The silence that settled over the area that was the Crimson Fang’s former territory was absolute. It wasn’t just the absence of noise; it was the absence of malice. For centuries, this mountain range had been a cauldron of schemes, torture and bloodshed. Now, the fires were extinguished, the fortress was a ruin and the oppressive aura that had choked the sky was gone.

  Kael sat alone on a high ridge with his legs dangling over the precipice. The night wind bit at his exposed skin but he didn’t feel the cold. He was looking up at the sky.

  For hundreds of years, the night sky had been a reminder of the darkness in his own soul. Every star had felt like an accusing eye, every shadow a reminder of the family he had failed to save. He had cultivated for vengeance, breathed for vengeance and existed solely to see the Crimson Fang burn.

  Now, they were ash.

  He looked at the stars. The vast, sprawling river of the lights that were cutting through the void. For the first time in a long time, they were just stars. They were beautiful. They were indifferent.

  A strange sensation bloomed in his chest. He had expected to feel hollow. He had expected to feel like a sword without a hand to wield it. To be purposeless and discarded. But as he sat there and listened to the wind whistle through the crags, he didn't feel empty. He felt light.

  The crushing weight of his vendetta. A burden he had carried for so long that it had deformed his very spirit simply vanished.

  Crack.

  The sound didn't come from the rocks. It came from inside him. Deep within his dantian an explosion occurred.

  Fifty meters away Li Yu was poking at a dying campfire with a stick. Beside him, Tekton was coiled up in his miniature form. The centipede’s antennae twitched and he raised his head with his many legs rippling in a wave of motion.

  Li Yu also looked up as he was sensing the shift in pressure. The spiritual energy in the area was suddenly rushing toward the cliff edge in a massive swirling vortex.

  "Again?" Li Yu muttered as he shook his head. "Everyone seems to be breaking through these days..."

  He stood up and vanished. He reappeared instantly behind Kael. The man was glowing with a soft ethereal light. The air around him shimmered like heat haze and was distorting the view of the stars.

  "Tekton, secure the perimeter." Li Yu ordered calmly.

  The centipede chittered and shot forward. He circled the area around Kael. His legs finding purchase on the uneven stone and his body acting as a physical barrier against any wandering beasts or unstable energy currents.

  Li Yu felt like he had become a baby sitter for Soul Formation break throughs lately. Kael was riding the momentum of his liberation. His mental state had achieved a sudden perfect clarity that dragged his cultivation upward with violent force.

  As with Jian Xuan and Lin Xia’s breakthrough, Li Yu set up arrays and resources around him. The arrays snapped into existence and a dome of soft blue light that stabilized the chaotic energy rushing into Kael.

  The breakthrough was intense but relatively brief. Since Kael’s mental shackles were already broken beforehand, his soul faced no real resistance. The energy surged and the world seemed to hold its breath. After a while a shockwave of pure will rippled out.

  Kael opened his eyes. He stood up and the aura of a Soul Formation cultivator settled around him like a heavy cloak. He turned to Li Yu and saw the remnants of the spirit stones and other resources that had long turned to dust.

  Kael didn’t thank Li Yu, the situation was well beyond that now. Thanks would never be enough. He stood there looking at his hands and began to speak.

  "My revenge is done. The ghosts are silent. By all accounts, I should have nowhere to go." He looked Li Yu in the eye. "The Golden Shell Guild. The Crab Cult... I will dedicate this new existence to protecting your interests. I will serve the Golden Shell Guild as its blade and I will aid the Crab Cult if that is your wish. I will ensure no harm comes to what you build."

  Li Yu looked at the man. "I appreciate it, Kael. The Guild can always use a Soul Formation expert."

  Kael nodded sharply and accepted the duty. He had long planned for this as a form of repayment.

  "But," Li Yu added while poking Kael in the chest. "That can't be everything. You spent hundreds of years dying for the dead. Don't spend the next few hundred living for me or the guild. While you're guarding the Guild, figure out what you like. Painting, fishing, knitting... It doesn’t really matter what. Find something that is just for Kael. Like Shara who found her inn."

  Kael looked a bit confused for a moment. It was as if the concept was foreign but he slowly nodded. "I... I used to enjoy carving wood. Before everything happened."

  "There you go," Li Yu smiled. "Start there. Perhaps you can make trinkets for the guild, yourself or people you want to give it to."

  The sun rose over the broken landscape and casted long shadows across the ruins of the Crimson Fang. The air was crisp and was signaling the turn of the season.

  The group stood near the edge of the clearing. Li Yu had finished packing his camp. Tekton had grown to his travel size and his carapace gleaming in the morning light.

  "I will remain here for a few days," Kael said with his hands clasped behind his back. "There are loose ends to tie up with the local forces and I wish to ensure the people that were here are safe before I head back. I don’t want to see any more stories like mine coming from this place."

  "Take your time," Li Yu said as he hopped onto Tekton’s back and settled into the saddle he roughly made between two large armor plates. “Jian Xuan and Lin Xia had already left during your breakthrough. They are returning to their master to tell him of the news. For some reason Krell went with them and is playing the third wheel. It seems that Krell gets along with Jian Xuan quite a bit. Jian Xuan seems to get along with everyone well…”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Li Yu patted Tekton’s head segment. "Let’s go, buddy. Back to the headquarters of the Five Mountain Alliance."

  Tekton let out a hiss of steam and his legs began moving in a mesmerizing ripple. He launched himself into the air and treated the sky as solid ground. Tekton quickly flew upward and towards the clouds.

  As they ascended, Li Yu looked back. Kael was still standing there. He was a lone figure amidst the ruins but he was standing straight and his aura brighter than ever before.

  The flight back to the Alliance Headquarters was long distance wise but quick time wise. Li Yu laid back against Tekton’s dorsal ridges and was watching the clouds drift by. His mind, however, was back on the ground.

  "We took out the big bad," Li Yu murmured to himself. "But nature abhors a vacuum."

  The Crimson Fang had been monsters but they had been powerful monsters. Their presence in this region had terrified not just the people but the beasts and rival sects as well. With them gone the balance of power was shattered. Things will shift around here but the important thing was replacing their presence in the current war.

  Li Yu frowned. He had destroyed them. It was justified for so many reasons. None of which were the reasons he publicly said it was for. However, he knew that if he just walked away now, the chaos that followed might kill innocent people.

  "I have to replace them," Li Yu realized. "Not as tyrants but as a force. I need to make sure the Alliance has the resources to plug the hole I just made. They can pacify the lands and I will instead fight in their place."

  Tekton chittered inquisitively as he was sensing Li Yu’s somber mood.

  "Don't worry, Tekton," Li Yu patted the centipede’s shell. "We aren't going to start managing a sect and vast amounts of land. I don’t have that kind of experience. The last organization I started was all run by people that follow me. But we have to settle the bill."

  After a while the Alliance Headquarters came into view. Tekton wound his way down through the spires and landed with a heavy thud on the wide landing platform of the central administration tower. Everyone knew of Tekton and Little Crab by now and didn’t dare stop them.

  Shen Tu was waiting for him and allowed him access. The Alliance leader looked like he hadn't slept since Li Yu left. His desk was buried under scrolls, jades and two communication arrays were floating near his head and were buzzing with reports.

  When he saw Li Yu slide off the giant centipede, Shen Tu waved his hand. This silenced the arrays and dismissed his attendants.

  "You're back," Shen Tu said as he exhaled a long breath after Li Yu finally made it to his room. "And judging by the reports I have gotten… I assume you were successful."

  "They refused to negotiate," Li Yu said as he walked into the office and took a seat. "So I liquidated their assets."

  Shen Tu rubbed his temples. "Liquidated. You wiped a top-tier sect off the map in a few days, Li Yu. The political fallout is... extensive. But," he paused. A grim smile was already touching his lips, "the relief is greater. They were a thorn in our side for generations."

  "Speaking of assets," Li Yu said. “I believe you owe me half their assets from all their other businesses across this continent.”

  Shen Tu was already prepared for this and handed Li Yu a few storage rings. They were already organized and was another massive sum. They did as promised, they took over everything and gave Li Yu half. It was a boon for both parties and everyone in the room was happy.

  Li Yu then went to the topic that was on his mind. “I know the mess I created by getting rid of them. As I said after defeating their leader, I will fight in their stead. I am sure I can do a better job.”

  Shen Tu nodded slowly and leaned back in his chair. "You've thought ahead. That is indeed the problem. Sector 7—where the Crimson Fang was guarding—is a critical buffer zone. With them gone, we are scrambling to redeploy forces there but we are stretched thin."

  "I know," Li Yu said. "That’s why I’m here. I can't stay there and play guard duty. But you can move other forces there and I can help in a more offensive capability. I can lead an attack that will draw attention away from many areas."

  Shen Tu stood up and walked to a large map on the wall. "Actually, the situation has evolved since you have come here. Since you annihilated that massive beast tide, the majority of the action has gone silent. It seems like that beast tide was perhaps the leading action they needed. They are regrouping. There has been no action since it was wiped out. Attacks have even withdrawn from areas they were attacking before."

  "That's good, right?" Li Yu asked.

  "Yes and no," Shen Tu sighed. "The main army is stalled but the instability of the realm is causing a new issue. There has been an increase in dimensional rifts."

  He pointed to several glowing red dots scattered across the map of the continent.

  "Spatial tears are opening up randomly. Beasts spill out, raid a village or a town and either vanish or even worse. They continue to stay on their rampage and kill even more. It’s hit and run warfare but we have no way of knowing if these rifts can be created or if it's just random and done by nature. We can't move armies fast enough to catch them. We need people everywhere to stop these rifts as they happen as soon as possible."

  He turned to Li Yu.

  "You wanted to help cover the defense gap? I have a proposal. You are arguably the fastest and strongest individual cultivator currently unattached to a specific front line. We need a rapid response unit."

  Li Yu looked at the map. "You want me to assign me to putting out fires?"

  "I want you to be a fire fighter, yes. At least for now until things develop more. Then your powers might be needed on the front lines. We are currently trying to defend and save lives" Shen Tu confirmed.

  "You can travel. Go see this continent until you are informed of danger. Visit the floating islands of the South. Eat the food, see the people, see the culture, see what it is you’re fighting for. Perhaps it will help you fall in love with this place and put in even more effort here. Do whatever you want. But when a Rift opens, you go and destroy the beasts until it closes."

  It was a tempting offer. Li Yu had been wanting to explore this continent but with the war he couldn’t ask for such a thing. This way he could travel freely but still pull his weight in the war effort.

  "I can do that," Li Yu said. "It will help settle my debt for the Crimson Fang situation."

  "There is no debt, Li Yu," Shen Tu said seriously. "But the people will thank you nonetheless."

  He reached into a drawer and pulled out a heavy rectangular token made of dark meteoric iron. It hummed with a low resonance.

  "This is a High-Priority Command Token. It’s linked to our central divination array. If a Rift opens, someone will contact you and let you know where it is. If there is another team much closer than we won’t contact you."

  Li Yu took the token. “Sounds good." Li Yu clipped the token to his belt.

  "One more thing," Shen Tu added. "There hasn't been much movement in the Azure Mist Province recently. It’s a beautiful region and is famous for its Spirit Rice and freshwater cuisine. If you’re looking for a direction to start... might be a nice vacation until something happens."

  "Azure Mist," Li Yu mused. "Freshwater cuisine sounds promising."

  "Just keep the token on you," Shen Tu warned. "When it rings, vacation is over."

  "Understood." Li Yu stood up and walked back to where Tekton was waiting. The centipede uncoiled.

  Li Yu turned back to Shen Tu. Shen Tu's last words to him were. "Safe journey, Li Yu."

  Li Yu vaulted onto Tekton’s back. "Alright! Let's go find some water and see if the fish live up to the rumors."

  Tekton surged forward. The wind whipped at his robes as they pierced the cloud layer and entered the open blue sky. The world stretched out before them—vast, green and full of potential.

  "Good," Li Yu smiled while leaning forward as Tekton accelerated. "Let's see what this continent really looks like."