The air was thinner the higher they went down.
Yes—down.
Because for Lian Xue, descending the mountain with the Limitless Sage beside her was more terrifying than climbing it alone.
She had expected thunder, storms, and earthquakes.But instead, every step he took… was quiet.
Too quiet.
The world itself seemed to hold its breath.
Birds flew away without a sound.Insects froze mid-flight.Even the wind dared not brush against his robe.
She stole glances at him.His eyes were half-closed, like he didn't care where he walked.Like even gravity was beneath him.
He carried no sword.No pouch.No talisman.Just… himself.
And yet, the world moved out of his way.
Is this the strength of someone who slayed heaven? she wondered.
He was both terrifying… and beautiful.
His presence was a contradiction.
A killer… who brewed tea.A monster… who saved birds.A god-slayer… who now walked beside a girl like her.
And what scared her the most—
Was how comfortable she felt beside him.
They reached the base of the mountain as the sun began to set.
Lian Xue's legs trembled with exhaustion, but the Sage had not slowed once.He walked like wind over water. Effortless.
She leaned on a tree and panted.He stood silently, watching a lotus pond as if nothing existed around him.
She finally asked, in between breaths, "Sage… can I ask something?"
"You already did," he said calmly.
She blinked. "Ah… true."
But he didn't stop her.
So she continued, "Why didn't you kill me… when I knocked?"
He turned slightly.
The wind brushed past his sleeve like a whisper of silk.
Then, a faint smile touched the corner of his lips.
"Because… you didn't kneel."
Her heart skipped.
"You didn't beg," he continued. "You didn't flatter. You didn't offer treasure."
"You looked at me… and saw a man. Not a monster. That's rare."
She blinked, stunned.
He began walking again, his voice floating behind him.
"That's why you're still alive."
White Lotus City appeared by nightfall.
It was a jewel of trade, glowing with lanterns and lined with grand merchant houses.
Lian Xue led him through winding alleys and golden gates.
Every guard, servant, and merchant stopped in their tracks the moment they saw him.
Some fell to their knees from the pressure.
Some ran.
Some just stood, eyes wide, unable to move.
His name was not spoken.
But they knew.
Every cultivator felt it.
The aura of an untouchable being.
A sage without sect.
A king without throne.
Lian Xue's father—Master Lian Zhen, the Grand Merchant himself—rushed forward from his towering hall with dozens of followers.
He was a thick man with rich robes, a powerful core, and an aura of wealth.But the moment he laid eyes on the Sage, all his confidence cracked.
"S-senior…" he bowed deeply. "White Lotus welcomes you. Our doors, our coffers, our lives—"
"I do not care," the Sage said, walking past him without a glance.
Lian Zhen blinked. "P-pardon?"
The Sage turned his head slightly.
"I came for your daughter," he said. "Not for your city."
Lian Xue's face flushed, but she stayed quiet.
Everyone stared.
Then, he walked toward the garden pond and sat.
Lotus petals floated around him.
A frog croaked once—then never again.
He closed his eyes.
And the air grew still.
Later that night, in a quiet room, Lian Xue sat with her father.
"He's… really him?" her father whispered.
Lian Xue nodded. "I think so. He never said his name. But I saw the sky shake when he opened the door."
Her father wiped sweat from his brow.
"We've been targeted by seven major houses. Greedy worms. They want our routes, our stores, our ships… but I never thought I'd ask him for help."
Lian Xue looked out the window, where the Sage sat alone.
"He's not what they say, father."
"What do they say?"
"That he's heartless. A demon. A man who enjoys killing."She shook her head. "He's not cruel. He's just… beyond emotions."
Her father frowned.
"And what if he kills them all in one breath?"
She turned back to him.
"Then they deserved it."
That night, a message was sent out.
"The Hermit Sage has descended the mountain."
The continent shuddered.
The merchant clans panicked.
The great sects trembled.
No one dared act immediately.
Because no one knew what the Sage would do… or when.
And the scariest part?
He didn't belong to any faction.No rules.No oath.No one to restrain him.
Only one thing was clear.
If you crossed his path without reason—
You disappeared.
The next morning, Lian Xue brought him tea.
He took it, nodding silently.
"Are you going to help us?" she asked.
He sipped once. Slowly.
Then answered without looking at her:
"I'm already here. Isn't that enough?"
She smiled.
Her journey had begun when she climbed a mountain.
Now… the mountain had come down for her.