Han Yu's pulse quickened as both figures turned their gaze back toward the distant tomb. The faint red glow emanating from its core was intensifying, stretching higher and higher into the fractured sky.

He could feel it too... a vibration in the air, an energy that resonated with something deep within his soul.

And for the first time since awakening in this realm, Han Yu realized that whatever was happening was far beyond the comprehension of any sect or elder. These two men, these monsters in human form, were not acting alone. They were pieces of something much larger.

Something ancient.

Something that was now awakening.

Han Yu stood there in silence, his body tense and mind blank. The silence after the slaughter was suffocating. The air still smelled of blood and burnt earth, and faint traces of spiritual energy lingered like aftershocks from a great storm.

The two dark cultivators remained beyond the barrier, their presence oppressive even from a distance. He did not dare move, for every breath he took felt like a whisper before monsters that could hear even the sound of fear.

The man with the rapier turned first.

Clink

He sheathed his thin sword with a fluid motion, the faint hiss of dissipating energy following it. His expression remained calm and detached, as if none of the violence moments before had concerned him in the slightest.

"I still have work to do," he said quietly, his voice steady and cold. "There are pests left to purge. The ritual must progress."

The winged man tilted his head. "You always sound so dreary, Senior Brother," he replied, feigning disappointment. "All this death, all this chaos, and yet you find no joy in it."

The swordsman's eyes narrowed slightly. "Joy is meaningless. Fulfillment comes only when the purpose is complete. You can linger here and amuse yourself if you wish, but do not delay when the call comes. The ritual will not wait for anyone."

With that, he turned and vanished into the distance, his form becoming a streak of dark light before disappearing completely.

The winged man remained, his crimson eyes fixed on Han Yu with the same cruel amusement as before. The barrier shimmered faintly between them, a fragile yet unbreakable wall that separated prey from predator.

He leaned slightly forward, pressing one palm against the barrier's smooth surface, his smirk deepening.

"You really are interesting," he murmured. "Most people tremble, beg, or scream when they see us. But you… you just stand there like a stunned deer. Are you frozen in fear, or do you actually think you can do something?"

Han Yu did not respond. His fingers tightened around the shaft of his halberd, though he knew it was useless. His qi pulsed faintly, but he dared not flare it. The man before him radiated danger far beyond anything he had faced.

Minutes dragged by in silence. The winged man's smirk faded into mild boredom. He stepped back slightly, his metallic wings twitching once.

"No reaction at all," he muttered. "You really are dull, aren't you?"

He clicked his tongue and turned away. "I suppose there's no fun to be had here after all. I'll go find someone more entertaining. There are plenty of pests still crawling around out there, and I might as well have my share of fun before the ritual ends. Who knows if I'm lucky, the seniors might allow me to take some of the female cultivators here as slaves." The man laughed out loud.

With a single beat of his metallic wings, he shot into the sky, leaving behind a faint ripple of wind that brushed against the fading light of the barrier. Within seconds, he was gone.

Han Yu exhaled, his body shaking slightly. Relief flooded through him, though it was mixed with lingering dread. The sight of his fellow disciples being torn apart still burned behind his eyelids, refusing to fade. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

"Those bastards…" he whispered. "I'll make them pay. I swear I'll make them pay."

The words were little more than a murmur, but they carried the weight of his rage and grief.

He sat down near the base of the barrier, leaning against it for support. The smooth energy field pulsed faintly beneath his back, its warmth a small comfort in the aftermath of chaos. His mind, however, refused to rest.

Pieces of what he had heard from the two dark cultivators began to fit together, forming a vague and troubling picture. A ritual. A purge. The glowing tomb that had erupted into crimson light.

All of it was connected. The destruction of the inner realm was no accident... it was deliberate.

'They're behind this... aren't they?'

They were doing something to this realm, something that involved both sacrifice and slaughter. The red light from the tomb must have been part of it, the energy feeding into whatever ritual they were performing.

The "purge" they spoke of was no simple massacre; it was likely necessary for the completion of their goal.

Han Yu's thoughts drifted toward those he had entered the realm with, Wu Shuan, Senior Sister Xuan Qing, Senior Brother Duan, and others. Each of their faces surfaced in his mind, bringing with them a flood of worry.

Were they alive? Had they survived the spatial fissures that tore the land apart?

He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth. "You all better be alive," he muttered.

For those outside, such as Fatty Kui, he held the most hope. The man had a talent for survival, and his instincts were sharp. If anyone could have escaped the chaos unharmed, it was him. Still, the uncertainty gnawed at Han Yu's heart.

Then, like a blade twisting deeper, another face appeared in his mind—Li Mei.

Her calm smile, her piercing gaze, her voice echoing in his memory.

'Return safely,' she had said before he departed.

He lowered his head. His fists trembled as he whispered, "I will, Li Mei. I'll return. Even if it kills me, I'll come back. If not in this life, then in the next."