“He is yours,” Li Yu said. “Do what you need to do to find some peace.”

  Kael nodded slowly. He took a step toward Cyrus but then stopped. He looked back at Li Yu with a sudden panic.

  “He… he looks like he’s about to die on his own. If I touch him, will he just expire? I… I don’t want him to get off that easily.”

  Li Yu shook his head. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

  Li Yu knelt beside Cyrus. His hands began to glow with a vibrant verdant green light. It was the Life Law but applied through the techniques he used for healing beasts.

  “I’m not a doctor for humans,” Li Yu explained as he pressed his glowing hands onto Cyrus’s chest, then his spine, then his head. “But biologically, you aren’t that different from a shaved ape. I’m reinforcing his body. I’m strengthening his pain receptors and brain so he doesn't go into shock and pass out. I’m flooding his system with vitality to keep the brain oxygenated.”

  Cyrus gasped, his body arching slightly as the energy flooded him. The milky blindness cleared slightly, replaced by clarity and pain. He wasn’t healed. He was still a cripple. However, the energy kept death at bay. It forced his heart to beat strong and steady regardless of what happened to the rest of him.

  “There,” Li Yu said as he stood up and wiped his hands on his robes. He looked at Kael with a grim expression. “As long as you don’t inflict an instantly fatal injury, like decapitation or piercing the heart, he will hold up. You have three, maybe four hours before his body simply gives up from the stress.”

  Li Yu paused for a moment. “Make them count.”

  Kael didn’t say a word as he grabbed Cyrus by the ankle. The grip was tight enough to bruise bone. This was a moment that he had dreamed about for years. All of his rage, fear, pain and sleepless nights came together.

  He didn’t look at the others. He simply dragged the former Patriarch toward a dark cave entrance at the far end of the valley. It was far away from everyone else and gave him the freedom that he needed..

  Cyrus let out a weak whimper as he was dragged across the rough stones and roots.

  “Thank you,” Kael whispered as he passed Li Yu. Li Yu patted him on the shoulder in understanding. A moment later, Kael and Cyrus disappeared into the shadows of the cave.

  Silence returned to the clearing.

  Then, the first scream started. It echoed from the cave mouth, muffled by distance but agonizingly clear in its intensity. The noise didn’t even sound human anymore.

  Lin Xia flinched slightly, her tea cup rattling against the saucer. Krell looked down at his feet as he was poking the fire with a stick. Jian Xuan stopped laughing as his expression turned solemn. Everyone understood what was happening and why it was happening. They weren’t quiet or solemn because of what was happening.

  They were thinking of their own grievances, their own revenge and goals. Everyone there took a few moments to think about what the future might hold. Li Yu then went to place an isolation array around the cave. Kael couldn’t think straight and hadn’t done so. After that, Li Yu returned to the group.

  “Let’s… sit and talk,” Li Yu suggested while gesturing to the logs around the fire. “We have some time to kill.”

  An hour passed as the group chatted with one another. The screams from the cave were no longer present but sometimes it felt like it could be heard. If they could have heard what was inside they would have heard loud shrieks; other times they were low, guttural sobs. Occasionally, a roar of pure, animalistic rage from Kael would drown them out. That had nothing to do with the group around the fire though.

  Li Yu sat by the fire, recounting the events of the battle to the group. He told them about the void layer to everyone’s amazement that he had touched upon the laws. Li Yu told them about the five Elders, the formation and the Ancestor’s Avatar. He left out the specifics of his soul cultivation, calling it a “special technique,” but gave them enough detail to understand that the Crimson Fang upper leadership was effectively extinct.

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  “So the other groups seized everything in the far off areas?” Krell asked as he continued staring into the flames.

  “Half,” Li Yu corrected. “The Crab Cult gets half. I made that very clear to Shen Tu and the other leaders there. If they don’t follow through, we will have to ‘convince’ them to give us half and some extra for our time. We will have a lot of resources. Most of it I will take for my own needs but everyone will get a share too of course.”

  Jian Xuan’s eyes lit up from the tale of the battle. He wished he was there too but he was doing something just as equally important so he didn’t mind it much.

  Li Yu turned his gaze to Lin Xia.

  She had been listening quietly this entire time. She didn’t say much but her posture was perfect even while sitting on a rough stone. But Li Yu noticed a tightness around her eyes. She was beautiful, in a classic, refined way but there was a heaviness to her aura that felt out of place.

  Li Yu scanned her with his spiritual sense. He didn't try to hide it either as she felt his spirit sense wash over her. To her own amazement she couldn’t block it at all. This was quite rude of Li Yu and he definitely had forgotten to ask.

  “Senior Sister Lin,” Li Yu said. “You are at the peak of Core Formation. Your spiritual energy is overflowing. Your foundation is solid. In fact, it's denser than most 1st stage Soul Formation cultivators I've met.”

  Lin Xia looked at him and was surprised by the directness. The Li Yu that Jian Xuan spoke about didn’t seem as bold as the one standing in front of her. “Yes. I have been at this stage for… a long time.”

  “How long?” Li Yu asked.

  Lin Xia sighed as she placed her cup down on a flat rock. “Over one hundred years. My Master and I have tried everything. Pills, meditation, techniques and danger trials. But I cannot take that half-step into Soul Formation. The door is simply… closed to me.”

  Li Yu frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. Pardon my rudeness from earlier. I should have said something before taking a look. Pardon my rudeness again as I look deeper to see if I can find the problem.”

  He leaned forward, the firelight dancing in his eyes as he probed deeper.

  “Your soul is incredibly strong,” Li Yu observed. “From my own understanding of things. Usually, cultivators are stuck at Core Formation because they have weak souls. They can’t form their soul because their initial spiritual strength is not strong enough. But you… your soul is stronger than Jian Xuan’s was when I first met him. It’s nearly as strong as his is now and he’s at the Fourth Stage of Soul Formation.”

  Jian Xuan was surprised to hear this. He knew Li Yu’s soul was unique and powerful so he shouldn’t be wrong. Lin Xia blinked with her hand going to her chest. “Stronger than Junior Brother’s? That is impossible. He is a genius. I am just… stuck.”

  “He is a crab enthusiast,” Li Yu jokingly corrected and chuckled a bit. “And yes, he is very talented. But you are special yourself. Your soul strength is monstrous for a Core Formation cultivator. You should have broken through decades ago. Your body is ready. Your energy is ready. Your soul is ready.”

  “Then why?” Jian Xuan asked. His voice was full of concern and didn’t go unnoticed by Lin Xia. Lin Xia was just about the most important person to him. He leaned in closer to Li Yu as though that would give him the answer. “Senior Sister works harder than anyone. Why can she not break through? Is she cursed?”

  Li Yu tapped his knee in thought. His understanding had improved dramatically since he was able to talk to and interact with those at Soul Formation. After a moment of thinking he thought he came up to the most likely answer.

  “It’s not a cultivation problem,” Li Yu said. “It’s a knot.”

  “A knot?” Lin Xia asked.

  “A mental knot. Better known as a heart demon. Something in your mind is preventing the process. You are subconsciously stopping yourself.”

  Li Yu looked at her once again. He had seen the way she would occasionally glance at Jian Xuan when he wasn’t looking during their time at this camp fire. He saw the way she touched the hem of her sleeve often. From his spiritual sense earlier, he noticed that was where a small and clumsily stitched crab embroidery was hidden. It was likely a gift from Jian upon his return.

  Li Yu stood up. “Jian Xuan. A word in private please?”

  Jian Xuan looked confused but stood up. “Of course, Brother Li. Is this about the direction the Crab Cult should take?”

  Li Yu could only shake his head in helplessness as he led Jian Xuan away from the fire and toward the edge of the forest.

  “What is it?” Jian Xuan asked. He kept his voice low as though that would prevent eavesdropping from a cultivation. “Is it about the Crab Cult? Or Kael? Should I go check on him?”

  Li Yu knew better and waved his hand. He isolated the space they were in, in effect an isolation array but a technique that he himself could use.

  “It’s about your Senior Sister,” Li Yu said bluntly. “You are a damn fool, Jian Xuan.”