Kyrian looked at the crowd before him, his eyes still cold after the old man’s death.
"Still haven’t decided?" His voice echoed once more.
A heavy silence dominated the ravine. Then, as if an invisible order had been given, most retreated. Taking several steps back, holding their breaths, and averting their gazes. No one wanted to be the next.
But Kyrian saw.
Among them, there were ten. Ten who looked at each other and, in that single instant, communicated. A tacit understanding shone in their eyes. They would not hesitate.
Suddenly, they charged at Kyrian.
Their speed was completely different from the previous ones. Their montum was imnse, their silhouettes cutting the air into blurred lines. They were all cultivators in the higher stages of the Liberation Realm.
All unsheathed their weapons at once.
Spears, swords, sabers, and even a bow. Qi condensed into their blades, vibrating in the air with deadly energy.
"Crimson Saber Technique!"
"Nine Winds Slash!"
"Fury of the Sea!"
"..."
The voices blended together, and in an instant, a wave of Qi exploded toward Kyrian. Ten techniques descended upon him like an unstoppable storm. The ravine seed to tremble montarily.
Yet, Kyrian did not move.
He only smiled.
Slowly closed his eyes. The energy swords at his side vanished. And when he opened them again...
His green eyes were no more.
In their place, celestial blue eyes, cold, crystalline as ice. His irises, shaped like snowflakes, carried the cruel serenity of winter.
And then, the explosion happened.
Before him, a massive barrier of ice erged. Translucent, glowing blue. The attacks collided against it, roaring, but could not break through.
The ice trembled, cracks spreading... and then shattered before everyone’s eyes.
But the fragnts of ice from the barrier did not fall.
They flew.
Thousands of shards spread across the sky above the ravine, reflecting a chilling energy like deadly stars.
And in the next instant, each fragnt turned into a sharp ice spear, descending upon the ten like an apocalyptic rain.
"No..."
"DEFEND YOURSELVES!"
"Stay together! Qi barrier! Quick!"
Despair spread.
So created shields, others tried to attack upward, but it was useless. The sheer number was absurd. The sound of the spears tearing through the air was deafening.
In seconds, six of them were pierced. A spear through the chest, another through the shoulder, two through a head. Each body, once struck, froze rapidly.
Turning into grotesque statues of ice.
Their faces still showed the fear of their last mont.
The entire ravine fell silent. Only the sound of ice spreading echoed.
Kyrian took a deep breath, his smile widening further. His satisfaction was evident.
The ability of the Ice Eyes was simple, yet terrifying.
He no longer needed to rely on the moisture in the air nor spend imnse amounts of Qi to form ice. His chilling energy alone was enough to create, and his eyes freely controlled any formation of ice within his field of vision.
It was like moving invisible arms. Easy. Natural. And perfect.
The four survivors staggered back in shock, their faces pale as paper.
"Monster..." one of them muttered, eyes wide.
Kyrian did not respond.
He rely looked at them, his expression cold, devoid of emotion. Then, he slowly tilted his head.
The spears still embedded in the frozen corpses shattered. The shards of ice swirled in the air, returning to his sight. Then, they condensed once again into spears, pointing directly at the four trying to flee.
They ran, but it was useless.
They could not escape Kyrian’s gaze.
The spears reached them within seconds. Piercing limbs and heads, turning them as well into dead sculptures, beautiful and cruel.
The entire crowd retreated again in unison.
One step. Two steps. Three steps back.
Kyrian advanced calmly. When he took one step forward, all the others took two back.
The fear in their eyes was absolute.
No one dared face him.
They opened space, forming a corridor for him to pass.
Kyrian, satisfied, said nothing.
He was not a genocidal killer. He had no reason to slaughter common cultivators who had already given up.
Without hurry, he left the ravine peacefully.
At the top, he found soone unexpected.
The old man mounted on the vulture, with five young disciples at his side, stood waiting. The sa one who had given him information earlier.
Kyrian looked at him and then said briefly.
"Thank you for the information earlier."
The old man raised his eyebrows.
"So then... the treasure was real?"
"It was. But there’s nothing left. I already took it," Kyrian replied without hesitation.
The old man fell silent for a mont. Then laughed lightly, thinking it was a joke. No young man would say it so directly, and he did not believe it at all.
But Kyrian had no patience nor reason to explain. He whistled softly, and his eagle descended from the skies at impressive speed.
He mounted, and without looking back, departed.
This ti, he did not urge the eagle to haste.
He just wanted to fly peacefully, feeling the cold wind on his face.
Down below, in the ravine, whispers began as soon as he left.
"Who was he?"
"A disciple of the Verdant Sword Sect, I saw his robes."
"Impossible..."
"Truly, we’re only alive because he was magnanimous."
All looked at the ice sculptures and decapitated bodies with fear and reverence.
Then the old man on the vulture descended.
He and the five youths froze in shock.
The ice statues still glead under the light. The blood on the ground still stead.
"What... happened here?" the old man asked.
One of the survivors explained briefly, voice trembling.
The old man’s eyes widened. He understood imdiately. That boy, whose na he did not even know, had not been lying.
The young man had truly taken the treasure.
"Let’s go," the old man said urgently.
The young disciples exchanged confused glances.
"Master, why such a hurry? He’s already gone."
The old man, hearing this, smiled, his eyes narrowing with a strange gleam.
"I know. But this news is priceless. Worth gold."
The youths grew even more confused.
The old man continued. "The Gathering of Domains is not far. And that boy was a disciple of the Verdant Sword. He will definitely appear there. This information will be like a bomb. If sold well, it will bring us wealth without much effort. And I know exactly where to sell it."
He finished, smiling ear to ear, already plotting how he would spread the news.
anwhile, Kyrian flew high, at peace.
His faint smile still lingered on his face.
He was satisfied.
His new abilities were more powerful than he expected. In the Liberation Realm, few could face him.
But he was not arrogant.
He knew talents existed throughout the world, perhaps greater or equal to him. He knew of mysteries he did not yet comprehend in this world.
But that did not discourage him. On the contrary.
It only motivated him even more. He would beco the strongest. No matter who stood in his way.
His eyes briefly turned to his right hand.
The mark had grown slightly. A new connection had erged, distant, absurdly far. It was so faint it was almost illusory.
Kyrian sighed and left it for later. It was not worth pondering now.
The journey back was peaceful. Days passed without anything relevant or interesting.
Finally, the eagle descended before the Verdant Sword Sect. Kyrian left it in the beast stables of the inner area and walked up the winding stairways until he reached the central grounds.
The silence of the central sect welcod him.
Upon reaching his courtyard, it was empty. Yanyu and the fox had disappeared. He did not dwell on it at the mont, for all he wanted was simple.
Rest.
*********************************
While Kyrian rested in his courtyard, the sect did not remain silent.
Many inner disciples saw Kyrian arrive and walk to the central area, and soon the news spread quickly.
"Kyrian has returned to the sect."
"He finally ca back. Notify Elder i Ran!"
The information crossed the sect’s corridors, flew among courtyards, and in no ti, everyone knew.
In the main hall, Feng Yuan slowly opened his eyes. Before him, i Ran awaited the leader to awaken so she could speak.
"As ordered, I ca to inform you that Kyrian has already returned to the sect. And he appeared completely well. Now, I believe he is resting in his courtyard."
Feng Yuan remained silent for a few seconds, thoughtful. His gaze turned to the window, beyond the mountains.
"Understood." He spoke with a firm voice.
’Let him rest for today. Tomorrow, I want to hear what happened.’ Feng Yuan murmured in his mind.
i Ran then nodded and withdrew, leaving the hall once again imrsed in silence, Feng Yuan remaining alone with his eyes closed.
In Long Xue’s chamber, the curtains still swayed softly. She was seated, cultivating in silence, until the door burst open.
Mo Xia entered with a look of slight urgency.
"I ca to inform you that Kyrian has returned!"
Long Xue’s heart raced. For an instant, she remained motionless. Then, a vast smile appeared on her face, lighting it like never since she had awakened.
She said nothing, only felt an overwhelming joy. Kyrian had returned safe, and soon she would see him again. Even if she did not understand why she felt this way.
She was relieved, sohow.
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