8. About Dark Power

At this moment, Jian Hong and Shen Wei had arrived at the bottom of the ravine, specifically by the dried-up waterfall. Upon seeing it, Jian Hong's steps slowed down. He even stared with deep guilt at the dried-up spring within it.

Meanwhile, Shen Wei, who continued walking, was unaware that Jian Hong had fallen behind. The young man walked until he reached the riverbank and crouched down, touching the half-wet ground with his hands. "I have ruined the legacy of the Goddess; I am even prepared to be punished."

However, no matter how deep Jian Hong's regret was, it was of no use at this moment. Just as Jian Hong touched the ground, an odd sketch suddenly appeared in his mind. It felt like a series of random events, gray and blurry in appearance.

Feeling dizzy, Jian Hong held his head. The images vanished from his mind. However, Jian Hong remained shocked. His heart pounded rapidly. "What was that? Was that a fragment of memory? But when?"

"Jian Hong!"

As Jian Hong was still focused on thinking about it, Shen Wei's voice reached his ears first. He quickly stood up and responded, "Yes, Master, I'm coming!"

Before leaving, Jian Hong glanced one last time at the riverbed. However, he immediately ran to catch up with his master who had called him. From Shen Wei's expression, it was evident that he was nearly desperate. "You said the prince fell here, but where is he?"

Hearing this, Jian Hong immediately looked to the left and right, even spinning around to search for Han Feng along the riverbank, which was almost as wide as three lakes. "Master, Senior Han did fall here. But honestly, I don't know either."

Feeling that there were no other options, Shen Wei moved his fingers, causing white light to emanate. "Give me your blood," Shen Wei said.

Without hesitation, Jian Hong bit his finger, causing blood to drip onto Shen Wei's white light. As his blood mixed with the light, it automatically formed a pattern, resembling threads that kept elongating. "I have linked the Heavenly Cage Seal with your blood. So, when we want to find Han Feng, this Soul Thread will lead us to him."

Jian Hong nodded and immediately set off to find Han Feng. However, even as the noble day turned dark, neither of them could find anything. Han Feng's trail had completely vanished, as if the prince had never fallen there.

So, Jian Hong and Shen Wei decided to light a bonfire and stop for a while at the cave's mouth, not far from the riverbed. For some time, or perhaps since their meeting, Shen Wei had noticed that his disciple was more silent than usual. Normally, Jian Hong would be noisy, talking about many things, even trivial matters.

"Are you thinking about something?" Shen Wei asked, though his gaze remained focused on the rabbit he had just placed on the bonfire.

Hearing that, Jian Hong snapped out of his thoughts. He tried to neutralize his expression. "Master, I was just thinking about Senior Han's whereabouts. We never know what his condition is now. If something happens, wouldn't that trigger a war between Sheng Shi and Tian Ba?"

Shen Wei nodded. "I understand. Though Tian Ba is just a sect, dealing with the kingdom is a taboo. I heard that of the four princes of Sheng Shi, only Prince Han Feng is the crown prince candidate. If this news reaches Sheng Shi, it will indeed not be good for Tian Ba."

Initially, Shen Wei thought Jian Hong would stop daydreaming, but the young man still looked downcast. "Master, today, everything that happened is my fault. If only I had cultivated the Divine Path from the start, I could have saved them. But now everything is truly chaotic. Senior Han is missing, sect members are dead. I don't even know what the condition of my fellow disciples in Tian Ba is like right now. And besides," he gazed outside, his eyes fixed on the trees on the opposite side, obstructed by the dry river. "The Ji Quan spring wouldn't have dried up if it weren't for me."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wei could only sigh deeply. "Jian Hong, will this rabbit blame its fate for being born a rabbit?"

This question made Jian Hong look at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Humans are not born without reason. There is always a fate, both good and bad, behind it. So, what if you can't cultivate? What if your meridians are damaged? You can't resist the will of Heaven that has arranged the universe. But you can always strive, and Heaven will approve of your hard work. Jian Hong, many people are born with a low cultivation foundation, or with no talent at all. But as long as they keep trying, won't Heaven not disappoint them? What happened today, I know you feel guilty. But there's no use blaming yourself and wallowing in this like this."

"Jian Hong, this rabbit was born to be food for humans. Just because it's an animal without reason, it gives in to its fate. But you are human, you can think. I know you as an intelligent person. If you want to change your destiny, you must stop thinking about the mistakes you've made. Even if you think about it for tens of years, this event will never change. Jian Hong, I don't know if you'll understand my words or not. But if you want to be someone influential in this world, if you want to be someone respected, someone who changes the rules of the universe, then you must fight to achieve it. Because when you have power, the world will be in your grasp."

For a moment, Jian Hong fell silent, but his mind was racing to digest every word Shen Wei said. "Defy the will of Heaven?"

"I know you won't understand this now. But Jian Hong, if you train your dark power well, I believe that one day, you will be able to use it without revealing your identity."

"I don't know why I was born with dark power. Even when others can cultivate with the Divine Path, I had to seal this power and ruin my own meridians." Jian Hong lowered his head, staring gloomily at his hands.

"So what if you can't cultivate with the Divine Path? You still have power, and your dark power is even greater than any cultivator I've met in the same realm. Jian Hong, you just need to learn to control it, and you will become someone great."

Once again, Jian Hong fell silent until his face brightened again. "You're right. So what if I have dark power? If I use it for good, isn't that not a sin?"

The corners of Shen Wei's lips slowly lifted. "Yes, but you need to eat to train your power. I've heard that training dark power requires more energy."

"Really? You seem to know a lot about this. Now I suspect you once wanted to learn it."

"You naughty boy!" Shen Wei lightly tapped Jian Hong's head. "Does my heavenly appearance look like hell to you?"

"Ouch," Jian Hong winced, but then laughed.

At that moment, Jian Hong didn't know that Shen Wei had only told him half the truth. Shen Wei was afraid that if Jian Hong heard the whole story, the young man would lose his will to live altogether.

---

The next day, Jian Hong stood outside the Tian Ba sect. He had been standing at the top step, unable to muster the courage to enter. But after a while, Jian Hong took a deep breath. "No, I can't act like a coward. All of this happened beyond my control. No matter how angry they are with me, I must face everything."

At that moment, Jian Hong stepped through the invisible door, surrounded by green light. It was one of the protective spells used by the Elders before their death. Upon entering, Jian Hong was surprised to see that the sect had improved.

The last time Jian Hong remembered, things were in chaos here. He was jolted from his thoughts when Wang Jun, the only person who had rebelled that day, approached him. "Senior Hong! You're back!"

His shout made several disciples who were rebuilding Tian Ba run over to him. Seeing their bright faces running toward him with hope, Jian Hong couldn't help but look away as his eyes began to burn with emotion.

"Senior, you must be tired after defeating the demons, right? Come in, we'll treat you well," Wang Jun said, pulling Jian Hong's hand without permission. This made Jian Hong feel even more guilty inside. He didn't know how he would tell them everything.

"How did you know we won?"

"Of course, the protection," Wang Jun explained, looking up. "If we had lost, we wouldn't have had time to create a protective spell. Even if we lost, it should have been the evil demons who showed up today."

"Yes, that's right!" Xu Na, a cheerful disciple with pigtails and a small ribbon, added. "So, we thought we should decorate the sect as a gift for your victory. After such a long battle, you must want to rest, right? The sect was destroyed and messy yesterday, there was no place to rest." She paused, sticking her head around Jian Hong's back. "By the way, where are the others? Haven't they returned yet? I was going to give them the new pills I made. But no worries, I'll give them to them when they return."

Jian Hong's heart raced faster. How should he destroy his fellow disciple's feelings? But Jian Hong had to be strong; he had to tell them everything. Slowly, he released Wang Jun's hand, touched his belt, and a box appeared in his hand. Wang Jun, seeing this, was puzzled. "Senior, is this a coffin? You even went through the trouble of bringing the corpse of the demon for us? Wow, you're amazing. If that's the case, let's quickly see it. I can't wait!"

Slowly, Jian Hong shook his head. "This is not the corpse of a demon."

"Then what is it?"

"Didn't you want to know the whereabouts of the Elders and the other seniors?"

"Yes, but... wait, don't tell me..."

Before Wang Jun could finish his sentence, Jian Hong had already placed the chest on the ground. Its size grew larger, and the lid opened. "They... are in there."

"What? No, this can't be! Senior, you must be lying, right? What does this mean? We won... they're still alive. They wouldn't die if we won!"

However, Jian Hong just lowered his head. "The protection you see here is the last soul of all of them. To protect Tian Ba, they sacrificed their lives. Including Elder Wu Hao."

"What? My father sacrificed himself?"