Chapter 205 Old Debts, New Enemies

Old Debts, New Enemies

"Sorry we’re late with the reinforcements, Elder Rowan!"

Asher’s voice cut through the chaos of the battlefield.

He descended from above, golden sword Qi swirling around his body before settling onto the stone. Adrain landed right beside him, barely glancing at the fallen zombies before his eyes locked onto Lothe.

Adrain grinned and jogged over with his hands half-raised. "Well, looks like we’re fighting together again."

Lothe gave him a slight nod. "Yeah."

"That’s all? Not even a proper greeting?"

"Would you prefer a speech?"

Adrain laughed. "Good to know you haven’t changed."

Asher walked over a moment later, more composed. "It’s been a while, Lothe."

"Indeed."

Having crossed paths at the Arbitration Hall, there was little need for formalities.

Before they could say more, another voice called out.

"Miss Seana!"

Seana turned as Arvessa landed in front of her, barely hiding her excitement.

"I was hoping we’d meet again! Ever since the Ancient Palace, I’ve wanted to thank you properly."

Seana smiled faintly. "You still remember that?"

"How could I forget? You saved my life back then!"

"I’m just glad you’re safe."

Nearby, Ambiel and Anelle landed with the rest of the group. Ambiel adjusted the whip at her waist with a cold look at the surrounding streets, while wind currents settled around Anelle’s sleeves.

Elder Rowan leaned on his staff. "Your timing couldn’t have been better."

Asher cupped his hands. "We apologize for the delay, Elder."

"No matter. We have more urgent concerns."

Rowan looked toward the lower streets. The dark-robed zombies were still advancing in tight, unyielding ranks. Whenever one fell, another stepped in without hesitation.

Justin stepped forward, purple lightning crackling along his blade. "How long have they been pushing like this?"

"Long enough," Rowan replied. "And being undead, losses mean nothing to them."

Justin’s eyes narrowed. "Truly troublesome. To think so many have survived down here... no wonder the surface raids became so rare."

A heavy tremor shook the stone beneath their boots as the frontline disciples clashed with the horde again.

Lothe, however, was looking past the fight.

Far in the distance, the blue light had grown piercingly bright, rising like a column of azure mist that lit up the cavern ceiling.

His Spatial Perception stirred. The fluctuations from that direction were growing erratic.

Seana tracked his gaze, her breath catching. "Is that where they’re keeping the children?"

"It has to be," Lothe said.

Seana’s fingers tightened on the hilt of the Blood Moon Sword. "Then we can’t delay. Whatever they’ve started, it’s reaching its peak."

She turned to Rowan. "Now that reinforcements have stabilized the line, we should send a strike team ahead. If the children are there, every second counts."

Rowan nodded firmly. "Agreed. I’ll go with you. If there’s an ancient formation anchoring that light, an experienced eye will be needed to break it."

Lothe didn’t wait. Reaching out, he slipped an arm around Seana’s waist.

A ripple of purple spatial Qi folded over them, and both vanished on the spot.

Adrain blinked, then smirked. "Trying to take all the fun for yourself? Not a chance."

He kicked off the roof tiles, stepped onto his flying sword, and shot forward in a streak of light.

"I’ve told you not to act so recklessly," Asher sighed, shaking his head. He drew Myriad Forge, stepped onto the golden blade, and took off after his brother.

Asher sent a voice transmission back toward his sect’s members. "Assist the remaining disciples in clearing the area!"

Justin gave similar orders to the Heavenly Thunder disciples behind him, purple lightning crackling under his boots as he pursued. The Argon sisters moved in unison without a word, taking flight alongside him.

Zhao Meiyun had remained quiet at the edge, watching the arrivals with a faint smirk. Finding the brawl on the rooftops dull, he stepped onto a soft white cloud and drifted toward the light.

Rowan turned to the two disciples still on the roof. "Caelan, Darian. You two remain here. Assist the elders and keep this line intact. We cannot allow our retreat path to be cut off."

Caelan cupped his hands. "Understood, Elder Rowan."

Darian rotated the brass rings around his wrists. "Leave this ground to us."

"Stay alert," Rowan said, and vaulted into the air with a push of his Qi.

Behind them, Caelan and Darian turned back toward the surging black tide.

——————————

Far deeper within the city, at the heart of the ceremonial clearing, Seth stood rigid, staring at the man before him.

"What happened to you, Master?" Seth’s voice was strained, thick with disbelief.

He had arrived earlier, and what he saw shook him to his core.

After escaping the academy ruins by sheer luck, saved by Lothe and Seana when everyone else saw only an infected monster—the venom in his veins had run wild. He had nearly lost his mind, clinging to sanity through pure stubbornness and the burning desire to make his sister pay for abandoning him.

Then, against all odds, the system had awakened in his mind. He had gained Necromancy.

After clawing his way to Level 5, he met Leon.

Leon had taken him in, taught him how to control his corrupted energy, and allowed him to cultivate within the ancient realm beneath the city.

Seth had lived among the undead. He had shared their struggles and come to view them as his people. He knew his master’s deepest wish was to help their fellow zombies regain their sanity while breaking through.

Yet experiment after experiment had failed, leaving Leon burdened and hollow. Seth had thrown himself into cultivation, determined to grow strong enough to protect the city.

Then, months ago, Leon had returned with astonishing news: he had found a way to restore their minds.

Right before Seth’s eyes, his master had channeled a strange, multi-colored Qi into a feral zombie. In an instant, the creature stabilized, regained a spark of awareness, and broke through to the next realm.

Leon had told him the truth then: the energy was scarce, obtained by pure chance, and he needed to find its source.

During that time, Seth had entered seclusion to push his Core toward the Mid Core Formation Realm.

Now, stepping out of seclusion, the sounds of distant explosions confirmed that the Four Great Sects had arrived. And before him lay this grotesque altar.

"Master... how could you do this to little children?" Seth asked, anger and hurt thick in his voice.

Leon looked away, unable to meet his disciple’s eyes.

"Seth, this is the only way to track the source of that energy," Leon said quietly. "We are not killing them. Young Master Gong Sihe has guaranteed their lives."

Seth turned sharply toward the figure standing beside Leon. He noticed the delicate jade crown pinning the man’s hair and the cold, noble air around his dark blue robes.

"Does that make it right? Look at them!" Seth yelled, pointing a trembling hand toward the stone platforms.

Across the nine platforms, eighty-one children were bound in circles, their small bodies convulsing as thousands of Yangbane Locusts fed on their flesh, siphoning pure golden Yang energy into their swollen bellies.

"Look at them shaking!" Seth’s voice rose. "And how do you even know he’s telling the truth?"

"I don’t need him to lecture me on truth, Seth!" Leon snapped back, his patience breaking as a wave of Nascent Soul pressure rolled off him.

"These children are the key to lifting our curse! Even if the Four Great Sects stand outside our gates, they cannot change this!"

Seth’s knees buckled under the sudden weight of his master’s cultivation, his breath cut short.

Leon exhaled sharply and pulled his aura back.

Seth dropped to one knee, coughing as air rushed back into his lungs. He slowly lifted his head, glaring at Gong Sihe.

"They won’t die, right?" Seth demanded, his voice cold.

Gong Sihe let out a dry, dismissive scoff. "Even if a few do, it’s for a greater cause. Without this Yang essence, your kind will lose their minds and get butchered by the sects. Death is all that’s waiting for you if you refuse this."

Seth’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached.

Gong Sihe glanced at the glowing array with bored eyes. "We’ve already come this far. A little more time and we get what we need. After that, we leave. Why complicate something so simple?"

"You’re talking like they aren’t even people," Seth spat.

"They are the price of your survival," Gong Sihe replied smoothly.

Before Seth could argue, the space nearby rippled.

A soft hum cut through the air, and two figures stepped out from the void onto the cold stone floor.

Lothe landed smoothly, his deep-purple layered silk fell neatly around his tall frame. His long black hair was tied back, framing his sharp jaw and cold, steady black eyes that took in the scene without a word.

Beside him stood Seana in rich crimson robes, her dark hair pinned loosely with a simple wooden hairpin. Her grip was firm on her Blood Moon Sword, her stance relaxed yet lethal.

Seth froze.

The spear in his hands trembled.

He knew those faces. He had spent those months of survival remembering the way they moved, the way they fought.

He had secretly looked up to them since the day they pulled him out of the academy ruins. When he chose the spear as his own weapon, it had been because of Lothe—an attempt to match that calm, unshakeable presence.

He had expected the Four Great Sects. He had expected enemies.

He had never expected them.

The two people he admired most were standing right in front of him—and he was standing guard over an altar that made him their enemy.?