Chapter 519: Return to the Demonic Sect
“Run! Don’t just stand there! Move!”
A voice shouted urgently.
But the girl took a long time to come to her senses.
Tears blurred her vision, making it impossible to see clearly.
Everything was a hazy blur.
“Hey! Snap out of it! We’re all going to die if you don’t move!”
Another voice yelled.
But all she could hear was a ringing in her ears, and her sobs continued unabated.
She was sad.
No, perhaps “exhausted” was a better word.
She was utterly drained.
Her body felt as heavy as lead.
And… it was hot.
Flames roared all around her.
She couldn’t remember where she was, what she had been doing just moments ago, or why the boy in front of her was shouting at her.
Crack!
Somewhere, a wooden beam snapped.
Thud!
Whoosh!
A wave of heat rushed over her cheek, following the heavy sound.
“Ugh!”
The boy, trying to lift her, gritted his teeth and bit his lip.
He wedged his hands under her arms and strained with all his might.
“Please… just get up!”
But the girl didn’t budge.
Her body, which should have been light, felt as heavy as iron.
Perhaps she had unconsciously used a martial art technique that made her body as heavy as a thousand pounds.
“Ah, damn it!”
The boy let out a frustrated sigh.
He looked around, seeing the flames dancing everywhere.
In the distance, other children were scattering in panic, fleeing for their lives.
“Hey! Seventeen! Hurry up! What are you doing there?”
“This girl…”
“Leave that dazed kid and run! You’ll die too if you stay!”
“Go on! Be careful, Nine!”
“Fine! I’m out of here!”
Nine ran without looking back.
Seventeen let out a deep sigh.
Beyond the wall of flames, he could hear shouts and the clash of weapons.
It was the sound of the Demonic Sect’s downfall.
He had always thought he’d be overjoyed to hear that sound one day.
“But at this rate… I’ll be jumping from the heat, not joy.”
Sweat drenched his body as the heat pressed in from all sides.
Despite being soaked, he had the absurd thought, “Will I catch fire?”
Finally, Seventeen shrugged and trudged back to the girl, plopping down beside her.
“I give up.”
He grinned at her, his smile oddly innocent amidst the inferno.
Did that smile somehow reach her?
”…Seventeen… brother…?”
“Yeah, Three. Are you finally coming to your senses?”
“Brother… what are you doing here?”
“You wouldn’t get up, so I just sat down with you.”
“I’m… hot.”
“Oh, now you feel it? Was it just warm until now?”
“Yeah… it was warm.”
His joking words were met with her earnest reply, leaving Seventeen momentarily stunned.
Then he chuckled.
“Well… we haven’t had much warmth in our lives, have we?”
Everything around them had always been cold.
The watchful eyes of their captors, the cold precision of the martial artists, the cold floors they slept on at night, and the cold iron bars that separated them from the outside world.
Seventeen clasped her hands tightly.
“Three. If we stay here, we’ll die.”
“That’s how it was always meant to be.”
She wasn’t surprised.
She had always known it was her fate.
Many children died during the martial arts training.
Surviving one day didn’t guarantee survival the next.
So most of the children thought they’d die here eventually.
But Seventeen shook his head.
“No. We have a chance to live.”
“How…?”
She asked, bewildered.
“The righteous alliance attacked the Demonic Sect. It’s on the brink of collapse. We need to get out of here. The alliance’s martial artists will help us.”
“Oh…”
“Do you understand? We need to leave now. If we stay, we’ll burn to death.”
“Really… we can live?”
“Of course! We have a chance like never before!”
“Okay. Let’s go, brother.”
The girl stood up, brushing herself off.
Seventeen’s face lit up with a smile.
“Great! Hold on tight! We’ll make it out alive!”
“Yes!”
Seeing her regain her strength, Seventeen felt a surge of determination.
Three had always followed him closely in this place.
She reminded him of the little sister he had lost long ago.
“Let’s go!”
Seventeen grabbed her hand and started running.
Crack, thud!
Whoosh!
Another burning beam fell, flames roaring.
Seventeen quickly stopped and turned to her.
“Can you use the Demonic Cold Step?”
“Yes!”
“Good, now’s the time. Use it to leap over the flames!”
“Got it!”
The two, like siblings, held hands and executed the Demonic Cold Step together.
The technique chilled their bodies to the core, freezing everything they touched.
Anyone without inner strength would freeze to death, and even those with it would find their movements slowed.
Whoosh!
The two leapt over the fallen, burning beam, leaving a trail of cold in their wake.
Sizzle…!
Their bodies sizzled as they brushed against the heat.
“Are you okay?”
Seventeen asked, looking back at her after they landed.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Thank goodness.”
He grinned, and she blushed.
His soot-covered smile was the most beautiful she had ever seen.
“Once we turn that corner, the alliance’s martial artists will save us.”
“Yes!”
They ran, hand in hand.
But just as they were about to round the corner,
“Aaah!”
A young scream pierced the air, followed by a sickening sound.
Sensing something was wrong, Seventeen quickly pulled Three and leapt onto a roof.
From there, he peered down, trying to remain unseen.
To his shock, he saw the head of Nine, who had run ahead, rolling on the ground.
His lifeless eyes stared up at Seventeen on the roof.
Two martial artists appeared.
Their attire marked them as members of the righteous alliance.
They were older, and their presence was formidable.
“Are they sect leaders? Did they kill Nine? But why…?”
One of the martial artists asked, “Is it done?”
“For now, there’s no one left here. But some escaped when the fire started. We’ve suffered some losses too.”
“These demonic children were created by the sect. We can’t afford to show mercy. We must find and kill them all to prevent future threats.”
“Of course, Master Wei.”
The responding martial artist dashed off.
The remaining one scanned the area before turning to leave.
Seventeen was in shock.
Three, not understanding, asked, “Brother, why are we hiding?”
“We need a new plan. We have to survive on our own now.”
“Okay. I’ll follow you, brother.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Seventeen took her hand and leapt away.
**
When the girl opened her eyes again, she had grown into a young woman, her figure more defined.
“Huff, huff, huff!”
Seventeen stood with his back to her, his broad shoulders facing the martial artists.
“Take one more step, and I’ll kill you.”
“Persistent brat…!”
Three martial artists looked at Seventeen, clicking their tongues.
Eighty-seven of their comrades lay defeated on the ground.
The entire Sword Wind Squad of the Suzhou Wei family had been wiped out.
Even Master Wei and the first son were dead.
It was a complete disaster.
All because of those two brats!
Seventeen growled like a wounded wolf.
“Who’s the real monster here? Why won’t you leave us alone? How many years have you been hunting us?”
“Do you really not know? You’re the descendants of the Demonic Sect…”
“Shut up! We’re not demonic! We were kidnapped and forced to learn those techniques…”
“That’s exactly the problem. The techniques you learned will become a threat to the martial world. Do you think you can live peacefully after destroying our family?”
“You cowards! You mercilessly killed children like us!”
“You’re not children anymore, are you?”
One of the martial artists taunted.
Seventeen’s anger exploded.
He bent low and roared, launching himself at the three martial artists with blinding speed.
Whoosh!
“Ah!”
The warrior recoiled in shock, but Seventeen’s movements were far swifter.
A dark, crimson aura swirled around him like a storm.
Thud! Thud, thud!
With a mere branch in hand, he struck a warrior’s neck, chest, and abdomen in rapid succession.
“Gah…!”
As the warrior crumpled to the ground, Seventeen snatched the sword from his grasp and darted between two more opponents.
Whoosh!
A crimson flash sliced through the air between them.
They had no time to comprehend what had happened.
Instead, the world seemed to tilt and spin chaotically.
Their heads tumbled to the ground.
Splat!
Blood erupted like a fountain, and the two fell with a heavy thud, like ancient trees crashing down.
“Hah, hah, hah…!”
Seventeen panted heavily, his breath ragged.
A timid voice called out to him, trembling.
“Brother…?”
“Raaagh!”
Seventeen suddenly threw his head back and roared at the sky.
The sound was a thunderous quake, as if the heavens themselves were shaking.
“Aaaahhh!”
His eyes were completely consumed by darkness.
The fate of those who had not fully mastered the dark arts.
The more they used their powers, the more their bodies began to unravel.
In an instant, Three wrapped her arms around him from behind.
Seventeen’s roar ceased as if it had never been.
“It’s okay… Brother, it’s okay…”
Her desperate whisper brushed against his ear.
“Rrrr…!”
Seventeen’s breath came in harsh gasps, his eyes still filled with darkness.
The dark, crimson energy that had erupted from him like an explosion began to fade.
How long did he struggle like that?
Seventeen’s hand found its way to rest on Three’s.
“Thank you.”
“Brother…?”
“I’m okay now. Thank you.”
Seventeen, drenched in sweat, was smiling.
It was the smile from that day.
The smile that shone with beauty despite the soot that covered his face.
Not the kind of smile that was common in this world, but one that stood alone, radiant.
“Let’s go. Somewhere with no one else. Away from these wretched people.”
“Yes. As long as I have you, Brother.”
Hand in hand, they began to walk.
Just as they had years ago, escaping the inferno that consumed their home.
They sought to leave this world behind.
But they did not know.
Leaving this world was far more difficult than they imagined.
That a pain worse than hell awaited them.
Or perhaps, deep down, they already knew.
Perhaps they simply refused to acknowledge it.