“AAARGH!”

The blood curdling scream sounded throughout the forest and into Akata’s ears. The scream didn’t come from Peizhi Xiuying but instead in the direction he was about to punch in. His eyes went wide as he noticed a vine going through the forest.

As the vine was being pulled in blood could be seen dripping off of it and onto the ground. At the end of the vine a limp body could be seen. The vine had completely impaled the person. It probably happened so fast the person didn’t even realize it happened until they felt it.

“Drain.” Peizhi Xiuying said in a cold voice. Akata felt a chill run down his spine when he heard it. He froze in place not daring to move an inch from where he was standing. He could see the white flowers on the vine becoming red. He could see the body on the vine losing its color and becoming white. Then it turned into dust and drifted with the wind, never to be seen again.

Akata’s body went cold and he managed to turn his head slightly to catch a glimpse of Peizhi Xiuying flashing an incantation gesture. The aura around her was cold and the vine reacted to that coldness by becoming more ruthless and savage.

“Peizhi… Xiuying.” Akata managed to squeeze out. She turned her head to face him. When he saw her he didn’t know what to think. Her eyes were as cold as ice yet she held a smile as warm as the sun’s rays.

“Don’t worry Akata I’ll definitely protect you no matter what. If anyone dares to hurt you I’ll beat them to a pulp. However if anyone dares to try and kill you…” She paused her sentence and then began again. “... I won’t show any mercy.” Her last few words grew cold again as she pointed in another direction. “Five Elements: Metal.”

The Grand Life Vine hardened and turned golden as it flew in the direction of her finger. Immediately after that another scream could be heard following that. “Drain.” She said coldly afterwards.

Akata wasn’t against killing the people, in fact he had planned to do the same thing. If someone wanted him dead then he would kill them first. But what he was surprised about was the fact that Peizhi Xiuying was killing these people in order to protect him.

He stood in shock watching Peizhi Xiuying kill one person after another just to protect him. Eventually his mind calmed down and he regained his composure.

When he did he heard a voice call out in the distance. “You’re Akata right? While I have nothing against you, my superiors do. It’s unfortunate that you had to piss them off in some way, now I have to kill you. It seems that that girl is doing her best to protect you however. Tsk tsk. Shame that she is killing my subordinates so she has to go as well.” When the voice ended a sharp piercing sound could be heard approaching.

Akata’s eyes went wide and he unconsciously began to run towards Peizhi Xiuying. He didn’t know why but he was desperate to get to her in time. But it was too late. A golden blade pierced right through her back and out he chest as it landed in the ground in front of her.

Time seemed to slow down for Akata as he watched Peizhi Xiuying look at the blade, touch her wound, and fall to the ground with a ‘thump’ before he was at her side. He held onto her tightly as the blood from her wound turned her white furs red.

She looked at him deeply, her eyes no longer cold and merciless. She gave a sweet smile towards him. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you longer, Akata.” She coughed up a mouthful of blood. “This is goodbye. I’m happy I got to meet you in this life.” Blood oozed out of the corners of her mouth as she spoke.

“Peizhi Xiuying! What are you saying?! Stay with me! Stay with me!” Tears streaming down his face he cried out. “Don’t you dare die on me! I’ll heal you just tell me how! You said you were going to protect me! How can you do that if you are gone?! I promised to not let anything happen to you, so how am I supposed to keep that?!”

Even as he spoke her body grew cold, no longer moving. She died with a smile on her face and her furs crimson red. Akata cried out, screaming, as the tears washed away the blood on her face. It made her pale skin sparkle in the moonlight.

“Now now stop with all that crying, you’re about to be with her soon.” A black robed figure appeared in front of Akata about five meters away. “Since you’re that bent on protecting her then you can both protect each other in the next life.” The man’s voice boomed out as he dashed towards Akata flashing an incantation gesture. “Skyline Blade.”

Akata couldn’t hear a word the man was saying though as his mind was lost. Emotions swelled up inside him, anger, depression, melancholy, love, compassion. All of it surfaced in his mind as he held onto Peizhi Xiuying’s body. When he felt the man approaching her body he completely lost control of himself.

“STAY. AWAY. FROM. HER!” He spoke one word at a time. Each word he said caused his energy to rise and his killing intent to rise to unknown levels. His pupils became slits and his eyes glowed with crimson and gold.

He picked his head up to look at the approaching man in the eyes. The black robed man felt his entire body go numb from that look. Akata’s eyes were so cold it froze his body mid stride. Sweat formed on his forehead and soon his body was soaked in it. He couldn’t believe that a single look from this person could make him so terrified.

“Just… just what kind of person did they send me after? He’s clearly only at the 3rd Grade but he’s making me, someone at the 4th Grade, sweat in fear?” At the thought of this the black robed man shook his head. “Preposterous! No trifling 3rd Grade Mortal Rank cultivator is going to get the best of me. Prepare yourself boy. I’ll make this quick and easy for you.”

The black robed man then began to charge back in towards Akata. Akata on the other hand yelled out, “I SAID STAY AWAY FROM HER!” His yell sent out a blast of energy that pushed back the black robed man. The area five meters around Akata became a crater as only he and Peizhi Xiuying could be seen within.

He slowly and softly put her down and coldly looked at the black robed man. The black robed man felt a chill and then flashed an incantation gesture. “Skyline Blade!” He pointed at Akata and a golden blade was sent flying in his direction.

Akata was glowing with red and golden light. As the blade approached, Akata reached his hand out and waved it in the air. The movement of his hand generated a wind that pushed the blade aside sending it in another direction. As the blade went in a different direction it cut through multiple trees until it hit a rock and disintegrated it.

Before the man could react to his attack being pushed back by wind created from a Grade 3 cultivator, Akata was standing in front of him with a cold look in his eyes. The man tried to jump back but Akata was too fast and grabbed him by the throat.

Akata looked coldly into his eyes and spoke his words clearly. “You killed Peizhi Xiuying without any hesitation right? Well… I’m hesitating whether or not I should kill you.” As he spoke his eyes flashed with red and gold along with his body.

The black robed man tried to struggle but couldn’t free himself no matter what he tried. ‘I can’t get free from the grasp of a Grade 3 cultivator? Just what kind of person is this?’ He was beyond scared now as he faced Akata.

Akata looked at the man trying to struggle. “No need for you to struggle. I wasn’t hesitating on the fact on whether I should kill you or not, but whether I should kill you now or later.” Akata paused for a moment and then continued on. “I’ve decided it should be later.” With that his hand that was holding the throat of the man glowed with a bright red and gold.

The black robed man let out a blood curdling scream. “AAHHH!” He felt as if a rock was forming inside of his arm, that it wanted to burst out. And it did. His arm stretched from the inside and soon his arm blasted apart with pieces of flesh flying around. In place of his arm could be seen an illusory rock the size of a fist.

Akata held a cold gaze in his eyes as he looked on at the black robed man screaming in agony and intense pain. He didn’t bat an eye or look away but instead studied his facial expressions closely. “Eh? What’s wrong? I went through more pain than this before.” His voice was cold and merciless as his hand glowed once more with a golden light.

The black robed man’s left leg exploded soon after to be replaced by an illusory rock. Another scream was bellowed out by the black robed man. The scream echoed throughout the forest making the other cultivators retreat at top speed.

“Just what is going on?!”

“That’s Jimin Fui screaming like that! Who could make him do that?!”

“He’s at the 4th Grade of the Mortal Rank! We were only sent after a trifling 3rd Grade, were… were we set up or something?!”

Their cries rang out in the forest and into Akata’s ears. Suddenly a cold smile could be seen forming on his face. “So that’s where you all are.” His smile was sinister and malicious. It made Jimin Fui’s body freeze over and forget the pain that he was feeling.

Akata threw Jimin Fui’s body down into the ground where he coughed up multiple mouthfuls of blood. His fist was golden and red as he pulled his arm back. An illusory rock could be seen forming in front of his fist. He aimed his punch in a certain direction and threw it out. The illusory rock was thrown forward and became bigger as it flew across the forest.

After a few breaths worth of time a scream could be heard as the cultivators body was crushed into nothingness. Akata didn’t stop there but threw out a second punch, then a third, and a fourth. In a few breaths of time he threw out multiple punches and each one caused a scream to sound out.

Akata seemed to be lost in a trance as he sent his punches out over and over again. The screams he heard influenced him and made him go crazy. Eyes bloodshot he continued to punch out. Although it quickly drained him of his energy he didn’t care or seem to notice, he just kept on doing it. Eventually though a single teardrop could be seen falling off of his face.

‘This is all I can do for you Peizhi Xiuying. Once this is over I hope that it would ease your suffering.’ After about thirty breaths of time Akata stopped punching out and looked blankly at the forest ahead of him. All was silent and he closed his eyes.

His eyes snapped open again as cold as ever as he turned his attention back to Jimin Fui. He laughed out coldly and punched out, sending a blast toward the ground and creating a crater. Jimin Fui was long gone only his bloodstains remained.

“He was at the 4th Grade of the Mortal Rank of course he had a way of escaping once I let him go. Tsk. Next time I meet him he'll definitely die a horrific death.” Akata surveyed the land one more and then made his way to Peizhi Xiuying’s body.

He knelt down and stayed that way for a bit of time before picking her up and walking toward the sect. On the way he could be heard murmuring the same words repeatedly. “I'm so sorry.”