Jin Kai staggered forward, his robes was torn and soaked in crimson, every step felt extremely heavy. The forest around him was filled with immense danger, but it was nothing compared to the betrayal he felt.
"I thought we were brothers…" he muttered in a trembling voice.
Just a few hours ago, he was standing shoulder to shoulder with his fellow disciples — Yan Zhi, Liang Feng, and Mei Ling — sent on a joint mission by the Azure Sky Sword Sect. It was supposed to be a simple beast extermination mission. A test for outer disciples. A chance to prove himself to the sect.
Instead, it was an execution.
Jin Kai collapsed to his knees, coughing blood. His dantian was shattered. His meridians were torn. The sword in his hand clattered to the ground, it had been destroyed in the fight and was now useless.
A shadow stepped forward, it's boots crunching the dry leaves.
"You should've stayed in your place, Jin Kai." Yan Zhi's smug voice cut through the silence like a blade. "You were starting to shine too brightly."
Mei Ling's face appeared next from behind, she looked beautiful and cold. "You were never meant to reach the inner sect. Elder Xu doesn't like loose ends."
Jin Kai clenched his fists, but could no longer feel his limbs. The pain was overwhelming due to the fact that his cultivation was gone.
Liang Feng beside the duo also gave a mocking bow. "Take this as a lesson, brother. In the Azure Sky Sword Sect, talent without backing means nothing."
Yan Zhi raised his hand and flicked his fingers. Immediately Earth essence surged as the three summoned their qi and a dark pit opened behind Jin Kai.
This was his grave.
They weren't even going to kill him cleanly. They didn't want the sect to use any means to track his death back to them.
"You'll die alone, buried beneath the dirt like the dog you are," Yan Zhi whispered as he fiercely kicked Jin Kai into the pit.
Jin Kai immediately fell into darkness, soon after the grave began to close up, the weight of the soil pressed in on him from all sides, crushing and choking him. Jin Kai's screams were silent in the suffocating earth. His mind reeled as he thought rapidly, he was looking for a way to escape this calamity.
Is this how I die?
Crippled, betrayed and buried alive like a garbage? Jin Kai was unresigned to such kind of death, however his breath slowed down rapidly and his heartbeat weakened. His consciousness was slowly blurring out. Even though he still wanted to live and challenge the immortal path, he could only succumb to death.
Until—
Ding.
[System Initialization: Heaven-Slaying Sword Detected… Binding Host.]
Jin Kai's fading soul rapidly stirred as mysterious changes were happening to him.
[Host selected: Jin Kai.]
[Wounds critical. Dantian shattered. Soul destabilized.]
[System will anchor host's soul with "Blood Contract." Continue?]
(Y/N)
Although his thoughts were extremely faint, he knew this was his chance at survival, so without hesitation he immediately shouted 'yes' in his mind.
[Blood Contract confirmed. Host's soul linked.]
[First Sword Path Unlocked: Ash-Born Blade]
Heat surged through his broken body. It wasn't of warmth but of fury! Soon after another message resounded.
[System Mission: Survive and slay your betrayers.]
After the voice resounded in Jin kai's mind there was silence. Yan zhi and the others had already returned to the sect after confirming that he was dead.
---
However at this moment, within the pitch black Soil, jin Kai was gritting his teeth, the force was pressing in all sides threatening to crush his limbs, yet he struggled to move.
Jin Kai clenched his right fist.
Crack.
The bones in his hand realigned. He could feel that the heaven-slaying sword system was slowly reattaching his limbs, however as long as he remained in the grave, he was doomed to be crushed once again.
Unwilling to face such cruel fate again jin Kai roared and drove his fist upward. Dirt fell and multiple roots cracked. Inch by inch, he slowly clawed toward the surface, blood leaking from his mouth, thankfully, due to the healing process of the system the pain was dulled.
Jin Kai continued to claw his way out, He wouldn't die.
Not like this.
---
Somewhere near dawn…
The earth burst open and a bloodied hand emerged from the a patchment of thick black soil. Soon after a face followed.
Jin Kai dragged himself free, coughing violently. His breathing was haggard. Even though it wasn't easy, he finally came out of the grave.
He stood weakly. His robe was in tatters, and his sword was gone. His cultivation base was still shattered, but—
[System Notice: "Ash-Born Blade" Technique available.]
[1 Sword Point acquired for surviving death.]
He didn't know what a sword point meant yet but he had no time to ponder on it for now.
He limped to a nearby stream. His reflection stared back at him, his face was Pale and his eyes were sunken, not dwelling in his appearance much, he found a spot nearby and collapse weakly to the ground, he felt extremely exhausted.
---
Later that night…
Jin Kai found a rusted blade from an abandoned hunter's shack deep in the forest. It was barely a sword, filled with dents and rust, but he felt it would do.
[System Prompt: Weapon identified.]
[Binding temporary vessel… complete.]
He swung it experimentally. Despite the lack of qi, his movements felt sharper. However just as he was swinging the blade he heard voices coming from nearby.
'bandits' a word immediately appeared in his mind. He hid and stared at them. There were Three of them, armed with knives and axe, dragging a tied-up merchant girl through the woods.
"Let's have some fun before we sell her."
Just as he was pondering if he should escape the notification panel in front of him flashed.
[New Mission: First Kill – "Unsheathe the Blade."]
[Reward: +5 Sword Points. Unlock Skill – Shadow-Cleave.]
Jin Kai immediately crouched even deeper behind a thicket, his eyes narrowed as he watched the three bandits swagger along a dirt trail.
Jin Kai's grip tightened around the rusted sword in his hand. He eyed the three like a predator and waited for them to approach his direction, as soon as they did he exhaled once, then moved.
Even though he no longer had his cultivation, he was once a cultivator and his physical strength wasn't something mortals like the bandits could compare to.
Immediately Jin Kai moved the tall bandit turned just in time to see him burst from the underbrush.
"What the—" he was about to way, unfortunately it was too late.
SHLICK.
The rusted sword carved through flesh and bone in a single brutal arc. Blood sprayed into the air as the tall bandit's neck split open, the head turning unnaturally to the side before tumbling to the dirt.
The other two froze immediately, they were horrified, but it took a moment for them to regain their composiure.
"Kill him!" the scarred one shouted, lunging forward with his saber.
Jin Kai didn't parry. He stepped forward twisting his body at the last second. The blade grazed his shoulder, slicing flesh—but Jin Kai barely flinched. His eyes locked on the attacker, and with a growl, he slammed his forehead into the bandit's nose.
CRACK.
The man screamed, reeling back.
Jin Kai reversed his grip, spinning the sword low. The tip tore through the bandit's gut, and he yanked upward.
Guts spilled and blood soaked the earth.
'two down' he counted.
Upon seeing this development, the last bandit turned around to flee, panic flooding across his face. "Monster! Stay away!"
Jin Kai's breathing was calm, and steady.
The sword suddenly felt lighter in his hand.
Jin Kai raised the blade and increased his speed to the maximum, in moments, his figure appeared beside the bandit. The bandit's body immediately froze. Then a thin line of red split across his back.
The forest fell still once more.
Jin Kai stood over the corpses, blood dripping from his sword and the wind tousling his hair. A notification rang out as well.
[Mission Complete. 3 Targets Eliminated.]
[+5 Sword Points. Skill Acquired: Shadow-Cleave.]
[Skill Unlocked: Shadow-Cleave – A silent, instant blade technique. Usable without qi.]
[Sword Intent: 1% Awakened.]
He smiled for the first time since his betrayal. He felt he had finally understood his path.
He wouldn't beg the heavens for justice.
He would climb high enough to cut them down himself.
Let the Azure Sky Sword Sect tremble.
Jin Kai was dead.
Only a blade wanting to render the heavens asunder remained