Chapter 14: The Demon’s Trap and the Cage of Beasts

Han Qian's steps were steady as he wandered deeper into the dense forest. His rusty sword was slung across his back, and his expression remained as calm and emotionless as ever. His task was simple: collect enough food to sustain himself for a few more days. He had lived this way for years, following Bai Yan's final words, living because he was told to live. Not for joy. Not for ambition. Just to keep walking forward.

But today, something was different.

A chilling wind blew past, unnatural in its coldness. Han Qian paused, his instincts sharpening. Before he could react, a suffocating spiritual pressure descended upon him. From within the dense shadows of the trees, a demonic figure emerged, its grotesque face twisted in a malevolent grin.

It was a Rank 5 demon—a creature whose ambitions far exceeded its capabilities.

"Found you," the demon rasped, its eyes gleaming with malicious delight.

Han Qian raised his sword slightly but didn't move. He could tell this demon wasn't here for a mere kill. It had plans.

The demon lunged, and though Han Qian's raw strength allowed him to parry the initial attack, the battle was not a contest of might. In a flash, a formation of dark runes encircled him. He felt his limbs grow heavy as the formation locked his movements.

"You're a vessel," the demon hissed, circling him. "A perfect one, yet you reject possession. Just like that cursed Emperor who failed. But if I can't possess you, I can forge you."

Han Qian's emotionless eyes reflected the demon's face. The demon snarled.

"I'll refine you into a sword of flesh and bone."

Bound and incapacitated, Han Qian was dragged into a cavern deep beneath the forest floor. The demon, cackling, chained him to a massive stone altar, runes glowing beneath. But before the refining process could begin, the demon felt a presence approaching.

---

Three cultivators had been tracking this demon for days. Two were male, dressed in ornate sect robes, pride and arrogance dripping from their expressions. The third, however, was a young woman.

Wu Yanxue.

She was unlike the others. Her beauty was cold and striking, her aura sharp and unyielding. At Rank 8, she far outclassed her male companions, though they shamelessly followed her, seeking every opportunity to earn her favor.

"Stay back," Yanxue commanded. "I will deal with this demon myself."

The two boys exchanged glances but followed regardless, hiding behind her shadow, pretending to "guard" her while hoping to claim credit for her victories.

But what they did not realize was that this entire encounter was a trap.

The Rank 5 demon had prepared a massive formation, one that utilized the bodies of over a thousand Rank 5 beast cores to create a slaughtering field. The formation was activated the moment Yanxue and her group entered the cavern.

The space warped.

Runes exploded around them.

Chains of spiritual energy shot from the walls, ensnaring Wu Yanxue. Her companions, upon seeing the formation spring, paled.

"Yanxue, we'll go get help!" they shouted as they fled.

Cowards.

Yanxue didn't flinch as she watched them disappear. She gritted her teeth, struggling against the chains. The more she resisted, the tighter they pulled. Still, she didn't cry out.

Nearby, her eyes caught sight of another figure bound to a different altar.

A boy.

Han Qian sat silently, his posture relaxed despite his situation. The runes binding him flickered, but he made no attempt to escape.

"Hey," Yanxue said after a moment of silence. "Aren't you afraid to be trapped here?"

Han Qian turned his head slightly, his dull gaze meeting hers. "Maybe. Maybe not."

Yanxue narrowed her eyes. His calmness was unsettling. Even the bravest cultivators would show some reaction when captured. But this boy, he sat there as if nothing mattered.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Han Qian."

She processed the name, unfamiliar to her. "You're not from the nearby sects, are you?"

He didn't reply.

The demon, observing their interaction, sneered. "Speak all you want, it'll be the last conversation you have."

Yanxue glared at the demon. "I will destroy you."

The demon cackled but was wary. Though she was trapped, Yanxue's cultivation was dangerously high for him. He had to complete the refining quickly before reinforcements could arrive.

Han Qian, however, was assessing the situation calmly. He had no emotional reaction to the demon's threats. He was analyzing the formation's structure. He could see the pattern of the runes, the flaws in its design. It would take an immense burst of raw strength to disrupt the core.

Fortunately, brute strength was what Han Qian possessed.

"You plan to escape?" Yanxue asked, noticing his shifting posture.

"If possible."

She smirked. "I like your attitude."

---

As the demon prepared to begin the refining ritual, Han Qian subtly flexed his arms. The chains groaned.

The demon noticed. "Struggle all you want. These chains were forged from the blood of a hundred divine beasts."

Han Qian didn't respond. He focused. His power, sealed as it was, still surged within his body like a dormant volcano.

With a sharp exhale, he pulled his arms apart.

CRACK.

The chains splintered, fragments of divine beast iron scattering across the cavern.

"Impossible!" the demon screamed.

Yanxue's eyes widened. "He broke the formation's bindings?"

Han Qian stood up, his expression unchanged. He stepped down from the altar, moving toward Yanxue.

"Step back," she warned. "The formation will react."

Han Qian didn't stop. The formation trembled as he approached, the runes flickering violently.

He raised his fist.

BOOM.

A single punch shattered the spiritual chains binding Yanxue. The backlash of the formation collapsing sent a shockwave through the cavern.

The demon panicked. "No! You were supposed to be a vessel!"

Han Qian turned his gaze to the demon. "You talk too much."

He vanished.

The next moment, his fist was embedded in the demon's chest. The creature's body folded inward as it was hurled against the cavern wall, collapsing in a heap of broken bones and demonic ichor.

Yanxue was stunned. Even though her cultivation was higher, she couldn't match that raw force.

"You could've escaped any time," she muttered.

Han Qian remained silent.

Suddenly, the cavern began to collapse. The unstable formation had triggered a chain reaction.

"We need to leave," Yanxue said.

Han Qian nodded and followed her as they navigated through the crumbling passages, leaping over falling debris and dodging collapsing walls.

Finally, they emerged back into the forest, the ground rumbling beneath as the cavern imploded.

Yanxue looked at Han Qian, breathing heavily. "Thank you."

Han Qian looked up at the sky. "You're free now. Live well."

She frowned. "Is that all you have to say?"

He nodded.

Yanxue's lips curved into a small smile. "Interesting."

She reached into her storage ring and tossed him a talisman.

"If you ever need help, crush that."

Han Qian took it, slipping it into his robe without a word.

Yanxue watched him walk away. There was something about him that stirred an inexplicable curiosity in her.

She didn't know it yet, but this meeting was not mere coincidence.

Fate had just begun to weave their stories together.