-

  Ancient Fragment #13

  Twin Red Vipers usually thrive in blood red foliage where they hide, waiting.

  They do not rush.

  One reveals itself. One does not.

  Most learn too late that the second was always closer.

  -

  Long Tianyu and Hua Qingqing’s eyes widened at the gruesome scene before them. Dark clouds hovered in the sky now, and a woman stood alone in a clearing surrounded by slaughtered bodies and two massive red vipers.

  Her clothes were blue, adorned with a white circle insignia on her back, but her clothes were stained with blood. Her hair was an unusual shade of blue streaked with white. She was undeniably beautiful, but the blood and pale skin gave her a ghostly appearance.

  Bai Qing of White Moon Sect stood silently in the opening, her fingers gripping tightly onto the hilt of her sword, ready to strike at any moment.

  Junior sisters… junior brothers… I am sorry I dragged you into this. I was certain we could handle it. But how did a demonic beast at the 6th stage of the Elementary Qi Realm appear here?

  The clearing was unrecognizable now. Torn small banners from the White Moon Sect lay soaked in mud and blood, trampled beneath the vipers’ coils. Broken swords and snapped spears were scattered everywhere.

  Grief and anger roared within her. Tears slid down her cheeks and fell onto the blood-soaked ground.

  She could still remember their voices from moments ago. Someone shouting for formation. Someone crying out for their senior sister. Someone begging for help.

  All of it had ended too quickly.

  She was the strongest among them, at the 2nd stage of Elementary Qi Realm, and the responsibility weighed heavily on her shoulders. Everyone else was dead, she had only survived longer because the vipers picked off the weak ones before her, like it was a game to them.

  Her chest tightened as guilt clawed at her heart. She should have been the one to to die first and the other's should have escaped. The weight of it pressed down heavier than the vipers’ killing intent.

  But even so, she could not allow herself to fall yet. If she died now, then no one would even know how they perished.

  Hiss.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The beasts shifted on the ground. The two towering red vipers raised their heads, their scales glistening darkly. At first glance they appeared separate, but a closer look revealed the truth. They were a single creature, two heads connected to one long body that stretched for more than twenty meters.

  Both heads loomed above her, fangs exposed and tongues flickering, coated in poison and blood. The venom was known to act quickly and kill even cultivators who could not force it out or lacked the proper antidotes.

  Bai Qing steadied her breathing and lifted her sword, her gaze locked on the Twin Red Vipers. Escape was her only chance now. Everyone else had already fallen, and she refused to let their deaths be meaningless.

  The air felt heavy and still for Bai Qing. The blood soaked into the dirt beneath her boots, sticky and and still warm. No one spoke. No one moved. The only sound left was her breathing and the slow, steady shifting of the vipers nearby.

  Woosh

  The two heads struck at once, lunging from opposite sides. Bai Qing reacted instantly. She leapt upward, twisting her body as her blade swept down in a fierce arc.

  "Severing Moon Slash!" she shouted, pouring all of her remaining qi into the attack. She aimed for one of the creature’s eyes, hoping to buy a single moment to escape.

  It failed.

  The viper was far faster than her strike. Its head jerked aside and the strike cut through empty air. A furious hiss burst from its jaws as it recoiled, both heads swaying as they prepared to attack again.

  Long Tianyu felt a mix of awe and apprehension. This woman’s movements were precise, as if she had trained extensively. She must be from a sect. Those two vipers must be the ones the Jin family warned us about, the Twin Red Vipers. He looked at the woman as inspiration grew inside him, his chest rising in excitement.

  What if I did like her, and put qi into the Twin Shadow Blades?

  Hua Qingqing gave his sleeve a light tug. “Come, we should save her.”

  He had been through enough difficult situations to know that the cultivation world was harsh and one couldn't save everyone. Long Tianyu considered their options and decided it was worth it. Any contact with sect members now could help them find Nine Tribulations. He wasn't sure if it was himself or the obsession inside him and Hua Qingqing influencing their decision.

  "Okay, go!"

  Long Tianyu quickly gathered qi into his spiritual core and down into his legs, letting him run much faster.

  Bai Qing coughed blood as she blocked a swipe from one of the Twin Red Vipers. Dizziness washed over her from the blow, and she was almost out of strength. It was hard to gather more qi. She had tried her best to help her sect members survive, but in the end, it seemed all for naught. One of the viper heads opened its mouth, ready to bite down on Bai Qing. She closed her eyelids, and all she could see was darkness.

  Is this what death will be like?

  I will join you soon, junior brothers and sisters. I hope master will not be too sad, Bai Qing thought, ready to die.

  But the scythe of death never came. When she looked up, she froze for a moment. Two strangers, a man and a woman, stood before her, acting as a shield.

  “Who are you?” Bai Qing asked, her voice hoarse. In the cultivation world, only the strong survived. It was strange for anyone to save strangers.

  The two did not answer her. They focused ahead, on the demonic beast.

  -

  End of chapter 13 - Bai Qing

  -- Bai Qing of White Moon Sect --

  Age: Seventeen

  Cultivation level: Second Stage of Elementary Qi Realm

  Weapon: Celestial Moon

  Birthplace: Jade Moon City