbow.

Hidden weapons, even for the disciples? Assassin sects are terrifying! Hui swooped in front of the resentment demon’s palm and grabbed the girl, quickly leaping away.

Something pricked Hui’s side. He startled, looking down to find thin silver needles pushing through his robes.

The girl giggled. “Fool.” Kicking him away from her, she ran off, vanishing into the darkness.

Hui squinted after her. Why…? I’m not even mad, I’m just confused. I helped you out, and you reward me with poison…? I mean, I get it, assassin sect, trust no one, but… there’s a limit to that kind of ruthlessness. Putting a hand over the wound, he extracted the poison, then circulated his life qi to close the wound.

Good thing I rescued her, and not Tian Mo. It might’ve been dangerous if he’d been poisoned. Hui shook his head at the girl’s retreating form.

Up his sleeve, Zhubi hissed. Hui showed him the poison, and the snake lunged. Zhubi’s jaws snapped around the poison. He closed his eyes and swallowed.

Hui petted Zhubi’s head. Well, if you liked it, I guess.

The resentment demon swept its arm across the valley. Tian Mo bounced off the wall and leaped down, executing a smooth triangle jump over the sweep. “Escape!”

“You escape. I’ll be right behind you. Oh, and don’t trust that girl! She’s trigger-happy with those poisoned needles!” Hui called after him, hopping the resentment demon’s arm.

Tian Mo gave him a nod and ran off, hurtling after the girl.

Landing on the resentment demon’s arm, Hui ran up it, chasing it back to the source. Metal clanked, dark and heavy. Ice-cold steel chains wound around the resentment demon’s arm. Hui stepped closer to the chains, using the time-stop midstep to take a slow look. Those chains… that intense yin! Don’t tell me, are they the source of the yin energy in this rift?

Suppressing resentment with yin… is it the principle of suppressing poison with poison? Hmm. I wouldn’t expect it to work, but it seems to be doing well enough in this situation. Well, after all, even if the yin is an imperfect suppression, they did also seal the resentment demons in a secret realm. It’s no big deal if they break free for a while. Send a master in to fight the demons, chain them back up, and then… and then, I guess, if you’re madmen, send your low-level disciples in to run around.

There has to be a secondary suppressant on the yin to keep it at a level where it doesn’t outright kill the young disciples. Suppression on suppression on suppression. Hui put a hand on his chin. I wonder which of the Tier Masters specializes in suppression? It’s not like Fen Long was wandering around out here, after all.

Stolen novel; please report.

Probably, anyways. What do I know? He’s a laws-level existence who came here from another realm. He can do whatever he wants.

…But it’s highly unlikely that he came out here in the last month or so to chain and suppress the resentment demons, especially since he’s no fan of Eight Tiers Palace himself, so my point stands.

He hovered his hand near the chain, carefully extending a bit of qi toward the chains. When his qi struck the chain, ice surged into his brain, a torrent of information blasting directly into him. Hui jerked back, jumping away and retracting his qi.

What was that? Anti-pirating software? Wait, no, this is cultivation. Uh… a, protective information barrier?

Hui regarded the dark chains. Whoever made them is so high above my cultivation level that it’s painful for me to attempt to comprehend it. They’re at least a laws-level existence. And yet, none of the Tier Masters seemed to specialize in barriers, suppression, and spell formations. Is this the work of some hidden master, deep within the Eight Tiers Palace?

Dangerous. If Fen Long’s barrier is keeping the Southern Sect Conference safe, but Eight Tiers Palace has an equivalently-powerful barrier-focused cultivator, we’re truly fucked. I need to find and investigate this cultivator as fast as possible! Make sure he stays far away from Fen Long’s barrier.

Giving one last look at the icy, yin-laden chain, Hui leaped away, flying into the shadows toward the source of the resentment demon’s arm.

A twisted white ball loomed out of the shadow. One of the larger resentment demons sat exhaustedly against the dark floor. Chains wrapped it tightly, binding most of the pale arms to the resentment demon’s nebulous, arm-covered body. The hands twitched pitifully every now and again, weak and pathetic. Dark bruises bit into their pale flesh where the chains bound them, while spots of black frozen flesh laid directly beneath the icy metal.

Hui frowned at it, his brows knitting. The poor thing! Who did this? Who hurt my adorable, creepy-cute resentment demons? Why? He flew closer, shaking his head.

The resentment demon lunged, propelling itself at him with all the force it could manage. The chains clattered noisily. On the wall behind it, metal creaked and stone groaned.

“It’s me, it’s me,” Hui said gently, putting his hands out toward the resentment demon.

The resentment demon paused. Rolling over slightly, it split just a little, barely enough for a mouth to form from the knotted ball of arms. “Y… you.” Oddly, there was a bit of relief in its voice. The tension in the ball of arms loosened, and it sagged to the floor, forming a sloppy melting ball shape.

“What happened?” Hui asked, patting the resentment demon’s arm reassuringly.

The demon shook. The chains binding it rattled. Its arms tensed, all straining against the chains that held them. Deep indents pushed into the arms’ flesh as they tensed, the old wounds oozing and bleeding. “AGAIN!”

Hui cowered, covering his head with his hands. “Apologies! Apologies!”

“Again! Again again again again, always, always, always—” The resentment demon stilled. It hunkered down. Heat shimmered above it, the chains hissing where they touched the white flesh.

Straightening cautiously, Hui eyed the heat over the resentment demon. Its resentment is flaring up to the point it’s visible? I wonder… did the resentment demon confront whatever… or rather, whoever it resents?

That cultivator who specializes in barriers… I wonder. Did he seal away the resentment? Is he the root cause of the resentment demons?

Hui took a deep breath. One way to find out. Be brave, Hui! “Senior, was it perhaps… the cultivator who sealed you in the first place who chained you up here?”

The resentment demon fell completely still. The chains slackened, ever so slightly.

Hui frowned. Was I wrong? I guess—

The resentment demon threw back its upper half and screamed. Wordlessly, it screamed, so loud Hui’s hair flew back, so loud he had to cover his ears. In the distance, too far to see Hui but close enough for Hui to see, Tian Mo ducked and covered his ears as well, eyes scrunched up in pain.

Never mind, never mind, my guess was right, it was clearly right! A little too right! Hui waved his hand, the other one still clasped over his ear. “I understand, I understand! Please, Senior, have mercy!”

Paying him no mind, the resentment demon continued to scream. Hui pressed his lips together, covering his ear again. I guess that’s all I’m getting out of it. I should go.

He turned. Instantly, the screaming stopped.

“Don’t go. Help. Help. Help me. Please help,” the resentment demon begged, reaching its one free hand after him.

Turning back, Hui shook his head sorrowfully. “I can’t. I—I’m still too weak.”

The resentment demon tensed again. The chains creaked. Its hand-lips parted.

“But—but, but, but,” Hui said, hands lifted half to his ears just in case, “but I’m going to study what’s binding you, and I promise, I promise I’ll help you escape!”

The resentment demon hesitated. It lowered its hand. “Soon.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll study hard and be back as soon as I can!” Hui promised, bowing. He flew backward, bowing the whole way. Only when he’d escaped the resentment demon’s reach did he dare to turn around and flee openly. Dropping to the floor of the cave, he ran over to Tian Mo, who still hunched on the floor, covering his ears, his body frozen in fear. Hui snatched up the other boy and slung him over his shoulder, barely pausing as he ran. Tian Mo’s been nothing but helpful. I’d hate if that poison-needles girl stuck him while he was frozen and he died on me. He’s not a bad kid, just one who happened to be picked up by an assassin sect.

Glancing back one last time, Hui charged into the darkness. Before another resentment demon finds us, let’s get out of this valley!