Chapter 20: Leaving No Margin for Error

On the long and desolate mountain path, Bi Luochun’s steps felt exceptionally heavy, yet within her heart, a tide surged and churned, refusing to settle. Deep inside, a thought sprouted like a new shoot breaking through the soil in springtime. Could this taciturn senior brother, who stood up for them at critical moments, be the "Qingming" her master had repeatedly mentioned on his deathbed? Or was there someone else?

This uncertainty flickered like a glimmer of light in the mist, teasing her heartstrings and compelling her to seek the truth. Whenever her thoughts drifted back to her master’s kind yet resolute face, her eyes would fill with tears, threatening to overflow. She slowly raised her hand, her slender fingers brushing away the warm tracks on her cheeks, followed by a forced smile that bloomed arduously on her lips—like a flower stubbornly blossoming in the cold spring wind, beautiful yet tinged with bitterness.

"I am sorry, Senior Brother Qingming," she whispered, her voice as faint as the buzzing of a gnat, yet heavy with emotion. "I was just thinking of my master again. To think that he... he departed from us in such a tragic manner."

Su Hao, a traveler who seemed to have stepped into this land of strife from another world, looked on with a profound and solemn gaze, as if possessing the magic to pierce through the fog of the human heart. Observing Bi Luochun’s slightly peculiar expression, he continued from their previous topic: "I have noticed that you practitioners fight as individuals, scattered like loose sand, unable to coalesce into an unbreakable force." His voice was steady and powerful; every word struck the hearts of those present like a heavy hammer, deafening and awakening. "If things continue this way, I fear you will sooner or later be consumed, bit by bit, by those cunning evil cultivators."

Hearing this, Bi Luochun’s delicate brows furrowed, and a flash of anxiety crossed her eyes. "Does Senior Brother have a better plan?" she asked softly, her tone filled with expectation yet unable to mask her unease.

Su Hao remained silent for a long moment, as if weighing something in his mind. Finally, his gaze became resolute, and he spoke with firm conviction: "You must unite, build a rock-solid, unbreakable alliance, and work together to resist the onslaught of the evil cultivators."

Bi Luochun’s eyes brightened instantly, shining like the most brilliant stars in the dark night sky. Yet, this light was quickly shrouded by the heavy shadows of reality, fading away. "We have held such dreams," she sighed softly, her voice filled with helplessness. "But now, with evil cultivators running rampant, everyone is exhausted, struggling merely to survive. Furthermore, there is already deep-seated resentment between the various sects. Establishing the kind of alliance you speak of is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

Su Hao shook his head slightly, his tone brooking no argument: "It is precisely because of this that you need to rely on one another and draw warmth from each other. To continue fighting alone will only lead you to destruction all the faster."

"Who could argue with that?" Bi Luochun sighed helplessly again. Her gaze drifted toward the distance, to the place where her master had once fought a bloody battle, a place that remained an unspoken, eternal pain in her heart. "But who would lead this transformation? Who would raise the banner to rally everyone?"

Just then, a crisp and pleasant voice broke the oppressive silence. It was Yi Binglan, the junior sister from the Righteous Sect. She stepped forward, waving her small fist with unwavering determination in her eyes. "If someone is willing to take the lead, I, Yi Binglan, am willing to be the first to respond and fight the evil cultivators together with everyone!"

Wen Xiaochuan, another disciple of the Righteous Sect, also stepped up, his voice steady and resolute: "That’s right. We cannot go on like this. We must unite and face those enemies together!"

Su Hao’s gaze swept slowly over everyone, finally landing on Bi Luochun and Gui Xiangling. "Young ladies, from which direction did you arrive?"

"I came from the south," Bi Luochun replied, her voice soft and melodious, yet seemingly imbued with an indescribable strength that commanded attention.

"And I traveled all the way from the frozen lands of the north," added Gui Xiangling, a subtle, hidden resilience underlying her tone.

At that moment, the mountain wind seemed to still. The surrounding air was permeated with a subtle, tense atmosphere, mingled with a hint of anticipation, as if a storm were brewing in secret... Su Hao’s gaze was deep and distant, as if he could pierce through the layers of time and space. He spoke slowly, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"The evil cultivators I have encountered are all at the Foundation Establishment stage or below. Could it be that there are no higher-level beings in this world?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Binglan could not help but mutter to herself: "Senior Brother Qingming, your words are truly surprising. Which of us is not praying to encounter weaker evil cultivators? Your words sound a bit too arrogant." However, she did not voice these thoughts, merely curling her lips into an imperceptible smile.

Bi Luochun’s voice remained gentle and steady as she explained, "High-level evil cultivators do not reveal themselves easily. They are like beasts lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike a fatal blow. Most of the cultivation resources they require are seized from us, the weaker practitioners. You must understand, the combined force of seven or eight Foundation Establishment evil cultivators is already a grave threat to us; we are simply unable to resist."

Yi Binglan’s tone was filled with indignation, her teeth gritted as she said, "Those evil cultivators are utterly despicable! They treat the bodies and souls of practitioners as sacrifices to advance their own cultivation. It is madness—they have no humanity left!" Her eyes burned with a fire that seemed as if it would incinerate all the evil in the world.

Wen Xiaochuan’s voice was low and filled with grief. "The evil aura they emit is like clouds blotting out the sun, shrouding the entire planet in a haze and making our path of cultivation increasingly difficult. Every step forward feels like an arduous struggle."

Su Hao’s gaze sharpened. "What is the overall strength of these evil cultivators?"

Gui Xiangling’s voice held a trace of confusion as she pondered for a moment. "The rise of the evil cultivators hasn’t been long—only a few decades at most. As for the highest realm they have reached, I am not entirely sure. I only know that on our planet, in small sects like ours, the strongest are those at the Nascent Soul stage."

Bi Luochun’s voice carried a hint of despair. She sighed deeply and said slowly, "I have never heard of any practitioner beyond the Nascent Soul stage. The strongest I have ever seen was our Sect Master, a Nascent Soul expert. Yet, when the evil cultivators breached our mountain gates, more than ten Nascent Soul evil cultivators appeared at once. The memory still makes me shudder."

Wen Xiaochuan’s voice trembled slightly as he continued, "Nearby are the Qiankun Sect, the Taiyi Sect, and the Biluo Sect, where Senior Sister Bi Luochun belonged. The Biluo Sect, being a sect of female practitioners, was always a primary target for the evil cultivators and fell very early—a full year before us."

Su Hao frowned deeply. "And what of the current situation of the Qiankun and Taiyi Sects?"

Someone sighed helplessly. "It is unclear what state they are in. And then there is the Tianji Sect; their sect is even smaller than ours, with only one or two thousand people total. I don’t know if there are any survivors left there."

Wen Xiaochuan seemed to recall something and hurried to say, "The area around here was originally the territory of the Qingshan Sect, and we are currently on its periphery. The direction the senior brother headed is toward the Qingshan Sect. If we continue forward for another hundred or two hundred miles, we will reach a small town."

Another added, "That town used to be bustling and prosperous, but now it is dilapidated and desolate. Only the Wanbao Trading House remains, still conducting business there. They mostly deal in auxiliary resources needed by evil cultivators. The resources useful to us, the righteous practitioners, are pitifully scarce—less than one or two percent."

A flicker of doubt crossed Su Hao’s eyes. "Was the Wanbao Trading House a merchant for righteous practitioners before?"

Bi Luochun shook her head. "They are merchants; naturally, they sell whatever is profitable. But since this region has become the domain of the evil cultivators, they have had to go with the flow."

Hearing this, a sense of sorrow welled up in Su Hao’s heart. Every practitioner in this land was once a spirited youth, full of beautiful dreams and ardent hope. Yet now, they could only struggle to survive under the shadow of the evil cultivators. Although Su Hao did not know what the future held, he understood that if they did not unite to resist the invasion, nothing awaited them but endless darkness and despair. At that moment, Su Hao seemed to see the fates of countless practitioners intertwined, forming a grand yet tragic tapestry.

After a moment of contemplation, his eyes flashing with wisdom, Su Hao said slowly, "Perhaps we should head west. We might be able to hunt some demon beasts and replenish our supplies."

Bi Luochun quickly discouraged him. "Senior Brother Qingming, hunting demon beasts is no easy task. Even though there are beasts near our encampment, their strength is formidable, and we are simply no match for them." Her voice was filled with deep worry; she was clearly terrified of the beasts.

The power of the evil cultivators was like a crushing black cloud, shrouding this land in darkness and despair. Though they had the heart to fight back, the disparity in strength was too great. After every battle, supplies were severely lacking. The evil cultivators were like a swarm of locusts; no sooner had they killed one wave than another would swarm in, making them impossible to defend against.

After some discussion, Su Hao and his group ultimately decided to head to the area where the demon beasts were active to investigate. They set out on their journey, each heart filled with both expectation for the unknown and a touch of anxiety.

Su Hao led the three disciples of the Righteous Sect and Bi Luochun along the winding mountain paths toward the region where the beasts were active. Their steps were firm and powerful; with every stride, it seemed they were loudly declaring war against their cruel fate.

The path they chose happened to pass by the dwellings of Bi Luochun’s junior sisters. It was a crude, earthen dugout, scarred by the passage of time—scars that seemed to silently recount the hardships they had endured. The dozen or so junior sisters were huddled inside, sallow and gaunt, their eyes filled with exhaustion and helplessness. They looked at one another, as if seeking a sliver of solace to soothe their trembling hearts.

"Second Senior Sister, let’s go out for some air. If we stay cooped up like this, I’m going to suffocate." One of the junior sisters finally broke the stifling atmosphere.

The Second Senior Sister replied softly, "Very well. Going out to clear our heads might be good, at least to escape this suffocating atmosphere for a while." Her gaze swept over their weary faces, her heart filled with helplessness and pity. After all, the supplies they carried were pitifully scarce, and the spoils from each battle were minimal, failing to meet their daily needs.

"Indeed. After a battle, our consumption is simply too great. Now, even finding the peace of mind to cultivate has become a luxury," someone echoed, their tone heavy with helplessness and deep sighs.

"We are struggling on the edge of life and death; how could we have the heart to cultivate?" Another scoffed, their anger burning like a raging fire that could not be suppressed. The evil cultivators not only looted their resources but cruelly trampled upon their lives, driving them into this endless suffering. It was truly hateful.

"We beat them once, but they will return soon enough," another added, fear flickering in their eyes. They were filled with both dread and hatred for the evil cultivators, yet they were powerless to change the cruel reality, left to struggle in this abyss of despair.

Just then, they noticed dust rising in the distance. Over a dozen evil cultivators were charging toward them aggressively, their faces twisted into hideous grins, as if they had already secured their victory. Seeing this, everyone’s heart tightened; they knew a fierce battle was unavoidable.