The coachman turns his head toward the valley, a slight smile on his face as he tests his strength against the formidable aura bearing down on him. After a brief moment, he chuckles before sending out his aura to block the pressure.
"Stronger than Jingang..." He mutters to himself as he wipes the blood from his nose. "A pinnacle beyond the pinnacle that I know."
He looks down at the reins in his hands, lamenting to himself as he recalls his former days chasing the peak of the martial world. While reliving the bitter-sweet memories of his fruitless endeavor against the pinnacle of the previous generation, his eyes widen as he feels a faint tremor beneath the carriage. His gaze whips back toward the valley, staring intensely at the air collapsing upon it.
"Sir, please take the students back to the Resting Crane Tree." Instructor Lianyi says, keeping her gaze on the familiar aura. "Once the children are safe, please return to New Hope City. Find my uncle and deliver this message: ‘His slumber has ended.'"
As the air begins to collapse above the valley, she flies forth into the night.
"I hope you know what you’re doing, young lady..." He scrunches his brows as he watches Instructor Lianyi’s figure fade into the storm. "Even your renowned uncle would have to tread lightly…"
The coachman sighs before making haste to fulfill Instructor Lianyi's request, grabbing the reins tightly before urging the horses to move. As he departs, a ground-shaking shockwave sends a cold shiver down his spine. Struggling to regain control of the startled horses, a reverberating series of explosions rings out, causing his heart to drop.
Turning his gaze back to the valley, his arms instinctively release the reins, flickering to block his eyes from the blinding flash of light. As the light fades, he breaks into laughter.
Seeing the myriad of stars adorning the night sky, the coachman realizes that his initial perception of the pinnacle beyond the pinnacle was far from accurate.
"The legend…" The man grabs the reins once more, smiling as he beckons the horses to continue forth. "Is not just a legend."
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Beneath the elm tree, Xi and Maoyi breathe a sigh of relief upon hearing the familiar voice. Following their instructor's orders, they close their eyes and wait for the end of this forsaken night. After a brief silence, they suddenly feel a hand sweep across the sides of their faces, brushing their wet hair behind their ears.
"Good job."
Following the simple words, a warm aura descends around them, easing their pain and worries. Knowing that the worst is over, the girls hold each other’s hands tightly as they patiently await the end of this nightmare.
Seeing the consequences of his carelessness, Sun turns his attention towards the masked men. Upon meeting his demonic gaze, the three men pointing their blades at Xi, Maoyi, and Wei start frothing from the mouth.
"Not yet."
Sun extends a single finger, flicking it at their blade arms. The three men's eyes grow lucid as a jolt of pain shoots up their arms from the wrist. With three successive thuds, the men tremble as they stare at the dismembered hands on the ground. Although they want to scream, the oppressive aura preventing them from breathing makes it impossible.
Ignoring the desperate pleas in their eyes, Sun turns his crimson gaze towards the man holding Yuyu dangling by the back of her dress. Seeing the blade in the man’s hand pressing down on her neck, drawing a thin line of blood, Sun suddenly feels an uncontrollable rage within him.
Taking a deep breath, he tries to reign in his wrath. With his emotions barely in check, he reaches out towards the masked man's arm. Wrapping his fingers around the man's wrist, Sun clenches down and crushes it. The masked man watches helplessly as his wrist turns into a paste, separating his hand from his arm. His eyes begin to roll back from the shock of not being able to scream.
"No."
Sun flicks a single finger at the man's other wrist, slicing the hand holding Yuyu cleanly from the arm. The sharp jolt of pain wakes the masked man, preventing him from passing out.
The other masked men tremble violently, soiling themselves, either from the pain or from the pure terror of facing the demon before them. They watch as the man with crimson eyes nonchalantly pries the fingers of the detached hand open before tossing it off to the side.
"Sorry, Yuyu..." Sun whispers into the girl's ear as he cradles her muddied body in his arms. "Mister almost broke his promise."
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The crimson glow in his eyes fades as upon feeling the little girl’s heart beating rhythmically against his chest. Knowing that aside from a minor cut, Yuyu is in good health, the rising rage within him subsides.
Turning back to the elm tree, he smiles as a remnant of his dream flashes across his mind. He reaches out, placing his palm flat against the elm tree before encasing it in a dense layer of aura. With the tree and the ground beneath it protected from the ensuing destruction, he picks up the other two girls and disappears.
Xi and Maoyi tense up momentarily as they feel the nauseating change in the atmosphere. Upon being set onto the ground, they lean back against something. Xi, feeling the slight, almost imperceivable trembling, realizes that it's not something, but someone. No longer able to keep her heart calm, she opens her eyes and peeks up at Dan's figure.
"Dan… Anning..." Xi mumbles, tears swelling her eyes as she gazes at their battered and bloodied figures.
Hearing her words, Maoyi couldn’t hold back the curiosity any longer. She opens her eyes, turning around to gaze up at her juniors. Seeing Dan's resolute eyes, she doesn’t say anything. Not wanting to see Anning’s pitiful state, she instead traces his gaze towards their instructor as he disappears into the night. A split moment later, Maoyi's eyes also begin to water as Sun returns with Wei and Chunhua.
“You clown…” She cries as she wipes the tears from her eyes.
Chunhua smiles nervously back as Maoyi extends her arms toward him. Closing his eyes, he prepares himself to be smacked behind the head. Instead, the pair of arms close behind his neck before pulling him in.
Chunhua winces in pain as Maoyi hugs him, streaming tears and snot onto his short hair.
"I'd rather you slap m-"
"S-shut up." Maoyi cuts Chunhua off with a twist to his ear, not allowing him to jest while his junior is on the brink of death. "Your s-s-tupid plan… You s-sh-should’ve just told us. Why didn’t you t-"
“It’s not his fault.” Dan, keeping his gaze on Sun’s disappearing and reappearing figure, interjects. “This was my plan. Anning is like this because of me. I alone will take responsibility.”
Xi and Maoyi turn their gazes towards Dan. Their eyes grow wide as the missing links from the battle start to fall into place.
“T-the herbs…” Xi mumbles as she recalls the herbs she used to clot Anning’s bleeding. “From th-the t-transporter… Five s-st- Five strikes…”
“Nobody is to blame.” Chunhua chimes in as he tries to wiggle his head out from Maoyi’s arms. Almost out of her clutches, she pinches his ears and drags him back in. “Anning knew right away. She chose to take that risk because she trusted your decision. Don’t dishonor her sacrifice with guilt.”
“S-shut up!” Maoyi twists his ear even harder than last time. “Don’t use that word! Anning is fine! Anning… s-she’ll be okay…”
Although she said it, Maoyi doesn't know whether or not she really believes it. She closes her eyes again, not wanting to be reminded of Anning's bloodied body. She begins to tremble as the unwanted image continues to flash across her mind. On the verge of breaking down, a voice pulls her back from the edge.
"Even if the full weight of the sky descends upon you, stand tall and endure."
Although the words weren’t meant for her, they lift Maoyi out of her moment of despairing thoughts. She hastily wipes the tears from her eyes, watching as her instructor's crimson earrings reflect the glow from his eyes and aura.
The ground around them begins to tremble, waking Wei from his slumber. With great effort, he manages to open his eyes to a blurry towering figure.
"Even if the darkness of this world tries to drag you down, stand tall and persist."
Xi gasps, covering her mouth as she watches Sun entering a familiar stance.
"For that is the responsibility of great men. That is the responsibility of my first disciple."
Dan gazes intently at his master’s back, watching with a smile as the crimson aura shatters before disappearing in the wind.
"When the Heavens come crashing down…"
Upon sensing the new aura, Xi is suddenly reminded of her father.
"When the world is torn asunder…"
Chunhua breaks free from Maoyi's arms to watch the familiar footwork. Almost immediately, he recognizes the single step as the final step of the nine steps needed for the ancestral arts of the Blossom Mountains Sect.
As the blue blade tears through the ground, Wei rubs his eyes, wondering why the blade work before him looks so similar to his family’s martial arts.
The four watch in silence as the air collapses upon the entire valley. They squint as a blinding bright light envelops the dark night, painting their vision with a brilliant blue. As the blue fades, it reveals a devastating scene.
The valley floor, the battlefield upon which they had been robbed of their blissful ignorance, was no longer there. Instead, a massive rupture split the land in half, leaving nothing but a single island. Atop the island, an elm tree glows brightly beneath a sea of stars.
To Xi and Maoyi, the elm tree shines like a beacon of their unity, an undying symbol of the bonds they forged amidst the chaos. As they watch the tree bathe beneath the brilliant stars, they subconsciously rise to their feet, leaning on each other for support.
To Wei and Chunhua, the elm tree seems to be reaching towards the Heavens, a calling for them to strive for greatness. As they watch the tree reach for the pinnacle, they too subconsciously rise up, wanting to be closer to the Heavens.
To Dan, the elm tree resembles his Master, a lone figure with the weight of the Heavens crashing down on it, yet still standing tall. As he watches the lone tree, unbroken despite enduring the absolute devastation around it, the slight tremble in his legs vanishes.
“...you must remain standing to protect their smiles and dreams.”
Choking back the blood in his throat, Sun lifts his sleeve to wipe the unsightly appearance from his face. He turns around, expecting to see the lone figure of his first disciple standing. A smile sweeps across his face upon seeing instead his first disciple surrounded by friends forged through tribulation.