The sun was slowly rising above the horizon.
Outside the small town hotel, several outer sect disciples of the Drifting Mist Pavilion stood waiting. Their horses were tethered nearby as they quietly watched the entrance.
The inn had been crowded the previous night, but after the sect disciples had entered, many ordinary travelers chose to leave rather than risk getting caught in a conflict between cultivators.
Now the street was much calmer.
The disciples were waiting for Riven. He had said he would leave in the morning.
Since sect disciples usually traveled by horse, the outer disciples had already prepared themselves.
After some time, they noticed a carriage slowly approaching the inn.
The carriage stopped near the entrance just as Riven stepped out of the hotel.
The outer disciples immediately approached and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Senior Brother."
Riven nodded calmly before stepping into the carriage. The outer disciples exchanged surprised glances. Still, they said nothing.
They mounted their horses and began following the carriage as it departed from the town.
Once they left the town behind, the road became quiet.
Tall trees lined both sides of the path.
Inside the carriage, Riven unfolded the map and traced the route with his finger. According to the markings, there should be no obstacles between here and Drifting Mist City.
Outside, the outer sect disciples rode alongside the carriage. From time to time, they glanced toward it.
Through the open window, they could see Riven studying the map calmly. Many of them wanted to start a conversation, but none dared disturb him.
Two hours passed in silence.
Soon they were approaching the outskirts of Drifting Mist City. Suddenly, Riven heard something.
A faint sound.
He closed his eyes and heard muffled cries of children and the sound of galloping horses.
"Stop."
At his command, the driver immediately halted the carriage.
The driver had witnessed the events inside the inn the previous night, so he treated Riven with extreme respect and followed every order without question.
Seeing the carriage stop, the outer disciples were confused and quickly reined in their horses.
Riven placed the map aside and stepped out of the carriage and slowly looked around.
The road was empty, and only towering trees surrounded them as Riven closed his eyes again and stood silently. The disciples exchanged puzzled looks, as they had no idea what he was doing.
A few moments later, something appeared in the distance.
Several carriages were approaching rapidly.
Inside one of the carriages, a guard spoke.
"Sir, there are people blocking the road ahead."
A bearded man sitting inside opened the window slightly and looked ahead.
He narrowed his eyes and saw a group of cultivators and a carriage standing in the road.
Fifteen people.
Ten were at the Qi Gathering Realm, and four were at the Qi Sensing Realm. He himself was at the Core Formation Realm, so he could sense their strength easily.
He smiled and said, "There's nothing to worry about."
"Keep moving."
The guards relaxed and continued driving forward.
Hearing this, everyone calmed down and smiled and drove the carriages.
As the two groups drew closer, something strange happened. The horses pulling the merchant carriages suddenly became restless, and their speed slowed.
After some distance they stopped completely, and the drivers struggled to control them.
The outer sect disciples were surprised, as the merchants had been moving at full speed and had shown no intention of stopping.
Yet the horses now refused to advance.
There were five merchant carriages. The two in the middle were sealed tightly, likely containing goods. Several guards stepped out of the carriages.
One of the outer disciples whispered nervously,
"Big Brother… why did they stop?"
The one called Big Brother was Jerry.
He was at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm, the strongest among the group of outer disciples, and therefore their temporary leader.
Jerry's throat tightened when he saw the bearded man step out of the carriage. Although Jerry could not sense others' strength directly, the pressure radiating from the man was overwhelming.
He had never felt such pressure before, not even when he met the Flaming Pill Sect inner disciple.
Jerry swallowed nervously and whispered to others, "Don't do anything foolish."
"We can't fight them."
Then he noticed something surprising.
Riven had already begun walking toward the merchant carriages.
Riven ignored the first two carriages entirely, as his gaze was fixed on the third and fourth carriages, and seeing him walk straight toward the goods, some guards became angry while others grew nervous.
The bearded man followed behind him, watching carefully.
Soon Riven stopped behind the third carriage.
By then, guards from the other carriages had also gathered around.
They held their weapons tightly while watching Riven, who was staring at the carriage door.
The heavy door had a lock sealed on it.
He spoke calmly.
"What are you doing with them?"
The bearded man's eyes widened slightly.
The third and fourth carriages contained hidden goods, so they were protected by special concealment formations, and even cultivators should not have been able to sense what was inside.
The man immediately grew alert and silently drew his sword.
"What we do with our goods is none of your concern," he said coldly.
"And why are disciples of the Drifting Mist Pavilion blocking our path?"
He had already identified them by their robes and the fact that they just came from Drifting Mist City, which made him slightly suspicious.
Riven did not respond and kept staring at the carriage.
Then he turned toward Jerry.
"Come here."
Jerry froze for a moment before nervously walking forward.
"Y-yes, Senior Brother."
He could see the guards slowly surrounding them, and the bearded man's drawn sword made the situation even more tense.
Riven asked calmly,
"Is human trafficking common in Drifting Mist City?"
Jerry's eyes widened.
Riven asked, "Is human trafficking quite normal in Drifting Mist City?"
He looked at the sealed carriage, and suddenly everything made sense.
"Senior Brother…"
Before he could finish speaking, the bearded man suddenly swung his sword.
But the blade stopped halfway.
Jerry stared in shock as not only the bearded man but everyone around them had frozen, and only the outer disciples and the carriage driver could still move.
Riven spoke calmly.
"Well?"
Jerry quickly answered.
"Senior Brother… human trafficking is illegal, but some merchants still do it secretly."
"They are difficult to catch, so the authorities often turn a blind eye."
Riven fell silent.
Inside the carriages he could hear the muffled cries of frightened children while the adults tried to calm them.
Then he looked back at the bearded man.
The man's body was frozen in place, and only his head could move.
He looked fearfully at Riven when he suddenly turned to him, "We belong to a powerful organization, so you better go on your way."
"If you kill us here, our people will find us and will..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a palm grabbed his face, and he fell silent instantly.
Riven's left hand was grabbing the man's face as scales slowly started to appear on his left hand, covering it whole but hidden beneath his sleeve.
Riven slowly started to tighten his grip.
The man wanted to scream, but no sound came out.
Jerry watched in horror as the fear he once felt toward the bearded man was now completely replaced by fear of Riven.
Riven's appearance had changed.
His eyes had turned completely white, matching his hair, and he looked simply divine.
The ice around the bearded man started to crack along with his body, from which blood started to seep out from the fractures. Just as the single drop of blood dripped on the ground, Riven, along with the man, vanished.
Jerry stared in shock, then he looked around and found that the senior brother, along with the bearded man, had simply vanished.
Suddenly his gaze turned to the ground as he saw a circle emitting a purple halo etched on the ground from where Riven had vanished.