CHAPTER 120: LOTUS PATH

As night descended, Kael found refuge beneath a rocky overhang, its hollow offering shelter from the gale.

He ignited a small Silver Lotus Flame, shielding it with a curved stone, its silver-violet light radiating pure, calming warmth without smoke or scent, a manifestation of his purified Dao that defied the mountains’ harshness.

Kael removed his outer robe, exposing the deep gash on his ribs where the Silverhorned Wolf’s claws had nearly pierced his lung.

He pressed a low-grade healing pellet into the wound, biting down as its searing qi cauterized the torn flesh, a wave of numbness spreading through his side.

The pellet would hold for another day, stabilizing his meridians, but his spiritual reserves were stretched thin, each battle a test of his endurance. His silver eyes stared into the Lotus Flame, its flicker reflecting the turmoil within his dantian.

The Silver Lotus had reacted strangely during the wolf’s battle, not merely burning the beast’s Wind Dao but purifying it, reducing its essence to raw spiritual energy that now floated within Kael’s spirit core.

It wasn’t Wind Qi—it was something else, a seed of a new Dao taking root, calm yet sharp, relentless in its potential.

Kael could feel it growing, a resonance that harmonized with his Silent Eclipse and Crescent Requiem, a nascent path he could not yet name but whose weight he carried with quiet anticipation.

Dawn broke, painting the peaks in hues of gold and shadow. Kael extinguished the flame and resumed his climb, the path narrowing as snow lined the stones, the wind rushing past like a spirit beast’s breath.

Twice, he passed broken weapons embedded in the cliffs—a rusted spear, a shattered blade, their qi long dissipated, relics of cultivators who had dared to tame this unforgiving range and failed.

Their presence was a silent warning, but Kael’s resolve burned brighter, the crimson mark’s pulse a guiding star.

Midday brought the clash of steel, a sharp ring that echoed through the peaks. Kael paused at a ridge overlooking a broken plateau, his spiritual senses locking onto the scene below.

Five cultivators circled a sixth, their auras chaotic yet potent, all early-stage Soul Flame Realm, their qi laced with greed and malice.

The sixth was an older man, his back pressed to a jagged rock, blood streaming down his arm, his thin sword glowing with a faint blue light, its edge resonating with a Water Dao tempered by decades of cultivation.

"Hand over the map, old man!" one of the five shouted, a chain-wielding cultivator whose arms bore tattoos of Binding Dao scripts, their qi pulsing with restrictive intent. "Or we’ll carve it from your corpse!"

The old man coughed blood, his aura wavering but his eyes unyielding, their gaze carrying the weight of a life spent defying fate. "You worms wouldn’t know what to do with it," he rasped, his voice firm despite his wounds. "The Lotus Path is not for thieves—it’s a trial for those chosen by the heavens."

Kael’s gaze narrowed, the words "Lotus Path" striking his spirit core like a bell, the crimson mark flaring with a sudden, insistent pulse.

The Silver Lotus Flame within his dantian stirred, its silver-violet light resonating with the old man’s words, confirming the path he followed. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, his presence a quiet storm descending upon the plateau.

A single stone cracked beneath his boot as he dropped from the ridge, landing with a soft thud that drew every eye.

The five bandits and the old man turned in unison, their spiritual senses reeling from his sudden appearance, his aura cloaked until the moment he chose to reveal it.

"Who the hell—?" the axe-wielding bandit snarled, raising his weapon, its edge infused with a crude Earth Dao that rumbled with brute force.

Kael didn’t answer. His Silent Eclipse Dao dispersed, and his aura erupted, a radiant torrent of spiritual pressure that shook the plateau, the ground cracking beneath his feet.

The Silver Lotus Flame surged, a pillar of silver-violet light spiraling around him like a celestial dragon, its purifying qi radiating a quiet menace that made the bandits’ meridians tremble.

"Get him!" the chain-wielder shouted, his Binding Dao scripts flaring as he swung his chain, its links crackling with restrictive qi aimed to bind Kael’s spirit core.

Kael moved, his Crescent Requiem footwork a dance of precision and grace, each step a ripple in the plateau’s qi flow. Abyssal Fang ignited with Silver Lotus Flame, its edge a beacon of purified power that cut through the air with a howl.

In one fluid motion, he met the axe-wielder’s strike, his blade splitting the weapon in two, the Lotus Flame catching on the wound.

A second slash severed the bandit’s arm, and before he could scream, the flame reduced him to ash, his corrupted qi purified into nothingness, a testament to the Lotus’s relentless power.

The others hesitated, their auras wavering, but it was too late. Kael vanished, his Silent Eclipse cloaking his form as he reappeared beside the chain-wielder.

He ducked the chain’s swing, its Binding Dao grazing his robes, and sliced upward, opening the man’s chest with a burst of silver fire that seared his meridians, his body collapsing in a heap, his qi extinguished.

The remaining three rallied, their desperation fueling a chaotic assault—swords and spears infused with Fire and Wind Daos, their strikes a storm of conflicting qi.

Kael stood unmoved, his Silver Lotus Flame flaring brighter, its light a ward that deflected their blows. His blade moved once, twice, each strike precise, guided by the Crescent Requiem Dao’s rhythm.

Two bandits fell, their bodies scorched by the Lotus Flame, their auras shattered by its purifying force. The last raised his spear in a futile gesture, his eyes wide with terror, but Kael’s sword descended, silencing him forever.

Silence reclaimed the plateau, the wind’s howl the only sound, its icy breath carrying away the scent of blood and ash.

The old man blinked, his sword lowering slowly, his aura stabilizing as he studied Kael with a mix of awe and recognition.

"You’re... not from the sects," he said, his voice hoarse but steady, his spiritual senses probing Kael’s radiant presence.