The Samsara Jade

Chapter 26

The terrifying scream of the woman echoed loudly in the dark, ruined temple. The sound bounced off the giant, black stone walls. It was a scream of pure, absolute terror. 

Li Chen did not hesitate. His black eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. He moved forward, stepping into the pitch-black crack of the open iron doors. 

He was completely silent. Because he had spent a whole month hunting deadly monsters in the dark, he knew how to walk without making a single sound. His bare, metallic feet touched the dusty stone floor perfectly. He moved like a ghost made of shadows. 

The inside of the temple was massive. Giant stone pillars held up a ceiling that was lost in the darkness. Statues of ancient sword masters lined the walls, their stone faces looking down with angry eyes. Thick vines and purple moss grew over the broken rocks. The air smelled like old dust and dried blood. 

Li Chen followed the sound of the crying. He ducked behind a large stone pillar. He peeked around the edge and looked into the main hall of the temple. 

In the center of the hall, a small campfire was burning brightly. The warm yellow light pushed away the cold shadows. 

Standing next to the fire was a man wearing the dark, heavy clothes of an Enforcement Hall Scout. He was tall, thin, and had a cruel, ugly face. He held a sharp, glowing blue sword in his right hand. 

On the ground in front of him was a young woman. She wore the cheap, grey robes of a normal Outer Sect servant. Her clothes were torn, and her face was covered in dirt and tears. She was backing away, crawling on the hard stone floor, her hands shaking wildly. 

"Please, Senior Brother!" the young woman cried loudly. "I swear I will not tell anyone! I did not see anything! Please let me go!"

The Enforcer scout laughed. It was a nasty, wet sound. He pointed his blue sword at her throat. 

"You stupid little servant," the scout sneered. "You think I am going to let you live? You were cleaning Elder Zhao's room. You heard the secret plan. You know that Elder Zhao is going to cheat in the Outer Sect Tournament tomorrow to make sure his grandson, Zhao Feng, wins the first prize."

Li Chen, hiding behind the pillar, felt his heart skip a beat. 

“Zhao Feng.” 

The name hit Li Chen like a physical punch. It brought back the terrible memory of the freezing mud, the crushing boot on his head, and his mother's shattered jade pendant. 

"Tomorrow?" Li Chen thought in surprise. He had lost track of time in the dark chasm. He did not know a whole month had passed. The Outer Sect Tournament was the biggest event of the year. It was where the weak were kicked out, and the strong were given huge rewards. 

"I do not care about the tournament!" the girl begged, crying harder. "I just want to live! Please, Scout Jiao, have mercy!"

Scout Jiao smiled evilly. "Mercy is for the weak. Elder Zhao paid me fifty spirit stones to throw you into the Beast Chasm. But finding this ancient temple was a lucky surprise. It is clean and dry. I think I will have some fun with you before I cut your throat and leave you for the monsters."

Jiao took a slow step forward. He reached his left hand out to grab the crying girl's hair. 

"No!" she screamed, closing her eyes tightly. 

Suddenly, a cold, heavy voice echoed through the ancient hall. 

"You talk too much."

Scout Jiao froze. He quickly spun around, holding his glowing blue sword high. He looked into the dark shadows between the pillars. 

"Who is there?!" Jiao shouted. His voice was angry, but there was a hint of fear in it. "Show yourself! I am an Enforcer of the Azure Sword Sect!"

From the deep darkness, a figure slowly stepped into the light of the campfire. 

Jiao blinked his eyes in shock. 

The person standing before him did not look human. It was a young man, but he was dressed like a wild savage. He wore only a piece of thick, black wolf fur tied around his waist. His upper body was completely bare. His skin had a strange, dull grey color, like old iron. But the most terrifying thing was his eyes. They were pitch black, deeper than the darkest night, swirling with an endless, hungry void. 

It was Li Chen. 

"What kind of wild beast are you?" Jiao asked. He looked at Li Chen's bare chest. He did not see any glowing aura. He did not sense any normal cultivation energy. Because Li Chen's Qi was the heavy, ancient power of the Chaos Root, it was completely hidden from a normal scout. 

Li Chen did not answer. He just started walking slowly toward Jiao. 

"Stop right there!" Jiao ordered. He swung his blue sword in a wide circle. "I am at the 5th Level of Qi Condensation! I will cut you into pieces, you dirty savage!"