Broken Ravine was not an ancient name.
Cultivators had started calling it that after discovering the place on the ninth and tenth days inside the Rivercloud Demon Sealing Ruins. The land there had split apart for several miles, leaving black cliffs on both sides and a jagged basin below. Broken pillars leaned across the cracks, and thin streams of green mist flowed between shattered stones like old blood that had changed color after too many years.
By the time Fang Lin and Feng Jiu'er reached the outer edge of Broken Ravine, the fourteenth day inside the Rivercloud Demon Sealing Ruins was already sinking toward evening.
Neither was in perfect condition. Fang Lin had only recently formed the Dark Bud, and the strain still sat deep in his soul and meridians. Feng Jiu'er had guarded him for days in a Yin-darkness ravine that rejected her fire. Her face remained calm, but her grip on her sword had grown quieter and tighter.
Then they heard shouting from below.
At the bottom of Broken Ravine, nearly forty Green Bamboo Alliance disciples had been forced against a collapsed stone wall. Some were injured. Some could barely stand. Li Shan's sleeve was torn open, blood running down his forearm. Luo Chen held a cracked spear across his body, his jaw clenched so tightly that the veins at his neck stood out. Bai Qing's face was pale, and Han Zhi stood in front of her with a bleeding shoulder. Zhao Feng's blade had a chip in it, but his eyes were still fierce.
Su Wanqing stood at the front of the group. Her robe was stained with dust and blood, and one hand pressed against a small jade box hidden beneath her sleeve.
That jade box was the reason all of this had happened.
The Alliance group had luckily obtained a treasure in a broken root chamber near the ravine. It was called the Verdant Marrow Cleansing Bead, a wood and life treasure that could cleanse harmful residue, stabilize foundations, and resist certain kinds of ruin miasma. For Green Bamboo Sect disciples, especially those who cultivated wood or life-leaning methods, it was priceless.
For the greedy, it was an excuse.
On the opposite side stood disciples from several medium and small sects. Red Smoke Ridge disciples held the left path, red mist coiling around their sleeves. Ash Bell Hall disciples stood near the rear, small bronze bells hanging from their waists while yellow talismans flickered between their fingers. In the center, Broken Cliff Sect disciples pressed forward with heavy weapons and dull earth-colored auras.
Behind them, Demon Suppression Temple disciples stood in white-black-gold robes.
There were many of them.
Most of the Demon Suppression Temple disciples who had entered this part of the Rivercloud Demon Sealing Ruins seemed to have gathered here. Their temple robes were clean, their prayer beads still, and their faces carried the solemn restraint of righteous cultivators who claimed to act for the safety of the world.
They did not move.
Not because they lacked desire.
Thousand Leaf Immortal Sect disciples blocked their path.
Ye Qinglan stood between the Demon Suppression Temple group and the Green Bamboo Alliance disciples, her pale-green robe moving lightly in the ravine wind. A few Thousand Leaf Immortal Sect cultivators stood behind her. Whenever a Demon Suppression Temple disciple shifted forward, green leaf-shaped sword Qi appeared quietly in front of their feet.
Kong Mingyuan, the leading disciple of Demon Suppression Temple, held a long staff in one hand. His aura was white-gold, but black sealing marks moved faintly across it like chains beneath silk. His expression was calm and severe, as if he had no selfish desire at all.
"Junior Sister Ye," Kong Mingyuan said, his voice carrying across the ravine, "you misunderstand our intention. Demon Suppression Temple does not rob juniors. That treasure was born inside the Demon Sealing Ruins. It may carry demonic contamination. We only wish to seal it temporarily and examine it for everyone's safety."
Ye Qinglan's expression did not change. "Then wait until the fifteenth day and examine it in front of elders."
Kong Mingyuan sighed softly. "If demonic Qi spreads before then, who will bear responsibility?"
A Red Smoke Ridge disciple immediately shouted, "Senior Brother Kong is thinking for everyone! Green Bamboo Sect should hand over the treasure if they have nothing to hide!"
An Ash Bell Hall disciple raised his talisman and added, "Those who refuse purification usually fear what purification reveals!"
The words sounded righteous, but the eyes behind them were not clean. Many gazes kept falling toward Su Wanqing's sleeve. Some hid their greed well. Some did not bother hiding it at all.
At the far right side of the ravine, another group of Green Bamboo Sect disciples stood apart.
They belonged to the Faction side.
Chen Yueshan, the Peak Spirit Foundation cultivator leading them, watched with folded hands. His dark-green robes carried silver bamboo and Chen clan stitching. Beside him, Chen Hao looked at the battered Alliance disciples and laughed coldly under his breath.
They were from the same sect.
Yet none of them moved.
That sight angered the Alliance disciples more than the attackers themselves.
Li Shan wiped blood from his mouth and stared toward Chen Yueshan. "Senior Brother Chen, we are still disciples of the Green Bamboo Sect."
Chen Yueshan looked back calmly. "You chose your Alliance. You should also bear the consequences of your Alliance's decisions."
Zhao Feng's eyes turned red with anger. "Consequences? They are robbing us!"
Chen Hao smiled. "No one is robbing you. Demon Suppression Temple merely wants to prevent disaster. If you are innocent, why are you so afraid?"
Murong Yue laughed.
She was leaning against a broken stone, one hand pressed against her ribs. Blood stained the corner of her lips, and her face was pale, but her eyes were still sharp.
"Chen Hao," she said, "laugh a little louder. If you laugh softly, people may mistake you for someone with shame."
The Alliance disciples froze for a moment.
Even some enemies looked at her.
Chen Hao's face darkened.
Murong Yue turned her gaze toward Kong Mingyuan and smiled faintly. "And Senior Brother Kong, your temple's hands are very clean. You stand there like a saint while other people swing weapons for you. If this is righteousness, then robbers should start wearing prayer beads. It would save them many explanations."
A few cultivators almost laughed, then quickly swallowed it.
Kong Mingyuan's expression remained gentle, but his fingers tightened slightly around his staff.
Wei Zicheng of Broken Cliff Sect stepped forward. He was at the Late Spirit Foundation Realm, and his earth-colored aura pressed the stones beneath his feet until cracks spread outward. A heavy iron ruler rested in his hand.
"Sharp mouth," Wei Zicheng said. "Unfortunately, sharp mouths do not protect knees."
Su Wanqing's expression changed. "Murong Yue, move back!"
Murong Yue tried to move, but her injury slowed her. The Red Smoke Ridge disciples released smoke at the same time, blocking the Alliance disciples' sight. Ash Bell Hall talismans rang with low bell sounds, disturbing their Qi for a brief instant.
Wei Zicheng moved through that instant.
His iron ruler came down toward Murong Yue's knees.
He did not aim to kill her.
He aimed to cripple her in front of everyone.
Murong Yue's face turned pale, but she still smiled through the pain. "Aim properly. If you miss, I will laugh again."
The iron ruler descended.
Then it stopped.
A black sword had appeared beneath it.
No one saw clearly when he arrived.
One moment, Murong Yue stood alone before the falling ruler. The next moment, a black-robed figure stood in front of her, holding Night Burial Sword in one hand. The blade met the iron ruler without a grand explosion, but the impact drove a sharp crack through the weapon's surface.
Wei Zicheng's eyes widened.
Fang Lin stood between him and Murong Yue, his face calm enough to seem empty. Yet the air around him had changed. It did not roar. It did not flare. It sank inward, heavy and dark, like coal buried under ash with fire still alive beneath it.
"You wanted her knees?" Fang Lin asked.
Wei Zicheng tried to pull back.
Fang Lin's other hand caught his wrist.
Bone cracked.
Wei Zicheng screamed before he could stop himself. His iron ruler fell from his hand, and Fang Lin stepped forward, pressing him down with such sudden force that his knees struck the stone floor.
The sound echoed through Broken Ravine.
One knee cracked.
Then the other.
Wei Zicheng's scream tore through the ravine, and the Broken Cliff Sect disciples who had been rushing forward stopped as if an invisible wall had appeared in front of them.
Fang Lin released his wrist.
Wei Zicheng collapsed sideways, shaking violently, his face twisted with pain and disbelief. The iron ruler lay beside him, its surface split from the earlier clash.
Murong Yue stared at Fang Lin's back for a moment. Then she coughed, wiped blood from her lip, and forced out a weak smile. "Senior Brother Shen, your timing is not bad."
Fang Lin did not turn around. "Save your strength."
"That means it was good timing."
"Murong Yue."
She immediately closed her mouth.
For some reason, that made Zhao Feng almost laugh despite the blood on his face, but the laugh died before leaving his throat. The pressure around Fang Lin was too cold.
A figure descended beside the Alliance group a breath later.
Feng Jiu'er landed lightly on the broken stone, her crimson-green aura rising like a flame that had been pressed down for too long. She looked at Li Shan's bloodied arm, Luo Chen's cracked spear, Bai Qing's pale face, Han Zhi's wounded shoulder, Zhao Feng's chipped blade, Su Wanqing's torn sleeve, and finally Murong Yue standing behind Fang Lin.
Her expression did not change much.
That made it worse.
"Who gave the order?" Feng Jiu'er asked.
No one answered at once.
The Green Bamboo Faction disciples became quiet. Chen Hao's smile stiffened. Chen Yueshan narrowed his eyes, but he did not speak.
Kong Mingyuan sighed and stepped forward half a pace. Ye Qinglan's leaf-shaped sword Qi appeared before his foot again, and he stopped with a patient expression.
"Junior Sister Feng," he said, "you have arrived at the right time. This situation has grown unpleasant because your Alliance disciples refused to cooperate. Demon Suppression Temple has never intended harm. We only wish to examine the treasure for demonic contamination."
Feng Jiu'er looked at him. "You used other sects to beat my people."
Kong Mingyuan shook his head. "I cannot control the decisions of every fellow Daoist here."
Murong Yue laughed softly behind Fang Lin. "How convenient. Your mouth chants compassion, and their hands do the beating."
An Ash Bell Hall disciple shouted, "You dare insult Senior Brother Kong after hiding a dangerous treasure?"
Fang Lin looked at him.
The disciple's voice stopped at once.
It was only a glance, but the man felt as if a cold hand had closed around his throat. He stepped back before realizing he had moved.
Fang Lin turned his gaze across the crowd. He saw the Red Smoke Ridge disciples tightening their formation. He saw Broken Cliff Sect disciples staring at Wei Zicheng's broken knees with fear and anger. He saw Ash Bell Hall disciples hiding behind talismans. He saw Demon Suppression Temple disciples standing clean and untouched behind their righteous words.
Then he saw Chen Hao smiling again, faintly, as if the Alliance's suffering still pleased him.
Fang Lin's fingers tightened around Night Burial Sword.
The Dark Bud inside him remained silent.
He did not need it for this.
His rage was silent. It did not need to be. It sat behind his eyes, deep and smoldering, and the longer he looked at the scene, the colder the ravine seemed to become.
Li Shan took a step forward despite his injury. "Brother Shen, be careful. They have been waiting for an excuse."
Fang Lin glanced at him. "Then I will give them a clear one."
The ravine fell silent.
Fang Lin looked toward the medium and small sect disciples who had attacked the Green Bamboo Alliance group.
"You wanted the treasure," he said. "You wanted their knees. You wanted to borrow Demon Suppression Temple's face and call robbery righteousness."
No one interrupted him.
Fang Lin raised Night Burial Sword slightly. The black blade did not shine, but several cultivators felt their skin tighten as if the edge had already touched them.
"Now I am here," he said. "Come take it."
Kong Mingyuan's calm expression finally changed a little.
Ye Qinglan looked at Fang Lin with a strange light in her eyes. Feng Jiu'er stood beside the wounded Alliance disciples, her fire aura silent but ready. Behind Fang Lin, Murong Yue's smile faded, and for the first time since the beating began, her eyes softened with quiet relief.
In Broken Ravine, no one laughed any longer.
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