The path to the Ancestral Hall was open. Yuming knew what his goal was: destroy the Ancestral Tree.

  But he couldn’t do it alone, at least not quickly enough. The Tree was weaker than it had been before the karmic attack was routed through it, but still too strong for him to handle alone.

  Tianjue could certainly help him.

  But Yuming couldn’t just ask Tianjue to destroy it for him, nor could he make it obvious that he wanted it destroyed.

  If Tianjue realized it would benefit Yuming, he wouldn’t do it.

  First, I need to create an opening in the Ancestral Hall so that Tianjue can destroy the Tree while still engaged in battle with Qin Yueshan.

  Then I need to give Tianjue a reason to destroy it.

  Another blast went off overhead. The shockwave sent rubble flying toward Yuming.

  Liu Zhong.

  Liu Zhong, the boy from a poor family. Liu Zhong, who didn’t have a generation name. Liu Zhong, who was constantly trying to prove that he was no worse than anyone else.

  Yuming recalled the way Liu Zhong’s eyes twinkled whenever Tianjue gave him gifts. He remembered the satisfaction Liu Zhong derived from interrogating the high and mighty prodigy Liu Yuming.

  He wants to get closer to Tianjue and sees me as his rival. Also—

  Yuming looked up again.

  Tianjue really does give him a lot of gifts.

  Yuming realized that perhaps Tianjue might benefit from saving Liu Zhong’s life.

  He pressed a hand to his wounded ribs and began to move.

  He moved deeper into the compound, closer to the battle. He didn’t run, instead he crept slowly. He kept to the shadows along walls, ducking behind collapsed pillars and overturned carts. When spiritual light flared overhead, he pressed himself flat against the stone.

  The Liu Family juniors had dwellings beyond the servants’ quarters. They had taken refuge together at the center of their dormitory, far enough from the main battle to feel safe.

  Yuming could see them through a broken paneled window: four figures huddled together, their faces pale.

  One figure was not crouching. Instead, his broad shoulders stood tall as he confidently surveyed the surroundings.

  Liu Zhong.

  Good, he didn’t run off.

  Yuming adjusted his path. Instead of circling wide around the servants’ quarters he passed directly in front of it. He still snuck carefully, but close enough that someone watching would see him.

  Come on, take the bait.

  ….

  Liu Zhong had spent the past hour protecting his needy juniors. Liu Yuhao had actually wet himself when the battle started.

  So much for the glory of direct descendents.

  Liu Zhong stood near the doorway, watching the battle rage overhead. Tianjue’s flames painted the night sky crimson and gold. Each blast from the cauldron sent shockwaves rippling across the compound, rattling the walls of their shelter.

  That’s real power.

  His fingers itched. His heart stirred restlessly. He should’ve been out there fighting, proving his worth. Instead he was stuck babysitting.

  Suddenly, he saw movement in the shadows.

  A figure was creeping along the eastern wall. Crimson robes, dark with blood, moving not away from the battle but toward it.

  Yuming?

  He’d been wondering where this Junior Brother of his had been. Judging by the blood on his robes, it appeared that he’d been fighting.

  Liu Zhong clenched his fists.

  Did Elder Tianjue have a mission for him?

  His eyes stayed glued to Yuming’s moving figure.

  But if the Elder instructed him—why would he be sneaking past us? Does he not want us to know what’s going on?

  His heart tightened.

  Does he think he’s better than the rest of us?

  Liu Zhong watched as Yuming paused at the corner of a ruined wall. He glanced up toward the battle, then forward again. His hand drifted to his robes, checking for something.

  Then he slipped through a gate and disappeared.

  Liu Zhong’s jaw tightened.

  He’s hiding something.

  He glanced back at the other juniors. They were trembling. None of them would have the courage to accompany him.

  He cracked the door open and slipped out into the chaos outside.

  The compound was filled with collapsed walls, scattered debris, and small fires. Overhead, Elder Tianjue and the Jingquan woman were still trading blows.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I wonder what caused all of this.

  He glanced toward Wen Yuanfeng. And the Wen Family—how dare they betray us!

  Liu Zhong kept himself low, following the path Yuming had taken. Along a garden path, past the servant quarters, around the main hall.

  Ahead, the Ancestral Hall loomed. He saw Yuming’s silhouette slip through the entrance.

  The Ancestral Hall? Why would he—

  Liu Zhong pressed himself against the outer wall, his heart pounding. He waited, counting ten breaths. Then twenty.

  There was no sound inside, no explosion. Perhaps a quiet hum.

  He crept to the doorway and looked through the gap. The interior was dark, lit only by the faint glow of spirit lights. Ancestral tablets lined the walls, the names tracing back generations.

  Liu Zhong’s breath caught when he saw the center.

  Yuming knelt at the base of the Ancestral Tree, both palms pressed against the roots. His eyes were closed, his breathing was rhythmic.

  Pale light pulsed from his chest. It flowed down his arms, through his palms, and toward the Tree itself.

  This wasn't any technique Liu Zhong recognized. This wasn't Liu Family cultivation.

  His hand reached for the hilt of his sword.

  I knew he was hiding something!

  Liu Zhong thought back to the sabotage. No one knew who caused it.

  Yuming must have been involved! He’s probably a Jingquan spy!

  He gripped his sword’s handle.

  Elder Tianjue trusted me with those pills—he sees something in me. I need to handle this well, and prove that I’m worthy!

  “Junior Brother, what are you doing?”

  Yuming’s eyes snapped open. He turned to find Liu Zhong standing in the doorway, his sword half drawn.

  Yuming rose slowly, keeping his hands visible.

  “S-Senior Brother, this isn’t what it looks like!”

  Liu Zhong took another step forward.

  “Then tell me what’s going on here!”

  Yuming stammered. He motioned towards his bloody robes. “The battle—I needed somewhere to recover.”

  Liu Zhong pressed further. “Recover?” His eyes dropped toward the fading glow where Yuming’s palms had been. “Is that what you call this?”

  “Senior—”

  Liu Zhong didn’t give Yuming the chance to speak. “I don’t know why you’re here, and I don’t know where you’ve been all night. Come back with me now, explain things, and your punishment may be light.”

  He’s willing to fight, Yuming thought to himself. He sneered, “And if I don’t agree, you think you’re qualified to force me?”

  Liu Zhong’s face twisted in anger.

  He lunged toward Yuming.

  The strike was fast. This was no minor clan technique—this was a true Liu Family sword legacy. Yuming twisted aside, but his wounded ribs didn’t allow for the motion he wanted.

  The blade caught his sleeve, slicing through cloth.

  Yuming retreated behind the Tree’s trunk. His hand found the bark.

  Warmth flooded through his fragment as the Tree’s presence surged into him. It was tired and wounded but still vast.

  It seemed to sense something in Yuming, and Yuming felt a gentle tug—almost like a plea. His heart stirred yet he remained resolute; he brushed the Tree gently and apologized in his heart.

  Harvest Qi and various other qis flowed through his meridians, steadying his breathing. The pain in his ribs dulled.

  He moved.

  His counter-attack was sharper than Liu Zhong had expected. Needles darted from his fingers, and Liu Zhong was forced to deflect and step back.

  Liu Zhong’s eyes widened. He should be slower than this—he’s wounded. The Tree must be replenishing him!

  His sword began to hum. Pale curves of lightning began to crackle along the blade’s edge.

  Liu Zhong raised his sword overhead, and a bolt of lightning gathered at its tip. He drove his sword down and lightning danced across the hall.

  Yuming dove aside, but the bolt curved towards him.

  If I was healthy, I could dodge this with no problems. But injured it’s another story.

  The bolt landed inches from Yuming, prancing towards the pillar behind him and blasting stones in every direction.

  Another bolt flew, this one also curved towards him.

  Can he really curve his lightning this well? I haven’t seen him do it before.

  Perhaps Liu Zhong had a recent breakthrough, or perhaps—

  Right now I’m being replenished by Harvest Qi and Ancient Bark Qi. Lightning targets trees—is the lightning tracking the Tree’s qi?

  Instead of disconnecting from the Tree, Yuming rolled toward a root. He pressed his palm against it and pushed his Harvest and Ancient Bark Qi into it.

  As Yuming suspected, the lightning followed the qi.

  It struck the root instead of him. The root blackened and split, and smoke rose from the wound.

  The Tree groaned.

  Liu Zhong stared. Is he redirecting it?

  He closed in towards Yuming, hoping to slash him with his sword, but was met by a barrage of Needles.

  He’s not going to let me get close, Liu Zhong realized as he backed up.

  Yuming kept his palm pressed to the bark, feeling the Tree’s pain echo through the fragment. It still trusted him.

  I’m sorry. He felt his fragment pulse. I’ll take you with me, I promise.

  Liu Zhong went back to his lightning attacks, gathering more lightning and releasing a bolt.

  Yuming dove for another root, channeling the Tree’s qi through his meridians. The lightning chased, then twisted towards another root as Yuming rerouted the qi.

  More smoke. A branch overhead splintered and crashed to the floor.

  The ceiling, Yuming contemplated, if it falls, Tianjue can see the battle.

  The ceiling beams were old, weakened both by age and the spiritual battle raging outside. He looked at the Ancestral Tablets that filled the room. They have nothing to do with me.

  Liu Zhong was already charging another bolt.

  Yuming shifted, placing himself beneath the weakest section of the roof. He pressed against the trunk and pulled hard. The Tree’s qi surged through him, and his meridians lit up like a lantern.

  Come on, hit me.

  Liu Zhong sent the rest of what he had left toward Yuming, drawn by the flood of qi pouring through his body.

  At the last moment, Yuming threw his palms upward. The Tree’s qi erupted in his hands, and the spiritual qi met the lightning high in the air.

  The explosion tore the roof apart.

  Dust and splinters filled the air as tiles poured down. Yuming jumped sideways, rolling behind the trunk as debris crashed around him.

  Liu Zhong wasn’t as fortunate. A falling beam hit his shoulder, sending him to the ground in pain.

  Through the opening, Yuming could see the battle raging above.

  Liu Zhong was struggling to rise. The lightning technique had already drained him, and the beam had done the rest.

  He hadn’t completed Meridian Unblocking yet—his stamina just wasn’t up to par.

  Yuming advanced, needles forming between his fingers.

  “Senior Brother,” he said coldly. “You should have stayed with the others.”

  Liu Zhong’s eyes went wide with terror as he scrambled backward. “You—you wouldn’t, we’re both Liu—”

  “I didn’t want to hurt you,” Yuming calmly replied. “But you didn’t want to leave.”

  Liu Zhong screamed.

  “HELP! YUMING IS GOING TO KILL ME!”

  Far above, Tianjue’s gaze flicked towards the partly-collapsed Ancestral Hall. He quickly realized what was going on.

  That boy values the Tree so much… is he planning on forming another axis around it?

  He watched as Yuming steadily approached Liu Zhong.

  He chuckled inwardly.

  Smart boy, he knows I’m watching and wants me to save Liu Zhong to turn him into a karmic vessel instead.

  But does Yuming not realize that he’s more valuable?

  Liu Zhong’s eyes reached up. “ELDER TIANJUE, HELP!” he screamed.

  No matter, Tianjue thought to himself. It’s good to have a backup plan.

  He glanced toward the Ancestral Tree. Destroying the Tree could save Liu Zhong and prevent Yuming from condensing around another axis—it was truly killing two birds with one stone.

  Tianjue’s cauldron glowed brighter and brighter as he turned towards the Hall.

  There it is.

  Yuming raised the needles higher, letting Tianjue see the threat clearly.

  Save your investment, sever the connection, destroy the Tree!

  The cauldron grew brighter, now it was white-hot.

  Yuming dropped his needles and pressed his palms flat against the trunk.

  Now!

  He opened the fragment fully, deepening the connection. He resonated with all of the channels he had opened earlier.

  The Tree’s presence flooded into him, ancient and tired. And afraid.

  The Tree felt the approach of death. A century of patient growing, of witnessing generations of Wen births and deaths, of giving its all until nothing else remained—it all ended here.

  I’ll take you with me, Yuming promised again. He meant it.

  Yuming’s hands trembled against the bark.

  With a shriek from above, the cauldron released.