Chapter 312: Union Leader Bai Ruolan
The dark forest fell dead silent once more, save for the crackle of distant embers rising from Crimson Iron City and the rustle of leaves in the night wind.
Peng Kai sat frozen against the stone cliff for several breaths, staring at the empty space where Shen Yu had stood just a moment prior.
The lingering pressure of those burning red eyes still weighed heavily on his soul, freezing the marrow in his bones far more than the Imperial Herald’s golden light ever had.
Clenching his teeth against the fading sting in his ribs, Peng Kai reached down with trembling, blood-caked fingers.
He grabbed the sheepskin map and pulled the heavy, black leather-bound manual to his chest.
The book pulsed with a faint, familiar demonic Qi, the second half of the devilish technique that had granted him his Nascent Soul breakthrough.
"The Dark Moon Empire..." Peng Kai muttered, his voice a raspy whisper as he traced the ink-drawn border paths on the map.
"A sanctuary for demons, outcast sects, and rogue cultivators..."
He knew why ’Master’ was sending him there.
In the Crimson Lotus Empire, every high-tier magistrate, imperial hound, and orthodox elder would be scouring the southern provinces for his head.
But across the border, in the lawless badlands of the Dark Moon Empire, a Nascent Soul demonic cultivator wouldn’t be hunted, he would be feared.
Carefully stashing the manual and map into his spatial ring, Peng Kai closed his eyes and began regulating his breathing.
The medicinal current of the pill Shen Yu had given him worked wonders, rapidly knitting his torn meridians and flushing out the leftover, volatile bear blood.
By the time the moon reached its zenith, he could stand once more, his muscular frame draped in ragged, blood-stained black robes.
He turned back toward Crimson Iron City one last time.
Even from fifty miles away, he could see the thick pillar of black smoke billowing into the night sky, illuminated by the flickering red glow of the two-mile crater he had left behind.
A cruel, twisted smile slowly spread across his face, his dark beard catching the pale moonlight.
The Golden Cauldron Merchant Union, the arrogant bastards who had helped to destroy his clan, humiliated them, and driven him into the dirt, was shattered beyond repair.
"Enjoy the ashes, Meng De..." Peng Kai sneered, his tone dripping with schadenfreude.
"And you, Tang Clan... pray I take my time in the Dark Moon Empire."
With a low rumble of demonic Qi, Peng Kai’s body dissolved into a streak of pitch-black mist, shooting silently into the northern wilderness toward the imperial border.
Meanwhile, amidst the smoldering ruins of the Golden Cauldron Merchant Union, Bai Ruolan sat on a shattered stone step, receiving treatment from Cao Shuying.
Around them, the surviving union members looked upon her with profound reverence.
To them, she was the heroine who had unhesitatingly stood her ground against the traitor Zhao Tianxing and the demonic monster he harbored.
The elders who survived the bloodbath were almost entirely those aligned with Bai Ruolan or those who held neutral positions, the stubborn, troublesome factions having been quietly executed by Shen Yu’s unseen blade.
Now, every single eye in the courtyard looked to Bai Ruolan as the sole beacon capable of guiding the union out of absolute ruin.
As her bandaged wounds stabilized, Bai Ruolan struggled to her feet.
Cao Shuying reached out to support her arm, and Bai Ruolan offered a weak, deeply grateful smile and a nod of appreciation.
Nearby, the Imperial Herald descended from the sky, his golden-armored figure landing quietly at the edge of the courtyard.
Bai Ruolan offered him a respectful, formal bow, which the Herald acknowledged with a stern yet approving nod.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, Bai Ruolan stepped onto a raised pile of fallen marble.
Her clear, blue eyes swept over the bloodied disciples, battered elders, and grieving survivors, shimmering with a powerful blend of sorrow, determination, and unyielding hope.
"Brothers, sisters, elders of the Golden Cauldron..." her voice began, trembling slightly at first before swelling with fierce, resounding resolve that carried across the quiet crater.
"Today, darkness struck at our very heart. We lost our Union Chief, our brothers, our home, and our pride. We were betrayed from within by those we trusted, and crushed from above by an unspeakable evil!"
She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat as tears glinted in her eyes, though her posture remained straight as a drawn blade.
"They sought to slaughter us. They sought to shatter our legacy and leave us cowering in the ashes! But look around you! We are still breathing! The Golden Cauldron is not built of stone and marble, it is built upon us! As long as a single one of us stands, our union will never fall!"
She raised her blood-stained hand, clenching it into a tight fist against her chest.
"We will mourn our fallen, we will hunt down the traitors, and from these very ashes, we will rebuild a union stronger, purer, and more unyielding than ever before! I swear it upon my cultivation!"
Silence hung in the air for a single heartbeat before a wave of raw emotion surged through the crowd.
One by one, the surviving elders dropped to one knee.
Following their lead, every single union disciple, guard, and craftsman collapsed onto a knee, bowing their heads in unified allegiance.
"WE SALUTE THE UNION LEADER!" their voices echoed in thunderous unison across the ruined estate.
"WE FOLLOW UNION LEADER BAI!"
Watching the scene from the side, the Imperial Herald stroked his white goatee, a glimmer of genuine approval flashing in his dark eyes.
’Fierce resolve, sharp instincts, and absolute charisma. A fine leader for a crippled giant.’
Once the crowd dispersed to tend to the wounded and clear the debris, the Imperial Herald approached Bai Ruolan directly.
After a brief, formal debrief regarding the details of Zhao Tianxing’s betrayal and Peng Kai’s assault, the Herald made an official decree.
"Given the severity of this demonic threat and the state of the city’s primary merchant body," the Herald announced loudly, his voice echoing over the district, "the Imperial Competition shall be officially postponed for one week. Focus on securing your borders and honoring your dead."
With those final words, the Herald transformed into a streak of blinding golden light, shooting back through the clouds toward the City Lord’s mansion to send the news to the capital.
-x-
A/N:
Weekly PS: 59 / 80
Monthly GT: 24 / 30