“I hope you’ll forgive me for my state of undress,” Qin Yun said as he turned to see a beautiful woman in a white dress emerge from the nearby corridor, a frown marring her exquisite features. While his clothes had long been evaporated by the raging power of the dragon vein, at least the blue flames were opaque enough to hide what needed hiding.
Silence reigned as Zou Lan scrutinized her surroundings, noticing the lingering scent of death and decay that remained in this enclosed underground chamber.
“What happened to the guardian?” she finally asked, her gaze seeking to pierce through him. Qin Yun could only sigh at the open hostility she displayed.
“Why ask the obvious? You’ve seen the state of the formation; that should give you ample information as to what happened.”
“Do not play games with me!”
The size of her domain grew astronomically as if pushed outwards by a pressure wave. Its sharpness threatened to rend asunder anything that stood in its path, only to be stopped completely by the blue flame, unable to ever reach Qin Yun. It was as if he stood in a completely different dimension, immune to all external factors.
Seeing the futility of her actions, Zou Lan only frowned further before taking a deep breath. Her eyes returned to calm, losing their animosity; only an emotionless countenance remained. Still, Qin Yun could clearly see how much effort it took for her to kill her emotions. It spoke volumes of the distress she currently felt despite her deep cultivation.
“Tell me what happened,” she finally said calmly.
While preserving the fragile balance of the unstable formation, Qin Yun calmly narrated the events that took place in this underground tomb. However, he made sure not to reveal the identity of the traitors who had led the city to this fate.
"Why should I believe you when you won't even tell me who is responsible for this?" she asked, a slight trace of killing intent in her eyes. Yet, surprisingly, Qin Yun felt it wasn't aimed at himself but at someone else. Still, he wasn't interested in finding out more. He had more pressing issues.
“Are you in any position to do anything about it?” he replied, watching the changes in her expression closely. “As far as I saw, the Moonlight Sword Palace has lost most of its strength, and the other three sects cannot be relied upon to do anything about the information I can provide, so what good would it do for you to know?”
He waited to see her reaction, yet all he saw was a bright flame in her eyes. It seemed she wouldn't budge until Qin Yun finally came clean. He could only sigh and tell her the truth, only for her expression to become even grimmer. She bit her lips and clenched her fist so hard that she almost drew blood despite the heightened strength of her flesh.
"That's why I didn't want to tell you," Qin Yun lamented. "With your sect alone, there's nothing you can do. Your best bet would be to report this to the Immortal Beast Sect Alliance and wait for them to deal with it, but it might be too late."
“What’s your relationship with them?” she asked, yet her eyes told him she only half-believed his words. “There’s no way you are just another rogue cultivator. No one should be able to survive standing within the dragon vein. Not even I can boast as such.”
“There’s nothing to it,” Qin Yun shrugged. “As long as the world wills it, nothing is impossible. As for who I am, is that important?”
“It is to me.”
Her eyes were locked onto Qin Yun, her slender hand on the hilt of her blade. While Qin Yun felt her caution was reasonable, it only impeded what he had to do next. The dragon vein was slowly growing out of his control; something needed to be done. He could only sigh and be forthcoming.
“Qin Yun is my name,” he finally said after a long sigh. “I doubt you’ve heard of me. While my wife is related to the Immortal Beast Sect Alliance, I’m not part of it.”
"Qin Yun..." she muttered before a light flashed into her eyes. "Any relationship to the Qin Family of Jin City?"
"Oh?" Qin Yun's eyebrow rose slightly as he couldn't contain his surprise. Still, his expression soon returned to his usual slight smile. "There was, at some point. Although, now I've been disowned by them. So, you could say there isn't anymore. I truly am just another rogue cultivator. However, let's leave my origins for later, as we have more pressing issues."
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As soon as the words left his mouth, the blue flames erupted like a volcano, spewing molten rocks everywhere. It rose to the ceiling, threatening to burst through the rock and dirt and emerge straight into the middle of the city. If it were to do so, what remained of it would burst into flames, only to be swept away by the cruel winds of the Great Barrier, leaving nothing behind but sand—not even ashes would remain.
Qin Yun’s eyes narrowed as he felt the power of the dragon vein grow wild, as if a caged beast trying to rip apart its bond and escape, freedom just a step away. As its jailer, Qin Yun bore the brunt of its ire, the waves of its power crashed onto his body, only for the golden symbols on his skin to light up and pulse as they tried to counteract the pressure he felt.
Drops of sweat slid along his skin, only to burst into steam as they fell from his body, dissipating into the dry desert air. While the pain was nothing compared to what he had endured while forging his body, it still couldn’t be called pleasant. His strength was slowly being sapped away by the raging dragon vein. Despite the boon he had received as he reached the Qi Refining realm, nothing could stand against the might of the world itself—at least not for long.
“What’s wrong?!” Zou Lan exclaimed, yet showed no signs of intervening. She knew better than to act rashly.
Tensions ran high in the underground chamber, yet the storm soon receded, returning to calm as Qin Yun fell to one knee, exhausted. Despite desperately trying, he couldn't catch his breath. His chest rose and fell, seeking fresh air, yet relief was denied. Only after multiple minutes spent unable to move did peace finally return as he rose once again. Zou Lan had watched the entire scene, yet she remained silent after her first outburst.
“How long can it hold?” she asked, yet her expression was grim.
It was clear to her that the only reason the dragon vein was still under control was due to the man bathed in blue flames, yet even that wasn't enough. Sooner or later, it would break out and consume everything in its wake, and she was powerless to do anything. After all, only the guardian had been privy to its secret. So it had been since the dawn of time.
"Not much longer," Qin Yun finally said expressionlessly, as if none of this concerned him. "You have two choices ahead of you. Either find someone to take guardianship of this formation, making him forever bound to this place, unable to escape, or destroy it entirely before it destroys everything."
Zou Lan only frowns further. Qin Yun's meaning was clear. A sacrifice was needed. Either to sacrifice an individual to the flame or the city itself. Anyone would know which of the two was preferable, yet she couldn't make the choice. She knew the importance of the city, yet it wasn't enough for her to lose her freedom—not to the city that had taken too much from her. If anything, a voice in her heart whispered to her to let it all burn, telling her that this was what they deserved. Despite her efforts, she couldn't silence the voice echoing in her skull, growing louder and louder.
Qin Yun could see her hesitation and knew of her dilemma. He had been witness to all that occurred above ground, her loss and her pain. Still, this was her choice to make as one of those tasked with overseeing this city.
"What about you?" she asked as if trying to find an alternative.
“I’m just a foreigner,” he replied unconcerned. “Why should I care about this place? That’s not my problem.”
“Then why bother to keep the flame burning?” she added, yet couldn’t mask her dissatisfaction.
"Call it a whim, if you will. Besides, other matters need my attention. Some forces won't allow me to stay idle. You should choose quickly; not much time remains."
Zou Lan bit her lips, this time drawing blood. Visions of past events flashed in her mind, from her master's fall to the city ravaged by war. Her emotions fluctuated rapidly. Yet, what remained imprinted in her mind most vividly was the sight of Xu Weizhe covered in blood and on the verge of death. However, she could also imagine the smug laughing faces of the three other sect masters. She couldn't help but feel her blood boil.
“Let it be destroyed then,” she finally said, and to her surprise, Qin Yun showed no change in his expression, as if he had anticipated all of it.
“As you wish.”
His voice was cold, yet she felt no reproach in it. Somehow, she couldn’t help but feel it would have been better if it did. She closed her eyes and waited for the end of an era to come, only to be suddenly awakened by a familiar voice.
“Wait!”
The voice echoed from the end of the corridor as footsteps quickly approached. It was a female voice that Qin Yun also recognized. His hand stopped mid-motion and waited for the new arrival, a slight smile on his face.
After a minute or two, a group emerged from the corridor into the underground chamber. At the front was Yao Ruolan, supporting her master alongside He Zihao. Behind them were the rest of the disciples of the Moonlight Sword Palace. Qin Yun saw puzzlement in their eyes yet paid them no mind. Instead, his gaze was attracted toward Zou Lan, and he couldn't help but like what he saw. She had already realized what was happening when she turned toward Qin Yun, only to offer him a look laced with fury.
“What’s the meaning of this?” she asked, almost losing control of her domain as it was filled to the brim with murderous intent.
“Lan...” Xu Weizhe said, having regained consciousness much earlier than expected. “Do not blame him. I chose to come here on my own.”
His voice was hoarse and feeble, yet the light in his eyes was stout and pure. His resolve had already been made, which couldn't help but make her frown further; her lovely features were distorted by her fury.
"You shouldn't be here," she replied. She could barely keep her intent from spilling out of her words. The weaker disciples couldn't bear the strain and had no choice but to back out of the underground chamber, leaving only the two supporting Xu Weizhe. But, even they had trouble breathing under the pressure she emitted.
“Don’t be stubborn,” Xu Weizhe added. “You know this is the best choice.”
“You put him up to this!” she burst out, unsheathing her blade, striking at the blue flame, only to be repelled by the countless runes pulsing on the walls, creating a shimmering barrier that separated the two.
"I only gave him the same choice I gave you," Qin Yun replied unconcernedly. "It's only fair of me to do so."
“Lan. Listen to me," Xu Weizhe said as he rejected his disciple's aid and walked alone toward the lone woman.
His steps were heavy and clumsy as if he barely had control of his own body. Sweat poured out of his pore, staining his already battered robes, yet his eyes were clear, without any sign of the pain he surely must have felt.
He took her hand into his, only to bring it to bring it to his cheek, feeling its warmth as he looked into her radiant eyes, full of anger and resentment. Even then, they didn't mellow a single bit. He couldn't help but chuckle, making him cough a little blood. Still, the intensity of her gaze didn't change in the slightest, while Yao Ruolan couldn't help but show her concern.
“You know as well as I the state of my body,” he said softly. “Let me do this...”
When she looked back into his clear eyes, he felt her heart waver, if only a little. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, only to utter words that took Xu Weizhe completely aback.
“Never.”