Mei Kingdom, South East border.

A stretch of wilderness ungoverned and uninhabited by humans.

Two people were currently running through this thick forest at full speed. They were covered in wounds, both shallow and deep.

*Huff*

*Huff*

"Run!" the one at the back shouted. He was in relatively better condition than the one in the front, who had a 4 inch wide cut along his abdomen, leaking greenish blood everywhere.

*Huff*

*Huff*

"Faster! They're right behind us Eighth brother!" Jun yelled again as he fired a volley of dark red arrows at the twenty plus people chasing them.

"Y-Yeah," eighth replied absentmindedly.

Behind them the arrows intertwined with one another in mid-air and turned into a flaming web that set everything it touched ablaze.

A wave of red flames surged into the air, blocking their pursuers.

"Quick! Go around it, don't let them get away again!" one of them shouted and they dispersed in different directions, trying to find a way through.

If Hao Xuan were here he would immediately recognize the two that were being chased. The one in the front was the eighth brother, the slightly chubby one that didn't interact with him a lot. And the one behind was the teenager named Jun, the Sixth brother.

"There, along the sides of the gulley! They won't be able to catch our scent through the water," Jun pointed towards a certain direction.

Eighth was already tired and had lost too much blood so he could barely keep his eyes open. He followed Jun's orders and jumped straight into a fast-flowing stream of water that was cutting through the forest.

Jun jumped in right after and swam up to him swiftly, grabbing Eighth's collar and pulling him to the side. They stayed in the water for five minutes or so. The water flow was becoming too much to handle. The gulley started widening and became deeper and even faster.

Because of Eight's open wound, several small beasts came up to them but were killed by Jun's arrows. But there was no end to them and the longer they stayed in the water, the higher the chances that a stronger beast would find them.

"Let's get out here Eighth brother," Jun pointed at a small cliff a few meters above the water level. Eighth barely had any strength left but he still managed to grab ahold of a rock and pulled himself up just enough that Jun could pull him the rest of the way.

Jun laid back against the wet rock wall, breathing heavily.

"I think...I think we should be safe here for a little bit," he mumbled.

There was a 6 inch long cut on his left shoulder that started bleeding profusely, spilling bright red blood everywhere.

"Hehe, this one's going to leave a mark," he chuckled and took out a needle and a thread and started sowing himself up.

"Who would have thought...that I would be...using these mortal tools...one day...eh?" he mumbled jokingly while closing the wound.

Eighth propped himself up against the wall and examined his own wound as well. He scoffed after one look. It was turning green and grey, clearly infected and the poison didn't help either.

'That whore...I knew we shouldn't have trusted her from day one...' he cursed inwardly before closing his eyes.

At this speed they were still several days away from their destination. They had no healing potions, no elixirs, no magical ointments that could save his life. This was the end...unless

He took in a deep breath and stabilized his breathing before looking towards Jun.

"Sixth brother, come here," he gestured with his eyes.

With a grunt, Jun got up and slowly waddled over. Now that they had time to relax in a relatively safe place, all the pain and exhaustion was hitting him head-on but he still didn't let it show.

He was the youngest of the group and because of that everyone treated him like they would their own younger brother. He was taken care of and protected much more so than others and now it was his time to care for one of his older brothers.

Eighth reached into his shirt and took out a spirit band.

"Take this. Go straight west from here, don't follow the river," he said while handing it over to Jun.

"The sun should be at your back no matter what. Keep running until you come upon a gorge hidden between two black mountains. But don't go inside. Instea-"

"Eighth brother what are you talking about? I can't leave you here!" Jun abruptly cut in when he realized that he was telling him to go alone.

Eighth grinned and lightly slapped Jun's face.

"Don't worry, I won't die so quickly, but I can't walk anymore either. The poison has seeped in too deep. I have to focus on forcefully suppressing it until you bring back help. Now listen carefully. When you stand in front of the entrance of the gorge, you will see a statue on the right side. Wait until nightfall. When the sun has set completely, kowtow three times and repeat these words verbatim."

Eighth cleared his throat. A respectful expression adorned his pale face as he recalled the words.

"When the shield is broken and the sword bent. With the light corrupted and darkness invincible, I yield myself to the oldest of codes. All shall kneel before the purest of thrones."

Eighth patted Jun on the back, "Keep repeating those words until they show themselves. Then ask to see First and they will take you to him."

"They? First brother? What does he have to do with this?" Jun asked worriedly.

Eighth laughed, "Don't worry, he will explain everything. Go now, time is of the essence, quick! Oh, and place this below the statue when you're done," Eighth broke the bronze pendant from around his neck and gave it to him.

Jun offered to carry him but Eighth declined.

"Stop wasting time, I can't stay like this for too long now!" he said in mock anger.

Jun was not completely convinced that this was the right thing to do but Eighth said he would understand once he got there.

Albeit unwillingly, he still followed Eighth's instructions and departed.

Eighth sat cross-legged, circulating his Qi and spitting out the black blood every few minutes. A full hour passed like this before he opened his eyes again and looked towards the river. There was a person standing on the turbulent water looking right at him.

He blinked once and the person disappeared and reappeared in front of him just a few meters away.

It was a girl. Red hair like an autumn sunset, pale white skin that hadn't seen the light of day in ages and a face so beautiful that it could make a man's heart stop.

She stared at Eighth for a few seconds with a somewhat troubled expression before muttering, "Why run when you know how it ends?"

Eighth smirked, "Why live when you're going to die anyway?"

She shook her head confidently, "Not everyone has to die. You can live as long as the stars if you so wish."

Eighth burst out laughing, spilling even more blood from his wound.

"At what cost? By being their bitch for the rest of eternity? I'd rather live a short, meaningful life than become like you," he finished by spitting at her feet.

She nodded, "So be it."

As she extended her hands, a pair of crystal-like blue daggers appeared in her grasp.

Eighth's smile widened looking at the weapons.

"Those are the prettiest things about you," he mumbled and raised both his hands as well, mimicking her movements.

But no weapon appeared in his grasp.

The girl's expression turned ugly as flew towards him like a rocket upon realizing what he was trying to do. Even though they were just meters apart, she couldn't get to him in time.

Eighth's helpless smile turned vicious as he closed his eyes before snapping both his fingers.

"From dust...to dust."

*Snap*x2

*BOOOOOOOM*

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