The Shadow That Hunts

The Shadow That Hunts

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The first rays of dawn had not yet pierced the thick canopy of the ancient forest, its vastness still shrouded in the darkness of night. The air was thick, heavy with the scent of earth, damp and cool, clinging to the land. A soft mist rose from the ground, swirling around the gnarled roots of towering trees, their ancient forms reaching toward the heavens as silent sentinels of time. The only sound that echoed through the stillness was the rhythmic scrape of Jiang Yun's hands against the cold, unforgiving soil.

His fingers, caked in mud and dirt, moved with an urgency that betrayed his inner turmoil. Each motion was drenched in raw, desperate determination. His muscles screamed with exhaustion, but there was no room for weakness. He had to do this. He couldn't leave Bai Zhen's body exposed to the elements—no scavenger, no spirit beast, deserved to tear him apart before the sun even rose. No warrior, no cultivator, deserved such a fate.

Bai Zhen had fallen alone, in a place where no one would have thought to mourn him. The battle that had led to his death had been brutal and unforgiving, a clash of wills between cultivators whose fates were sealed in the crucible of war. And Jiang Yun was the last to bear witness to his final moments.

Each time his hand sank deeper into the earth, Jiang Yun's thoughts flashed back to that fateful vision—the one that had struck him with such force. The battlefield, the broken sword, the desolation, the cold emptiness of it all. The crushing weight of that memory pressed down on him like the weight of a thousand mountains. But he could not falter. Bai Zhen deserved this much. A proper grave. A proper end.

His fingers trembled, the soil parting under his touch.

Then—snap.

Jiang Yun froze, his breath catching in his throat. The sound was faint, barely audible over the pounding of his heartbeat, but it was unmistakable. A twig breaking underfoot.

The silence of the forest closed in around him, and he felt the cold touch of danger in the air. He was not alone.

Instincts honed over years of survival flared within him. Slowly, he lifted his head, his eyes scanning the mist-shrouded surroundings, his body tensing like a coiled spring. There was no movement at first, no sign of a predator. But the presence of another was undeniable.

A voice, smooth and cold, drifted through the morning air, cutting through the stillness like a blade.

"Found you."

Jiang Yun's eyes snapped to the figure emerging from the mist. Tall and imposing, the man wore flowing black robes lined with silver thread, each stitch catching the faint light of dawn and glinting like a serpent's scales. His long, silver hair cascaded past his shoulders, framing a sharp, angular face that seemed carved from stone. His eyes—cold, calculating, and filled with unyielding authority—swept over the shallow grave Jiang Yun had been digging, and then landed on Bai Zhen's lifeless body.

A slow, mocking smile curved his lips.

"So this is where he fell."

Jiang Yun's heart skipped a beat.

This man… He had been hunting Bai Zhen.

Jiang Yun's pulse quickened. Was this one of the enemies Bai Zhen had spoken of? The ones who sought to uncover the secrets of the jade? Who were they? What did they want?

The man's gaze turned toward him, the look in his eyes shifting from curiosity to something far more dangerous.

"And you…" The man's voice dropped, rich with an unsettling calm. "What are you doing here?"

Jiang Yun swallowed hard, his throat dry. He had no answer. His heart raced, and his hands gripped the jade in his palm, though he was unsure of what to do with it. He could feel its power, but what could a mere mortal like him do against someone so clearly above him in strength?

"I—"

"Did he entrust something to you?" The man's voice cut through the air, sharp and demanding. He took a deliberate step forward, his boots sinking softly into the earth with each movement. The air seemed to thicken with danger, and the very space around them felt charged, as though the forest itself held its breath.

Jiang Yun's instincts screamed at him to run, but his body refused to obey. His feet seemed rooted to the ground. Something in the man's presence stilled him—a force more potent than mere strength, an aura that promised annihilation.

The stranger's gaze softened ever so slightly, the calculation in his eyes turning into amusement.

"No matter," he muttered, almost to himself. "I was sent to eliminate Bai Zhen. That task is already complete."

His lips twisted into a cruel smile, one that sent a chill down Jiang Yun's spine.

"But I suppose there's no harm in taking his accomplice as well."

Jiang Yun's mind raced, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew the man was not just any cultivator—he radiated an aura of overwhelming power, something Jiang Yun had never encountered before. Every fiber of his being told him that running was futile. The stranger was too fast, too strong.

Before he could react, the man moved.

One moment, Jiang Yun was standing there, his pulse thrumming in his ears, and the next, the stranger was before him. The cultivator's hand shot out like a viper's strike, closing around his throat in an iron grip. His body was lifted from the ground with terrifying ease.

Jiang Yun gasped, his hands scrabbling weakly at the man's fingers, but it was as if his body had been frozen in place. The air was crushed from his lungs, and he could feel his ribs groaning under the immense pressure. His vision blurred, his consciousness teetering on the edge of oblivion.

The man's voice was a soft, malevolent whisper in his ear.

"Tell me, boy," he murmured, his breath cool against Jiang Yun's skin, "did he give you something before he died?"

Jiang Yun's world spun, his body trembling from the lack of oxygen. No. This can't be how it ends. Not like this.

His fingers—clumsy and weak—closed around the jade in his palm, the only thing he had left of Bai Zhen.

The moment his skin brushed against it—

A violent pulse of energy exploded outward, flooding his senses with a power so overwhelming, so sudden, that it felt as if the very heavens had opened up before him.

The cultivator's eyes widened in shock, his grip faltering. He stumbled back as if struck by an invisible force. His body trembled violently, his veins bulging as golden light flickered beneath his skin. His mouth opened in a strangled gasp, but no sound came.

Jiang Yun's head spun, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and terror. What was happening? What was this power?

"That jade…" The cultivator hissed, his voice filled with disbelief. "Bai Zhen… truly reckless. Entrusting such a thing to a mere mortal?"

The man's hands twitched, reaching for his sword with a look of resolve. His expression darkened, a deadly glint flashing in his eyes.

"Then I have no choice."

Before Jiang Yun could react, the cultivator lunged.

Jiang Yun's heart pounded in his chest, his legs already moving on instinct, propelling him forward with desperate speed. He didn't know where he was running—didn't know if it would even matter. All he knew was that if he stopped, he would die.

The forest blurred around him, the dense underbrush tearing at his arms and legs, but he didn't dare slow down. The sounds of pursuit were closer now, the cultivator's voice smooth and mocking as it drifted on the wind.

"You're making this difficult for yourself," he called out, his tone eerily calm. "Do you really think you can escape?"

Jiang Yun's mind was a haze of panic. There was no plan. No hope of survival. Just the unrelenting need to keep running. He could feel the cultivator closing in, his footsteps echoing in the distance.

But deep down, Jiang Yun knew the truth.

He couldn't outrun a cultivator.

His foot caught on a root, and he stumbled forward. His breath caught in his throat, and before he could right himself, a mocking laugh rang out from behind him.

"Pathetic."

Jiang Yun barely had time to react before the sword descended from above.

This is it.

He saw death approaching.

Then—

The jade flared with an explosive pulse of energy.

A wave of unseen power surged outward, tearing through the air like a storm.

The cultivator's eyes widened in horror, his body jerking violently as if something inside him was coming apart. He gasped, his limbs contorting, skin cracking open as golden flames erupted from within.

"No—!" he screamed, his voice twisting in agony.

The forest was filled with the sound of burning flesh and bone as the cultivator was consumed from the inside out by golden fire. His body twisted and writhed, but there was no escape.

Jiang Yun staggered backward, his heart racing as the forest around him became filled with the scent of burning flesh. The air was thick with heat, the flames crawling across the cultivator's body as his screams echoed into nothingness.

And then, with one final, heart-wrenching cry, the cultivator was gone.

The wind carried away the last of the embers, leaving no trace behind.

Jiang Yun collapsed to the ground, his body trembling violently, the jade still clenched tightly in his hand. His breath came in ragged gasps, his mind reeling from what had just transpired.

What had just happened?

The power. The jade. It had saved him, but how?

His fingers tightened around the stone, the coldness seeping into his skin. The warmth, the power—it was gone, leaving only an eerie emptiness.

One thing was certain now: the jade was not ordinary. And the path he had just set foot upon was one that even the heavens themselves would not control.

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Did you know?

In many Xianxia novels, powerful jade artifacts can possess extraordinary abilities, such as allowing someone without spiritual roots to cultivate? These rare objects often carry the remnants of ancient beings or long-forgotten legacies, and when entrusted to someone, they can awaken hidden powers within them. Such mystical jades challenge the natural order and offer a path to cultivation that even the heavens might struggle to control. In these stories, a simple mortal can step into a realm of unimaginable power, forever changing their fate.

Would you dare to wield such a powerful and unpredictable force?