The night was dense with silence, broken only by the soft whisper of the wind and the slight rustling of leaves.
The moon, partially obscured by drifting clouds, cast a pale light on the dense forest as Su Vaen stood before the hidden entrance of the laboratory.
His fists were tight, his breathing steady but filled with an immovable resolve.
Tonight, he would move.
You need strength to do something. Now, he is a Rank 2 wielder.
Other than the energy reservation and experience, he didn't lack anything.
His rank 2 tenebris energy is ten times more powerful than the rank 1 tenebris energy and Origin Qi of Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
The revelation of the corruption of his clan had haunted him for days, festering in his mind like an infected sore.
He had seen enough—their twisted experiments, the innocent lives they had ruined in the quest for power, and the utter disregard for the very people they were sworn to protect.
He had struggled with the burden of his lineage, the name Su once inseparable from honor, now tarnished beyond redemption. But there was no more hesitation.
He would be the sword of judgment.
Shrouded in his Shadow Veil, Su Vaen moved like a ghost through the dense undergrowth.
His Umbral Repository ballooned with energy, fueling his body beyond mortal limits.
Though he had not yet ascended to the peak of Rank 2, his martial skills, honed through merciless self-training, were more than adequate to deal with the Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding this damned place.
As he approached the well-guarded perimeter, his sharp hearing detected grumblings from the sentries.
"We should be in there, not out here in the cold," one groused.
"Shh. You know the orders. No one goes in or out without clearance from the elders," another answered.
Su Vaen smiled. They did not know that death had already arrived.
He fought Shadow Veil, his shape dissolving into the darkness, leaving him as no more than a fleeting specter. Nightfall's first slash ripped through the shadows.
The first guard's throat opened in silence, his body collapsing before he could make a sound.
Another turned around, sensing something was wrong, but Su Vaen was already behind him.
A Tenebris Energy dagger drove into the man's back, severing his spine.
The outer guards stood no chance.
He moved inwards, weaving through the remainder of the guards with calculating efficiency.
Foundation Establishment adepts, men who had been cultivating for decades, but in front of his mastery of stealth and precision strikes, they were less than cattle to be butchered.
They died one by one. A movement twitch—a cut throat. A step in the dark—a pierced heart. It was accomplished before even the alarm could be raised.
And then, the gates of the Su Clan's secret laboratory loomed before him.
This was the place where the Su Clan had traded honor for ambition.
Where his mother's sacrifice had been desecrated.
Where their so-called noble bloodline had chosen power over humaneness.
He would reduce it to ashes.
With a steep intake of breath, he threw the doors open.
What greeted his gaze within froze his blood.
There were metal cages lined up along the walls, and in every cage was a barely alive beast-human hybrid—failed experiments of some twisted dream.
Some were distorted beyond recognition, their bodies fused with unnatural appendages.
Others twitched in agony, their Qi cores shattered, their eyes pleading for mercy.
And the stench—it was suffocating. The stench of blood, decay, and despair hung in the air like a curse.
Su Vaen whispered between clenched teeth, rage seething in him. Even though he had seen it before.
There was a sound of rushing footsteps. A group of Su Clan enforcers burst into the room, swords drawn.
"Intruder!" one of them shouted. "Kill him!"
But Su Vaen was past speaking.
He exploded, his sword trailing black mist as he unleashed his energy. The energy, in the form of a crescent, cut through the first wave of enforcers, sending them falling where they stood.
More came.
Su Vaen assaulted them head-on.
His body moved on instinct, bobbing, weaving, counterattacking.
A spear thrust at his heart—he dodged, spun, and slammed his knee into the attacker's ribs, shattering them upon impact.
A sword swung out—he parried, sending the blade aside before slicing true through the wielder's neck.
A spike of Qi erupted—a peak Foundation Establishment captain lunged at him, his palm glowing with golden light.
Su Vaen raised his sword, Tenebris Energy coursing through the blade.
Clang!
The impact of the blow reverberated through the air, but Su Vaen gritted his teeth and pushed on.
His opponent was strong, but he was faster.
A whirl of movement—a dark mist wrapped itself around his sword as he twisted his body and drove the sword into the captain's chest.
The man groaned, blood spouting from his mouth as he crashed to the ground.
It was over.
Su Vaen exhaled, his gaze raking over the ruined laboratory.
Pools of blood accumulated at his feet. The soft cries of the tortured experiments rang in his ears.
He had won the current battle, but the war was far from over.
And then—
His breath hitched, his muscles tensed.
Two figures emerged from the darkness, their presence compressing the room with overwhelming psychological pressure.
Su Ren, his father.
Su Wei, his grandfather.
The two most powerful figures of the Su Clan had arrived.
Su Vaen wiped the blood from his sword, his expression unreadable. He had expected them. He had prepared for this moment.
His father took a step forward, his gaze cold and piercing. "So. this is the path you've chosen, Vaen?"
His grandfather sighed, a look of disappointment in his eyes.
"We gave you the world, and you turned against us. Do you honestly think you can fight the Su Clan?"
Su Vaen's hand tightened on his sword. He glared at them down, his voice even.
"I don't think—I know."
The final battle had begun.