The wind carried the scent of blood and death across the desolate ridge, a familiar companion that had followed Wei Lin through three years of hunting in the Savage Lands. Standing at the precipice overlooking the hidden valley below, she cut a striking figure against the harsh landscape—tall and slender, her waist-length hair flowing like black silk in the afternoon breeze. The silver-sheathed sword at her side caught the sunlight, its intricate inscriptions glowing with barely contained spiritual energy.
To most observers, Wei Lin's face would appear cold, distant—the expression of someone who had witnessed too much death and emerged harder for it. But those who knew her understood this was simply her natural bearing, forged by years of survival in one of the most dangerous regions of the Demon Beast Empire. Her eyes held the steady firmness of a seasoned hunter, scanning the terrain below with practiced efficiency.
Three years, she thought, her fingers unconsciously brushing the hilt of her sword. Three years since I left the safety of the clan compound. How different I am now from that sheltered girl who dreamed of adventure.
The memories of her departure still burned clearly in her mind. She had been fifteen then, filled with righteous anger at her family's treatment of Wei Chen and desperate to prove herself worthy of the Wei name. Her parents had initially refused her request to venture into the outside world, but eventually relented when she threatened to leave without their blessing. They had assigned Elder Xiu as her protector—a decision that had likely saved her life countless times since.
A sudden bone-deep chill drew her from her reminiscence, the cold yin energy radiating from the valley below creating a stark contrast to the warm afternoon sun. The frigid air carried with it the metallic tang of blood, a scent she had learned to associate with her quarry. Yin and blood—the two primary attributes that permeated any area where the Crimson Blood Clan had established themselves.
Her spiritual senses, honed through years of constant danger, detected a faint but familiar qi signature emanating from the hidden base.
'She's here!'.
Wei Lin thought grimly. The signature belonged to Blood Witch Mei, one of the few surviving elders of the Crimson Blood Clan and the architect of the massacre that had first brought Wei Lin to these lands.
A figure materialized behind her with barely a whisper of displaced air, moving with the fluid grace of a trained assassin. Gu Sei, her scout and intelligence gatherer, appeared clad in her characteristic dark bodysuit, twin daggers visible at her waist beneath a concealing black cloak. Despite being only eighteen and standing barely five feet tall, she had proven herself invaluable in the dangerous game of hunting cultivator remnants.
"We have located the Crimson Blood Clan remnants that escaped the previous encirclement," Gu Sei reported, her tone respectful but urgent. "Based on our comprehensive layout of their previous base, this appears to be a long-abandoned stronghold they've repurposed as a temporary refuge. However, due to internal conflicts among the survivors, the formation covering this ridge has been damaged, allowing us to locate them much more quickly than anticipated."
Wei Lin responded with a noncommittal hum, her gaze never leaving the valley below. "What are their numbers and estimated strength? Are they all Qi Gathering cultivators, or are there Foundation Establishment cultivators among them?"
"Eighteen Qi Cultivation realm cultivators, most in the mid to late stages, with only two at the peak of the realm," Gu Sei replied promptly. "The two Foundation Establishment cultivators engaged in combat during their escape, sustaining injuries of unknown severity. I couldn't get close enough for a complete assessment, but I captured and interrogated a mid-stage Qi cultivator. According to him, both Foundation realm cultivators are at the middle stage of their respective cultivation."
Before Wei Lin could respond, two shadows flashed across the ridge, arriving beside her with impressive speed. The Barbarian Twins, Meng Ruo and Meng Chenyi, had grown considerably since she first rescued them three years ago. Both now stood over six feet tall, with their imposing presence towering over Wei Lin's more modest frame, .
Wei Lin remembered the day she found them clearly. She had just joined the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group, still green and inexperienced, when they discovered the ruins of a barbarian village. The Crimson Blood Clan had wiped out the entire settlement in their search for rare bloodline abilities, leaving only these two sisters barely clinging to life. Wei Lin had seized the opportunity to gain their loyalty by having Elder Xiu cripple the responsible Golden Core cultivator and allowing the twins to exact their revenge personally.
"We have identified six potential exit routes and placed various traps in and around the perimeter," Meng Ruo reported, her voice carrying the slight accent of her tribal origins.
"That should help slow them down while giving us advance warning if they attempt another escape," Meng Chenyi added, finishing her sister's thought in the way that had become their trademark.
"Big sister," Meng Ruo continued, using the affectionate title they had adopted for Wei Lin, "my sister and I will flank them and clean up the Qi Gathering fodder before assisting with the two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Injured or not, their final burst techniques and escape measures are not to be underestimated."
Wei Lin studied the twins with approval. Both sisters resembled each other closely, differing mainly in that Meng Ruo was slightly taller and more heavily built. The tribal markings they were born with covered their arms and faces in intricate patterns—identical designs but reversed between the sisters, as if they were mirror images of each other.
Both had reached the early Bronze Blood realm comparable to early Foundation Establishment realm, they were even more powerful compared Early Foundation establishment cultivators with their unique Unsullied Body they possessed. Unlike most cultivators who relied on spiritual roots, the twins cultivated through their tribal markings, their system more spiritual and soul-based than traditional methods. They called upon their ancestors for strength, channeling the accumulated power of their bloodline through the sacred tattoos that marked their skin.
When Her elder Xiu had informed her of this their uniqueness had caught Wei Lin's attention from the beginning. In a world where strength determined everything, finding such distinctive and powerful retainers had been a stroke of fortune she had not let slip away.
"Understood," Wei Lin said, giving them a gentle nod of acknowledgment.
A subtle shift in the air announced the arrival of Elder Xiu, the middle-aged woman who had shadowed Wei Lin since her departure from the clan. With her late-stage Golden Core cultivation, she had ensured the young woman's survival through every life-and-death encounter these past three years. Her eyes flashed with pride as she observed her charge, noting the growth and maturity that had replaced the impetuous girl who had first left the clan compound.
The struggles and close calls have forged her heart, Elder Xiu thought. The loss of some innocence was the natural price one paid in this world. You cannot see and do the things necessary for survival and remain unchanged. If you can, you're probably more of a psychopath than you realize.
"This should be your last mission before we head back," Elder Xiu said, her voice carrying both authority and concern. "The young master's birthday is in a week. We should be able to make it back before the ceremony begins."
Wei Lin's expression tightened slightly at the mention of her brother. Elder Xiu had always been concerned about Wei Chen's pitiful fate, but she had also observed how his struggles had driven Wei Lin to excel. The unspoken understanding between them was that Wei Chen's weakness had indirectly paved the way for Wei Lin to potentially become the clan's first female leader.
The thought of returning home brought a complex mix of emotions. Three years ago, she had left in anger and frustration, desperate to prove herself and escape the suffocating atmosphere of pity that surrounded her brother. Now she was returning as a proven warrior, her reputation earned through blood and steel in the most dangerous regions of the continent.
But the thought of facing Wei Chen again filled her with unexpected anxiety. How would she look him in the eye, knowing that her success had been built partially on his failures? How could she celebrate her achievements when they had come at the cost of accepting her brother's fate as the clan's burden?
"Quickly deal with these blood remnants," Elder Xiu continued, her tone becoming more businesslike. She understood the dangers that lay below but chose not to elaborate, knowing that uncertainty could serve as another form of tempering for her charge.
Wei Lin drew her sword in one fluid motion, the blade singing as it cleared its sheath. The weapon was a masterwork of cultivation craftsmanship, its edge capable of cutting through spiritual barriers as easily as flesh. The inscriptions along its length pulsed with her qi, responding to her intent like a living extension of her will.
"Move out," she commanded, her voice carrying the authority of someone who had earned the right to lead through countless victories.
The battle that followed was swift and brutal. Wei Lin descended into the valley like a silver meteor, her sword work precise and economical. Three years of constant combat had refined her technique to lethal perfection, each movement calculated to conserve energy while maximizing damage.
The Qi Gathering cultivators fell before her advance like wheat before the scythe. Their blood cultivation techniques, once feared throughout the region, proved inadequate against her combination of superior cultivation, battle experience, and masterwork equipment. She moved through their ranks with devastating efficiency, her blade leaving trails of silver light that marked the path of another enemy's demise.
Gu Sei struck from the shadows, her daggers finding the gaps in their defenses with surgical precision. The small assassin had learned her craft well, turning her diminutive size into an advantage as she slipped between larger opponents to strike at vital points.
The Barbarian Twins fought as one, their ancestral techniques creating a storm of spiritual energy that overwhelmed their opponents through sheer power. Their tribal markings glowed with otherworldly light as they channeled the strength of their bloodline, each strike carrying the accumulated fury of their massacred people.
When the two Foundation Establishment cultivators finally revealed themselves, emerging from their hidden chamber with desperate fury, they found themselves facing not a group of mere bounty hunters but a coordinated team of elite killers.
Blood Witch Mei, recognizable by the crimson inscriptions that covered half her body,clearly seen dude her scantly and sheer clothing. she started conjuring while distancing herself from Wei Lin with Her blood-based techniques created whirlwinds of razor-sharp liquid that could shred flesh from bone, but Wei Lin had faced such abilities before. Her sword work adapted to the flowing nature of the attacks, deflecting rather than blocking, redirecting rather than opposing.
The second Foundation Establishment cultivator, a gaunt man whose name Wei Lin had never learned, attempted to break through the twins' assault but found himself trapped in their coordinated offense. The ancestral spirits they summoned proved resistant to his soul-based attacks, their ethereal forms absorbing and dispersing his techniques with ancient wisdom.
The battle reached its climax when Blood Witch Mei, realizing her situation was hopeless, attempted to activate a self-destruction technique and Blood Light technique that would have taken everyone in the immediate area with her and facilitated her escaped . But Wei Lin had anticipated this desperation move, having seen it used before during previous encounters, with other Foundation realm members .
Her sword, enhanced with her full spiritual power, pierced through the witch's defenses at the exact moment the technique began to form. The blade disrupted the gathering energy, causing it to disperse harmlessly rather than explode outward in a final act of spite.
As Blood Witch Mei collapsed, her eyes wide with disbelief, Wei Lin stood over her fallen form. "This is for the Village of Peaceful Springs," she said quietly, her voice carrying the weight of all the innocent lives this woman had destroyed.
The gaunt cultivator fell moments later, overwhelmed by the twins' relentless assault. His final words were a curse directed at all who opposed the Crimson Blood Clan, but his voice faded into silence before he could complete the ritual.
As the dust settled and the last echoes of combat faded away, Wei Lin surveyed the battlefield with satisfaction. Another group of Crimson Blood Clan remnants had been eliminated, their threat to innocent villages ended permanently. But more than that, she had proven once again that the Wei name carried weight even in the savage lands far from home.
This is what I am now, she thought, cleaning her sword with practiced efficiency. Not the sheltered clan daughter who left three years ago, but someone who can stand on her own merit.
As they prepared to leave the valley behind, Elder Xiu approached with a small smile. "Your father will be proud ".
Wei Lin nodded, but her thoughts were already turning toward home. In a week, she would stand before her family again, no longer as the daughter who had fled in anger but as a warrior who had proven herself in the crucible of real combat.
The question that haunted her was whether that would be enough to bridge the gap that had opened between her and Wei Chen all those years ago. She had found her strength in the savage lands, but would she find forgiveness at home?