A Survivor’s Choice
The dense forest stretched endlessly under the golden afternoon sun. Birds chirped, leaves rustled in the wind, and the faint scent of blood tainted the air.
Amidst the towering trees, a black-haired woman stood, her sword trembling in her grip.
Around her lay the fallen bodies of her comrades, their lifeless eyes staring into nothingness.
Ling Hua, a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator, was the last one standing.
Facing her were twenty bandits, their weapons glinting under the sunlight.
Her breathing was ragged. Her Qi was nearly exhausted, her arms aching from deflecting countless strikes.
And yet—she refused to fall.
A bandit chuckled. "Still resisting?"
"She's got guts." Another sneered. "Shame she's at her limit."
Then, he stepped forward.
A man clad in dark leather armor, a long sword resting lazily on his shoulder.
His presence alone made the air feel heavy.
Xiao Ten.
A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.
The bandits parted as he approached.
His eyes glinted with amusement. "You fought well, girl."
Ling Hua barely had time to react—
BAM!
A palm strike slammed into her stomach, sending her flying backward.
She crashed against a tree, coughing up blood.
Her body screamed in pain, refusing to move.
Xiao Ten smirked as he approached.
Rip—
He grabbed her outer robe and tore it, leaving her in her inner garments.
"A pity," he mused. "If you weren't so stubborn, we could've had some fun."
Humiliation burned in Ling Hua's eyes.
But before she could even clench her fists—
A sudden chill ran down her spine.
The wind shifted.
A faint pressure descended upon the battlefield.
The bandits froze.
Footsteps echoed in the silence.
From the shadows of the forest, a black-robed woman emerged.
Her golden eyes were calm, indifferent—as if nothing in this world could faze her.
Behind her stood Huang Zhenhai, Wei Qingfeng, Song Bai, and Lin Shaoyang with some disciples of the Void Immortal Sect.
Xiao Ten's eyes narrowed.
"Cloud Sect Leader?" he asked. "What business do you have here?"
Huang Zhenhai's expression darkened. "We are not Cloud Sect anymore."
Wei Qingfeng smirked. "We are the Void Immortal Sect now."
Silence.
Then—laughter.
Xiao Ten grinned. "Void Immortal Sect? Trash like you changing names doesn't make you any stronger."
He turned his gaze to the black-robed woman.
Something about her felt wrong.
She wasn't emitting killing intent, nor was she releasing Qi—yet, his instincts screamed at him.
"Who are you?" he demanded, gripping his sword tightly.
The woman's golden eyes flickered.
"Does it matter?"
A cold sweat ran down Xiao Ten's back.
Then—he lunged.
His sword slashed through the air, aiming straight for her heart.
But she was already behind him.
His instincts screamed—DANGER!
Meanwhile, Huang Zhenhai, Wei Qingfeng, Lin Shaoyang, and Song Bai rushed forward, engaging the remaining bandits.
Steel clashed. Blood splattered.
Yet amidst the carnage—Yue Lingxi hardly moved.
She was toying with Xiao Ten.
His strongest techniques? Dodged effortlessly.
His named sword attacks? Completely ignored.
She moved through his strikes as if they didn't exist.
Xiao Ten's breathing grew erratic.
"Y-you monster!" he roared.
Pouring everything into one final strike, he unleashed—
"Falling Moon Slash!"
A blinding arc of sword light tore through the air, shaking the entire forest.
When the dust settled—
She was untouched.
Yue Lingxi sighed. "Boring."
Then—she moved.
A single step.
Before Xiao Ten could even blink—
A dagger was already buried in his heart.
"…H-how…?" His lips trembled.
Yue Lingxi's voice was as cold as ice.
"You're too slow."
With a twist, she ripped the dagger free.
Blood sprayed.
Xiao Ten's body collapsed.
Dead.
The bandits were already losing ground, but amidst the chaos—
One of them ran.
His feet pounded against the dirt, his breath ragged.
He didn't look back.
He fled into the forest, disappearing into the trees.
By the time the battle ended, he had vanished without a trace.
The rest of the bandits lay dead.
Silence returned to the forest.
Yue Lingxi flicked the blood from her dagger, her expression unchanged.
Song Bai scanned the battlefield, then turned to the others. "Loot what they had."
The Void Immortal Sect disciples moved swiftly.
They searched the corpses, collecting:
500 low-grade spirit stones
Several low-grade weapons
After securing everything, they turned to leave.
But as they stepped away—
A weak voice called out.
"W-wait…"
Ling Hua staggered forward, her body trembling.
Her clothes were still in disarray, her face pale, but she forced herself to stand.
She looked at Yue Lingxi—her savior—and struggled to form the words.
"T-thank you… for saving me."
Yue Lingxi barely glanced at her.
Her voice was indifferent. "It wasn't for you."
Ling Hua flinched.
Her cold words cut deeper than any blade.
Lin Shaoyang folded his arms. "She's alone. Bringing her back to the sect would be safer."
Song Bai gave a thoughtful look before nodding.
But Ling Hua didn't move immediately.
She bit her lip, her fists clenching. The weight of her fallen comrades crushed her chest.
She had fought alongside them, trained with them, dreamed of growing stronger together—yet now, she was the only one left.
Was she really just going to walk away?
Her gaze flickered toward the black-robed woman. Cold, indifferent, powerful. Yue Lingxi hadn't saved her out of kindness. To her, Ling Hua was nothing more than a bystander caught in the storm.
The thought made her hesitate.
Did she deserve to follow them? Could she?
Her fingers trembled as she took a shaky breath.
Then—she looked down at her sword. The blade, chipped and stained with blood, felt heavier than ever.
"...I don't want to be weak anymore."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
She lifted her head, meeting Lin Shaoyang's gaze. He said nothing, only watching her carefully.
Finally, she swallowed her doubts and took a step forward.
For now, she would follow them.
But one day—she would stand on her own.
And with that—they left the battlefield.
Far behind, in the depths of the forest, the last surviving bandit disappeared .
He had seen everything.
And soon—word would spread.