Two large doors, nearly ten feet tall and wide, were barred by a giant beam of wood. A dozen cultivators wearing a soldier’s uniform were standing in front of those doors with a fearful look on their faces. Behind them, four cultivators wearing expensive robes were sitting around a large table. The hall they were in was constructed entirely out of some sort of red tinted stone. The chamber had only a few small windows intended for light and ventilation, they were too small for a person to squeeze through.

That was why when something slammed into the door, the people trapped inside clenched their fists. They pretended not to notice the sweat dripping down each other's faces, and even the four sitting down couldn’t help but turn to look at the door. They were attempting to look relaxed and calm, but they were just as anxious as the soldiers. Those soldiers drew their weapons, touching their Storage Pouches before various types of spears, swords, and sabers appeared in their grasp.

Boom!

The door shuddered again, causing dust to be disturbed from the rafters, and filling the air with ominous clouds. There were a few more slams against that door, but the huge beam barring it held strong. While the door and bar looked to be made of wood, they were not made of any average wood. The expensive materials and exquisite craftsmanship of this chamber was the reason for the four who were seated to remain so confident, but the constant hammering against the doors made them all uneasy.

Then, the thudding against the door finally stopped. All of them collectively held their breath, and the silence in the room grew deafening as they all waited to see if the threat outside had finally gone away. Then, their blood grew cold when they saw a golden light suddenly protrude from between the two doors. That light was like a blade, extending a few feet into the room and then suddenly falling downwards. The light fell from near the ceiling to down near the floor, and then it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. For a moment, they felt that nothing had happened and they were still safe.

“Oh no.”

One of the guards pointed and they all watched as the thick bar split in half down the middle, right in line with the crack between the two doors. The leader of that team of guards yelled out a warning, but he was just a little too late. The two doors blew open, blasting towards them with such power that they smashed against the walls on either side. Those doors opened so quickly that a burst of wind forced the guards back a step, and most of them had to use one hand to cover their eyes to protect against the scathing wind.

The people who were seated so ‘calmly’ leapt to their feet, startled by the sudden change in situation. They could no longer maintain their fake attitude now that their sanctuary had been breached. The two men in that group rushed forward, standing behind the dozen guards and shouting at them, “Go! Kill him!”

Those two men were quite shameless. They rushed forward to try and impress the women, but then they chose to hide behind the guards and order them into action instead. Across from them, there was a man standing in the doorway. That man hadn’t bothered to wear a disguise or change his clothing. He had long black hair pulled back by a length of blue silk, a match for the belt sash around his grey robes. His golden eyes matched the golden aura that covered his body. That golden light was quite unusual. It didn’t seem to be emitting from his skin to illuminate the area, it was far more solid and detailed. It looked more like a suit of armor made of energy.

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The guards rushed towards him, but he lifted his arms and that golden light suddenly extended from his hands, forming into large blades the width of his palms with a reverse curve like a scythe. Using these glowing blades he blocked the swords and spears that the guards wielded, knocking them aside in time with strange diagonal steps he was taking. Each time he blocked a weapon, he seemed to duck to the side and then step past the guard. He carefully blocked and parried their strikes, but after walking past them, they seemed to freeze in place. Once he’d blocked and avoided each of the dozen guards he stopped to smile at the four remaining people in the room.

Behind him, those twelve guards seemed paralyzed. The light blades disappeared from his hands and then he reached to the side and mimed a grabbing motion. As he pulled the light finally caught a nearly translucent wire which he wrapped a second hand around and pulled hard. The dozen guards were pulled towards each other and then blood spilled all over the floor as their bodies were sliced into many smaller pieces by the wires tightening around them.

Before the two finely dressed men could act, those same wires whipped through the air and shot towards them. The wires twisted and curled in mid-air, driven by the Qi coursing through them as well as a layer of Spirit Power wrapped around them. They coiled and spun in mid-air, like an inverse tornado that fell around the two men. It blocked off all their escape routes and twisted to avoid the beams of violet light that shot from their fingers. They tried to stop the wire, releasing their violet finger attacks over and over again until it was too late.

With the wires closing in around them, they aimed towards their source, but that golden eyed man merely tilted to the side before they even attacked. They attacked him furiously, but they couldn’t even touch a hair on his head before they suffered the same fate as the twelve guards. Only two more remained in that room, and one of them was wearing a badge upon her chest that held the characters for ‘Prefect’.

“Zi Mei. The mighty Prefect of Red Jungle County. We finally have the opportunity to meet.”

The woman was beautiful, though her looks were entirely superficial. There was no kindness or gentleness in her eyes at all. Her movements lacked all grace, and she was layered in cosmetics and perfumes. It took her a few moments to recognize that man in front of her, as she’s only seen him in a portrait.

“Lang Sheng?”

That man waved his hand to the side as he walked towards her and a golden blade appeared. The blade disappeared as his hand returned to his side, but something shot into the air. It spun a few times and then hit the ground next to Zi Mei’s feet. She looked down and saw the face of her friend. The woman who had just been standing beside her was now looking up at her. She screamed at the sight of the severed head and stumbled backwards, falling into the seat she had recently vacated.

“When you paid my own men to betray me, did you ever think it would end up like this?”

“You dare to come here? Don’t you know the Violet Light Sect is my backer? If you dare to do anything to me, they will destroy you!”

“I have already been to visit them. Your father and martial ancestor are already waiting for you in the afterlife. Do you have any last words?”

“No… no! That’s impossible!”

Sage shook his head and waved his hand again. The woman was a full rank below him and seemed terribly inexperienced. Her head flew through the air just like the other.