The mist ahead began to thin as Jin Yu rode higher, the slope leveling into a wide plateau nestled between the jagged peaks.

  A sharp breeze swept through, lifting strands of his hair and whistling past his ears like warning whispers.

  Then he saw it, clear and unmistakable.

  A stretch of civilization.

  Vast, yet secluded. Tucked like a secret between the mountains. It wasn’t a city. Not quite. But it was larger than a town. Rows of buildings sprawled out like roots clinging to the earth, uneven and chaotically arranged.

  There were no walls. No gates. Just unorganized growth.

  Jin Yu narrowed his eyes.

  The place was alive, but not in the way Jadeleaf City had been.

  Where Jadeleaf had been bathed in the soft glow of harmony, its buildings wrapped in wood-imbued artistry and flowing architecture, this place seemed... starved. Colorless. Like a wound carved into the land.

  Dark stone made up most of the structures. Black wood and burnt clay roofs slouched atop one another. The buildings looked like they had grown not from nature, but in spite of it.

  There was no symmetry. No beauty. Just survival.

  And yet... people were there.

  He could see them from this distance, small shapes walking crooked streets. Smoke curled from crooked chimneys. Lanterns hung on tilted posts, flickering even though night hadn't yet arrived.

  But what truly made the hairs on his neck rise was the air.

  It didn’t reek of death or blood. No, it was far subtler.

  It smelled like rot wrapped in perfume.

  A place that pretended to be normal. Functioning. Civil.

  But Jin Yu could feel it. The Qi here... it was crooked. Chaotic.

  There was no pressure, no order.

  Just raw, unchecked ambition. And greed.

  A land where laws didn’t apply, not because they were broken, but because they never existed to begin with.

  He slowed his horse at the edge of the cliff path overlooking the region.

  "This isn’t just off the beaten path," he murmured. "It’s outside the world."

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Something about it reminded him of a Wolf in sheep’s skin. From afar, it gave the illusion of peace. But up close... it bared fangs.

  Jadeleaf had been a cradle, built by generations of wood-attribute cultivators who believed in harmony and growth.

  But this?

  This was a pit that fed on the strong and buried the weak.

  A place where strength was law, and cruelty was custom.

  Still, his expression didn’t waver.

  He had traveled too far.

  He had seen too much.

  Jin Yu flicked the reins.

  The stallion neighed and began descending the rocky path, hooves crunching gravel underfoot.

  As he rode closer, more details emerged.

  He saw children playing by muddy gutters. There were no laughter, just silence.

  Their eyes were hollow with faces too old for their age.

  Men sat slouched outside low taverns, eyes shaded and weapons at their sides.

  No guards. No patrols. Just a kind of understanding among those who lived there. A fragile balance held not by rules, but by unspoken threats.

  A signpost stood ahead, its writing half-burned.

  Welcome To Blackflame Reach

  The name fit.

  Jin Yu said nothing, but in his heart, he marked the place.

  Not just geographically, but morally.

  This was a place where something waited.

  Maybe not the slavers themselves. But something connected to them.

  His instincts didn’t warn him to turn back.

  They urged him forward.

  Whatever lay in the shadows of Blackflame Reach... it was something he needed to see.

  And perhaps, something that needed to see him.

  So, he continued along the dark, patchy ground, his horse's hooves echoing dully as they struck the lifeless earth.

  Though no one openly approached, he could feel eyes crawling over him from windows, corners, and rooftops.

  Many gazes.

  Some subtle, others bold.

  A few cultivators even dared to extend their spiritual sense toward him.

  Nascent Soul Realm, at least. He made a mental note without breaking stride.

  When one of the senses lingered too long, Jin Yu released a faint sliver of his Sanctum Technique’s aura.

  Instantly, they recoiled like snakes that had touched flame.

  He rode on, unfazed.

  But everything about this town felt... off.

  A man walked by with snakeskin peeling from his arms.

  An old woman watched him with bright, disturbingly youthful eyes.

  A child sat idly, his pupils entirely black, reflecting no light.

  Even a bird perched silently atop a house, its gaze sharper and more focused than any human’s.

  The place breathed death, yet pulsed with awareness.

  Jin Yu glanced down at his Golden-black robes. The fabric gleamed in stark contrast to the gray, lifeless surroundings. Here, he stood out like royalty in a graveyard.

  He was a living banner in enemy territory.

  Still, he didn’t hesitate.

  Ahead, a young boy stepped into his path, no more than fifteen, dressed plainly like a servant. His posture was unassuming, almost timid. His cultivation barely reached the initial stage of the Human Realm. Lowest of the low.

  Looking up at Jin Yu on horseback, the boy smiled gently.

  “Are you looking for something or somewhere, big brother? I can be your escort.”

  Ding!

  Hostile energy detected.

  Progress bar rising.

  Jin Yu’s eyes turned frosty as he summoned his system interface mid-saddle.

  Hostile Qi Absorbed: 43.1%... 43.2%... 43.3%

  His gaze sharpened. The smile on the boy’s face didn’t falter, but Jin Yu’s presence did.

  With a cold snort, he waved a hand from atop his horse. A blast of force followed.

  BAM! CRASH!

  The boy flew off his feet, slammed into a nearby wooden stall, and collapsed with it in a tangle of broken boards. His body hit the ground with a dull thud, motionless.

  An instant kill.

  Jin Yu didn’t even glance back. He spurred the horse forward and continued riding.

  He didn’t know where he was going yet, but in a place like this, it didn’t matter.

  This land has no law. If I want peace, then ruthless strength must be my voice.

  Faraway in Blackflame reach, in a cold, dark room, a pair of eye flickered open.

  "Amusing."

  A childlike voice rang out followed by a low chuckle.

  His naive, innocent face beaming with a faint smile.

  In another room, a young lady with an old, almost dead eyes opened her eyes and looked on absentmindedly.

  "Interesting." she muttered.

  Just like that, in many places all over Blackflame reach

  A man with a snakeskin body.....

  A woman with a black , eerie eyes...

  A man with a predatory, bird like eyes...

  Their mood brightened, like a predator seeing a prey.