*Chapter 61: The Spark of Retribution**
The Flame Emperor Sect's headquarters loomed like a smoldering fortress atop the Crimson Peaks, its jagged spires clawing at a sky stained orange by eternal flames. Within the Hall of Eternal Embers, the air crackled with suppressed fury. Grand Elder Xuan Ji, a wiry figure draped in robes the color of charred bone, paced before the sect's council, his footsteps echoing like the tolling of a funeral bell.
"He *dared* refuse us," Xuan Ji hissed, his voice a serpent's whisper that slithered through the chamber. "Li Tian, a mere village chief, spurns the Flame Emperor's grace? His insolence is a spark that must be extinguished before it becomes a wildfire."
Around the obsidian table sat the sect's elite—elders with faces hardened by centuries of ruthless ambition. Murmurs rippled through the room, some tinged with unease. Elder Zhu, a broad-shouldered woman with flames tattooed across her scalp, leaned forward. "The boy's village is small, Xuan Ji. Crushing him openly would draw the ire of nearby sects. We cannot risk appearing... *petty*."
"Petty?" Xuan Ji whirled, his eyes blazing like molten iron. "Do you not see? This 'boy' united the Blackridge Bandits, tamed the Silverfang Beasts, and now rebuilds his village with unnatural speed. He wields *power*—the kind that threatens our dominion. If left unchecked, others will flock to him. He *must* be broken."
A hush fell. Maps unfurled across the table, marked with Li Tian's territory. Xuan Ji's bony finger stabbed at the village. "We will not strike directly. Not yet. Instead, we choke his hope. Sabotage his trade. Turn his allies to ash. Let him writhe in futility before we grind his bones to dust."
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**Li Tian's Village – Dawn**
Li Tian stood atop the half-rebuilt watchtower, the morning sun gilding the village's new timber walls. Below, laborers hauled stone, children darted between huts, and the clang of blacksmiths harmonized with the hum of progress. Yet, a cold knot tightened in his gut.
*Something's wrong.*
Mei Ling, her azure robes fluttering, joined him. "The granary's nearly full," she reported, but her brow furrowed. "Yet the merchants from Pinehold are three days late."
Li Tian's jaw tightened. Delays happened, but intuition prickled. "Send scouts. And double the patrols."
As Mei Ling departed, Lao Chen, the grizzled mason, trudged up, his face ashen. "Chief, the eastern well… it's poisoned. The livestock that drank from it are dead."
Li Tian's fists clenched. "Deliberate?"
"Aye. Smells of Shadowroot—a toxin favored by assassins."
The pieces clicked. *The Flame Emperor Sect.* Their offer had been a test, and his refusal, a provocation.
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**Flame Emperor Sect – Strategy Chamber**
Elder Zhu watched as disciples garbed in nondescript tunics knelt before her. "Remember," she growled, "you are not Flame Emperor warriors today. You are bandits, mercenaries—anything but us. Burn their fields. Steal their shipments. Let chaos be your mask."
The disciples bowed, their eyes glinting with fervor. Among them, a lithe young woman named Yan Mei hid a flicker of doubt. Her brother had once served the sect and vanished after questioning orders. Still, she swallowed her unease. Disobedience meant death.
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**Li Tian's Village – Nightfall**
The attack came at dusk. A band of "raiders" clad in black descended on a supply caravan near the village outskirts. Li Tian, alerted by a frantic messenger, arrived to find wagons ablaze, drivers sprawled in the dirt.
"Stay back!" he barked to his guards. With a surge of qi, he summoned a whirlwind to douse the flames. But the raiders had fled, leaving only carnage.
Mei Ling knelt beside a wounded driver. "They… they wore no insignia," he coughed. "But their leader… his sword glowed red-hot."
Li Tian's eyes narrowed. *Flame Emperor techniques.* A sloppy disguise. This was no mere banditry—it was a message.
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**The Hidden Threat**
Over days, the assaults escalated. A bridge collapsed, nearly drowning a dozen workers. A fire erupted in the lumberyard, reducing weeks of labor to cinders. Whispers spread among villagers: "We're cursed."
Li Tian convened his inner circle—Mei Ling, Lao Chen, and the reformed bandit chief, Kang. "They're testing our resolve," Kang growled. "But why not attack outright?"
"They want us isolated," Mei Ling reasoned. "Frightened. Alone."
Li Tian stared at the village model, its tiny structures fragile as twigs. "Then we give them a show of weakness. And set a trap."
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**The Trap Springs**
Two nights later, another "raid" targeted the granary. Li Tian lay in wait, cloaked in shadow. As figures slipped through the gates, he signaled. Archers emerged, arrows nocked.
"Surrender," Li Tian demanded.
The raiders laughed—a harsh, artificial sound. Their leader raised a hand, and flames erupted, searing the night. Li Tian lunged, his qi clashing against fire. The leader's hood fell, revealing Yan Mei's conflicted face.
"You don't have to do this," Li Tian hissed, parrying her strikes.
Yan Mei faltered. With a roar, Li Tian disarmed her, his blade at her throat. Around them, the other raiders lay subdued.
"Kill me," Yan Mei spat, but her voice trembled.
Li Tian studied her—the fear behind her defiance. "Why die for masters who see you as kindling?"
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**Grand Elder's Wrath**
News of the failed raid reached Xuan Ji at midnight. He shattered the messenger's skull with a flick of qi. "Fools! Incompetent *vermin*!"
Elder Zhu watched coldly. "We underestimated Li Tian's cunning. But this changes nothing. Proceed to Phase Two."
Xuan Ji's rage cooled into a venomous smile. "Yes. Send *him*."
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**Li Tian's Resolution**
At dawn, Li Tian stood before Yan Mei in the village jail. She glared, but her bravado cracked. "Why spare me?"
"You're a weapon they discarded," he said. "Help me, and forge your own path."
Silence stretched. Then, Yan Mei whispered, "They'll send *him* next… the Ashbringer."
Before Li Tian could probe, the ground trembled. A villager burst in, screaming: "The fields! They're burning!"
Li Tian sprinted outside. Beyond the walls, the horizon blazed. Not with ordinary fire—this inferno writhed like a living beast, devouring the earth.
*The Ashbringer.*
As Li Tian rallied his people, a figure emerged from the flames—tall, clad in molten armor, his face a mask of scars. The Ashbringer raised a hand, and the earth itself screamed.
"The Flame Emperor sends his regards," the warrior boomed. "Your village dies at dawn."
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**Ephemeral Hope**
That night, as Li Tian strategized, a scout rushed in. "Chief! We found… something. Beneath the old shrine. A hidden door."
Li Tian's pulse quickened. The timing was suspect, but desperation left no choice. "Show me."
As the Ashbringer's flames lit the sky, Li Tian descended into the earth, unaware that the chamber below held secrets that would alter everything—for both him and his enemies.
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