With no other choice left to her, Emily moved.Fear screamed at her to run, to hide, to wait for someone stronger to save her, but another voice, raw, desperate, and far louder overpowered it.She cursed under her breath as she charged forward, grip tight on her weapon, heart pounding so hard it felt like it might crack her ribs.“Damn it.. damn it all,” she hissed as she swung, the whip slicing through the air with a sharp snap. “I did not sign up to die out here!”A beast lunged.She dodged clumsily, rolled, came up on one knee and lashed out again, the razor-edged whip tearing into flesh. Blood sprayed. The beast howled and collapsed.“Stay down!” she yelled breathlessly, voice shaking but fierce.Another came from the side. She felt the rush of air, the pressure of death closing in, and for a split second panic nearly swallowed her whole but she remembered the rhythm she had been taught, the way to breathe, to anchor herself. She twisted, feet sliding in the dirt, and struck aga

Kai drove in silence for a while.Not the peaceful kind of silence either. It was the heavy, internal kind, the kind where a man reevaluated every single decision that had led him to this exact moment, gripping a steering wheel while a demonic mentor sat comfortably behind him like she hadn’t just committed multiple crimes against basic human decency.His eyes stayed on the road, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Somewhere between I should’ve stayed in the sect and next time I’m jumping off the plane voluntarily just to spite her.From the back seat, Zora clicked her tongue.“Do you actually know what you’re doing,” she asked lazily, “or are you just driving forward and hoping the universe feels sorry for you?”Kai frowned. “What did I do now?”He glanced briefly at the rearview mirror. “And what exactly have I offended this time? I’m pretty sure I’ve been quiet for at least five whole minutes.”Zora scoffed, leaning back like a queen disappointed in her subject. “You didn’t even ask w

As they walked deeper into the forest, the atmosphere grew heavier and not because of danger, at least not yet but because of anticipation.The trees thinned in strange patterns, the air subtly shifting in pressure and texture, and Kai could feel it in his bones that this wasn’t just a casual stroll into greenery. Zora didn’t walk like someone exploring. She walked like someone heading straight to a destination she already owned.After a few minutes of silence, she spoke.“Have you mastered the fist technique I gave you?”Kai glanced sideways at her, then forward again, careful with his words. “Yes.”Zora didn’t respond immediately, so he added, “Well… mostly.”She stopped walking and Kai stopped too.“How far,” she asked calmly, “can you use it?”He scratched the back of his head, already bracing himself. “At the moment? About five to seven punches. After that, my arms feel like they’ve been used to hammer mountains.”Zora turned fully to him and studied his face for a long second, e

From her comfortable spot off to the side, Zora burst into laughter the moment Kai’s elbow shattered against the beast’s skull. She laughed so hard she had to lean back, one hand on her stomach, fruit still in the other like this was the funniest thing she’d seen all week.“Oh, my bad,” she said cheerfully between laughs. “I completely forgot to mention that part.”Kai flexed his arm again, jaw tight, eyes flicking toward her with a look that promised future violence. “Forgot what part,” he asked flatly, voice dangerously calm.Zora waved her fruit in the air, juice splashing. “That’s a Three-Eyed Iron Buffalo.”Kai’s brows twitched. “A what.”“The name is very literal,” she continued happily. “Three eyes. Iron body. Buffalo attitude. Their hides are tough enough that if you dropped a mountain on one, the mountain would apologize first. And their heads?” She tilted her own head thoughtfully. “Their heads are basically divine anvils. You don’t hit them. They hit you.”Kai stared at the

Kai coughed and pushed himself off the ground almost instantly, reflex and stubbornness working faster than pain ever could. Dust slid off his shoulders as his eyes snapped back toward the Iron Buffalo only for him to freeze.The beast wasn’t moving.It was not charging as it should, it was not even stomping like the raging bull should. It stood there like an invisible wall had been slammed in front of it, hooves digging uselessly into the earth, muscles tensed but locked in place.Looks like Zora’s work.Kai exhaled slowly. “Figures.”Before he could open his mouth to say anything else, space rippled and Zora appeared right in front of him. There was no drama or warning, she just appeared there. Arms crossed and expression flat. Eyes sharp in a way that made Kai straighten instinctively.She stared at him for a long second, then shook her head.“You’re an idiot,” she said calmly.Kai opened his mouth. Closed it. Tried again. “In my defense...”“Did you cultivate back to Return of Or