A young disciple with an angular face, Lian, dared to intervene: "Young Master Hu, your wounds... If you move, the remnants of Yin Qi will consume your meridians!"
Bai She staggered to his feet, tearing what remained of his bloodied tunic. His torso revealed a pulsating wound oozing with shadowy filaments. "You dare give me orders, you little piece of shit."
"I am the heir of the Hu family! *Spit of blood* Do your ancestors even have the audacity to answer me back? Obey!"
The disciples murmured among themselves. Ming, a scarred woman, crossed her arms: "Your brother, Young Master Shen, is undoubtedly in battle with the Devourer. It would be wiser, Young Master, to stay here, lest you worsen your injuries."
Bai She glared at her, but his trembling fist betrayed his shame. "Shen..." He whispered, his voice broken.
"... deserved better than a brother who hides. It was I who led him to the Lower Realm in pursuit of selfish glory... So anyone who stops me will die before the Devourer does."
Everyone knew Bai She was a weak-willed bastard with a big mouth. But the support behind him was immense.
Staggering, Bai She shoved an inner disciple aside.
"I am a core disciple, *Spit of blood* the sole heir of the Hu family. How could I sit here and let *Cough* inner disciples risk their lives for my selfish goal."
"Don't blame yourself, Young Master. Defeating the Devourer is to avenge all the victims and free the oppressed!"
The disciples, seeing his determination, gathered around him. Though Bai She was an arrogant, lecherous young master, he was surprisingly brave when his martial brother was in trouble. The disciples were shockingly surprised to see the young master of the Hu family in a new light.
"All with Young Master Hu! The Devourer must not escape, even at the cost of our lives!"
They took flight, covering dozens of kilometers in mere minutes.
The group sliced through the poisoned clouds, soaring over forests withered by Yin Qi. The disciples flew in tight formation, protective talismans crackling against the corrosive mist.
"Over there!" Lian shouted, pointing to a valley where a greenish glow lingered. The air reeked of burnt flesh and rusted metal.
Ming grimaced as she landed on cracked ground: "The corpses... They've been drained like wine skins." Around them lay shriveled bodies, faces frozen in horror.
Upon arrival, they were greeted by a landscape of death: the shriveled corpses of disciples present during the explosion, drained of their essence. A reddish-green mist hung in the air, thick and toxic.
Despite the warnings, Bai She pressed on, ready to do anything to save Shen.
"Even if I must die, I will bring him back and kill the Devourer." He said, disappearing into the toxic mist.
Days passed, and no disciple dared venture into certain death, and Shen remained missing. When the mist finally dissipated, Bai She stumbled, clutching a rock. His mutilated arm released swirling chaotic Yin Qi.
Bai She collapsed to his knees before his martial brother's corpse, ignoring the burns from the cursed ground. "Shen... DAMN IT!"
He clutched the body to him, his tears evaporating in the mist.
Ming placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder: "The Devourer has fled. We must…"
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
Holding back tears behind a hardened expression. A whisper ran through the ranks of the disciples:
"Young Master Xuan Shen is dead..."
Some approached to console him.
"You did all you could, Young Master…"
Bai She shook his head, his gaze dark.
"No, I failed. The Devourer escaped. And Shen is dead."
In a bitter voice, he declared:
"We return to the Upper Realm."
***
*Upper Realm, a few months before Xuan Shen's death*
In the mystical heights of the Upper Realm, the sky stretched like a sea of silver mist, bathed in the soft light of an immortal sun. Mountain ranges soared toward the heavens, their peaks hidden in layers of pure Qi that flowed like luminous rivers, infusing every stone and breath with ancient vital energy. Sacred lotuses drifted lazily in crystalline lakes, their petals emitting a pale, enchanted glow, as if the entire world sang in silence.
*Perfumed Lotus Inn*
Waitresses dressed in light robes adorned with silver thread poured generous cups for the two drunken young masters.
"Ah ah, Big Brother Bai She, you've disobeyed Matriarch Hu again," said Xuan Shen, laughing, his voice slightly slurred from intoxication. He raised a cup to his lips, drinking fervently.
Bai She smiled nervously. "Little brother, no matter what I do, Mother will always punish me. She's as unyielding as the rocks of these mountains."
Xuan Shen chuckled. "Then, I'll plead for mercy for my elder brother."
"Anyway, little brother, among these beauties, which one is your favorite?" Bai She suddenly asked with a lecherous smile.
"Brother Bai, you forget I'm underage. Unlike you, I care a bit about my reputation."
"He he, me too, little brother, but in the world of cultivation, age doesn't matter."
"Big brother, I'll let you choose. I know at least five will end up in your bed tonight."
"He he, Xuan Shen knows his elder brother well."
Xuan Shen smiled at his friend's assertion and took a more serious tone.
"Brother Bai, are you still serious about tomorrow?"
"Ah... After what I've done, little brother, if I don't return as a hero of the younger generation to the domain, Mother will kill me directly, even if I'm the sole young master of the ancestral family."
"When I think about it, you're truly beyond redemption, ha ha... Do you think we can defeat the Devourer? Maybe I should ask Sister Ruoxi or the Imperial Prince for help?"
"No need. I'll take some inner disciples with us. This Devourer isn't the one from ancient times, and his cultivation is about the same as ours. If we manage to kill him, not only will I escape my sentence, but you might even have a chance to become the new Black Turtle."
"Then this young master will help you."
Bai She nodded with a slight, mischievous smile. His plan to steal the Eye of Truth was already in motion.