Chapter 93

The sect leader stood atop a high stone, gazing down at the crowd with contempt. When Ye Bangzhu shouted accusations at him, his handsome yet sinister face twisted into a mocking sneer rather than showing anger. In the flickering candlelight, someone suddenly screamed, pointing at his face. "His eyes! Look at his eyes!"

All heads snapped upward, and gasps filled the cavern. The sect leader's once-black eyes had transformed into glowing blood-red orbs that seemed to pulse against the darkness.

"You're the thief who ambushed us on the road!" a man roared, his furious voice echoing off the stone walls.

"Correct," the sect leader replied, his voice shifting into something cold and unnatural, utterly unlike his usual tone. He threw back his head and laughed - a chilling, victorious sound that reverberated through the cave. "Ha ha ha ha!"

As the echoes faded, the stunned crowd struggled to reconcile the image of their respectable sect leader with the monstrous figure before them. His disguise had been flawless; no one had detected even a hint of deception. And those eyes...

Abruptly cutting off his laughter, the sect leader surveyed the shocked faces below. "Tell me, oh mighty heroes," he taunted, "how does it feel to be so thoroughly fooled?"

"You bastard!" A swordsman stepped forward but hesitated to approach, his blade trembling with rage. "Did you frame all those sect leaders? Were you behind the destruction of the martial arts sects? Was this entire Di Mang scheme your doing?"

"All of it," the sect leader confirmed casually, leaning against the wall as if discussing the weather.

"Di Mang!" Ye Bangzhu shoved through the crowd, drawing on his authority. "You stole Di Mang! Hand it over now and I might spare your life!"

The sect leader's lips curled as he leapt down gracefully. "You want Di Mang, old man?" he purred, suddenly gripping Ye Bangzhu's throat before anyone could react. As the Bangzhu's face purpled, the sect leader whispered, "All of you will die here today." With a sickening crack, he wrenched Ye Bangzhu's head from his shoulders and tossed it at the crowd's feet.

The bloody skull bounced across the stone floor, spraying crimson droplets. A collective roar of fury erupted as warriors charged forward - only to be met with a hail of arrows. The sect leader had triggered hidden mechanisms while descending, trapping them all.

Su Ran dodged the deadly projectiles and launched himself at the sect leader, his blood-red whip cracking through the air. The leader arched backward with inhuman grace, then flipped midair to deliver a palm strike brimming with terrifying force. Su Ran barely blocked with crossed arms, but the impact sent shockwaves through his body - this man's power dwarfed anything he'd ever faced.

The sect leader seized the whip, seemingly impervious to its cutting edges, and yanked it from Su Ran's grasp. As the weapon changed hands, Su Ran noticed strange red veins creeping across the leader's face, spreading like spiderwebs from his eyes to his cheeks.

"Su Ran!" Ji Chun arrived just as the whip lashed toward his lover's shoulder. Without thinking, he caught the barbed length with his bare hand. Flesh tore instantly, blood spraying as the embedded internal energy shredded his palm. Gritting his teeth, Ji Chun used the whip's tension to propel himself into a counterattack.

What followed was a desperate battle where every move carried lethal intent. Even fighting together, Su Ran and Ji Chun found themselves outmatched. The sect leader moved with preternatural speed, his strikes carrying impossible weight. When a crushing blow to Ji Chun's back sent him sprawling, blood gushed from his mouth - he could feel his organs protesting with every ragged breath.

Su Ran took a brutal kick to the chest that cracked ribs. Never in his life had he encountered such overwhelming power. As he watched the sect leader advance, genuine fear coiled in his gut - not for himself, but for Ji Chun. Choking on blood, he forced himself upright and planted himself between the monk and death itself, his glare promising violence even if his body faltered.

The sect leader paused, studying them with something like amusement. "Don't worry," he chuckled, the sound devoid of warmth. "I might let you live." His crimson eyes locked onto Ji Chun. "But this monk must die." He raised one hand, fingers crackling with energy, and took the first deliberate step toward his prey.

"You're dreaming!" Su Ran spat through gritted teeth, summoning his remaining strength to attack. But the sect leader merely turned his grotesque face toward him, those blood-red eyes locking onto Su Ran as he flicked his sleeve. A gust of palm wind sent Su Ran crashing to the ground.

"Su Gongzi," the sect leader murmured, stepping forward with eerie calm. "You're no match for me." He bent down, gripping Su Ran's chin with cold fingers. His strange, slitted eyes narrowed as he whispered, "You're so much like I was..." The sudden gentleness vanished as his voice turned to ice. "And yet so different!"

The mountain trembled violently then, throwing even the sect leader off balance. His expression darkened as he glared at them. "Shaolin will fall! The Demonic Cult will be eradicated! And Di Mang has been awakened!" With that, he darted to the wall, pressing a hidden mechanism. A stone door slid open just as another quake shook the cavern. He slipped through the gap moments before a massive boulder crashed down, sealing the passage completely.

Fewer than ten survivors remained in the crumbling cave. Having dodged the arrows, they now faced the mountain's wrath - boulders rained from above while the ground buckled beneath them. Desperate wails echoed off the shuddering walls as people were thrown about like dolls.

Ji Chun, bleeding and broken, dragged himself to Su Ran's side. "The stone!" he croaked to the other survivors. "Move it... together!" His authority as a Shaolin master cut through the panic. The wounded survivors rallied, throwing their last ounces of strength against the obstructing boulder. Ji Chun and Su Ran joined them, their battered bodies screaming in protest.

When the stone finally shifted, someone triggered the mechanism. The door groaned open, revealing the life-saving passage beyond. The survivors stampeded through as the ceiling collapsed behind them. Su Ran pulled Ji Chun along, both nearly crushed by falling debris as the door slammed shut for the final time.

The exit tunnel seemed endless. Leaning against each other, they staggered toward the distant light. When sunlight finally touched their faces, their legs gave out, sending them crumpling to the ground in a heap of blood and exhaustion.

---

Ji Chun awoke to unfamiliar rafters overhead. His chest burned as if flayed open, every breath agony. When he tried rising, his arms buckled, sending him sprawling to the floor with a thud.

"What in the world are you doing?" An old man stormed in, taking in the scene. "Trying to kill yourself, monk?" Despite his harsh words, he hoisted Ji Chun back onto the bed with surprising care. "You think those injuries are nothing? If you've got a death wish, don't waste my medicines!"

Ji Chun bowed his head, recognizing their savior. "The young man who was with me—"

"Sleeping inside! Unlike some noisy patients." The old man prodded Ji Chun's bandages before nodding in satisfaction. "Stay put. I'll make food." He jabbed a gnarled finger at Ji Chun. "Move again and I'll dose you with sleeping herbs!"