Chapter 13: The Chase Through Shadows

Boom!

The echo of the explosion still lingered in the air as dust and debris filled the Sealed Archives. The furious elder's voice thundered, shaking the very foundations of the chamber.

"INTRUDERS! CAPTURE THEM!"

Xiao Lan and Xiao Qing didn't hesitate.

They moved.

With a burst of Silver Rank speed, Xiao Lan pushed off the ground, launching himself backward toward the nearest exit. Xiao Qing was already a step ahead, her movements fluid, precise, like a shadow flickering through the air.

Behind them, the elder's Qi flared, a terrifying Gold Rank pressure crashing down upon them.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE?!"

Shit.

Xiao Lan gritted his teeth. He wasn't strong enough to fight a Gold Rank cultivator yet.

But that didn't mean he was helpless.

"Xiao Qing!" he shouted.

"I know!" she snapped back.

With a quick motion, she pulled out a jade talisman from her robe and crushed it between her fingers.

A sudden explosion of mist erupted, engulfing the entire chamber in thick white fog.

The guards coughed and stumbled, their vision completely blocked.

Xiao Lan felt a tug on his wrist—Xiao Qing grabbing him.

"This way!" she whispered.

Without hesitation, he followed.

The Xiao Clan's inner compound was a labyrinth of corridors, gardens, and ancient pavilions.

By the time they emerged from the Sealed Archives, alarms were already ringing across the entire estate.

"FIND THEM!"

"BLOCK ALL EXITS!"

Xiao Lan and Xiao Qing sprinted through the moonlit pathways, their breath steady, their movements silent.

"Where are we going?" Xiao Lan whispered.

"There's a secret passage near the training ground," Xiao Qing said between breaths. "If we reach it, we can escape unnoticed."

Xiao Lan frowned. "Why do you know all these secret passages?"

Xiao Qing smirked despite their situation. "Because I plan ahead."

Xiao Lan chuckled. "Remind me to stay on your good side."

Behind them, heavy footsteps pounded against the stone.

They were being followed.

Xiao Lan turned his head slightly.

A group of clan guards, all Silver Rank or higher, were closing in fast.

And leading them?

A young man with a cruel smile, his long silver hair flowing behind him.

Xiao Lan's expression darkened.

"Xiao Bai."

Xiao Bai's piercing gaze locked onto them, his Silver Rank aura flaring.

"You've really done it this time, Xiao Lan," he sneered. "Trespassing into the Sealed Archives? Father will love to hear about this."

Xiao Lan scoffed. "Oh? And here I thought you'd be too busy licking your wounds from our last fight."

Xiao Bai's face twisted with rage.

"You—!"

"Less talking, more running!" Xiao Qing interrupted.

She pulled Xiao Lan toward a small, winding path, but—

Boom!

A barrier of Dao energy erupted in front of them.

Xiao Bai smirked.

"You're not going anywhere."

Xiao Lan clicked his tongue.

They had no choice.

They had to fight.

Xiao Qing took a stance beside Xiao Lan, her silver eyes sharp.

"Think you can handle this?" she murmured.

Xiao Lan rolled his shoulders, his Dao energy surging.

"Do I have a choice?"

Xiao Bai's guards charged forward, their weapons gleaming in the moonlight.

The fight began.

Xiao Lan ducked under a sweeping sword strike, countering with a vicious palm strike that sent his attacker crashing into a wall.

Xiao Qing, meanwhile, moved like a ghost, her blade flashing as she weaved between opponents, cutting down anyone who got too close.

But Xiao Bai?

He was different.

He stood back, watching the fight unfold, his expression calculating.

Then, with a smirk, he raised his hand.

A dark crimson glow pulsed around his palm.

Xiao Lan's eyes narrowed.

That's not normal Dao energy…

Xiao Bai grinned, and with a flick of his wrist—

A massive arc of dark red energy shot toward them.

Xiao Lan barely had time to react.

Boom!

The attack exploded on impact, sending him and Xiao Qing flying backward.

Xiao Lan landed hard, skidding across the stone floor. His chest burned with pain.

But more than the pain…

It was the power of that attack that shocked him.

That wasn't ordinary Dao energy.

It was something else.

Something corrupt.

What the hell is he using…?

Xiao Bai laughed, stepping forward.

"Surprised?" he taunted. "I've been given a new power—one that far surpasses weaklings like you!"

Xiao Lan wiped the blood from his lip, his eyes dark.

This…

Was a problem.

Xiao Qing struggled to her feet, her breathing heavy. "We can't keep fighting here. More guards are coming."

She was right.

If they stayed any longer, they'd be completely surrounded.

They had to end this fight now.

Xiao Lan took a deep breath.

He had one trick left.

Something he hadn't fully tested yet.

Ever since his rebirth, he had felt a mysterious force inside him—something different from Dao energy.

It was dangerous.

It was unstable.

But right now?

He needed every advantage he could get.

He closed his eyes, reaching deep within himself—

And then—

Boom!

A shockwave exploded outward.

For a brief moment, the entire battlefield fell silent.

Then, as Xiao Lan's eyes snapped open—

A new power surged through his veins.

His Dao energy…

Had changed.

And for the first time since this battle started—

Xiao Bai's cocky smirk vanished.