The Thornwood Valley proved to be a narrow gorge carved between steep hills, its floor dotted with farming settlements that looked prosperous despite their remote location. At the mouth of the valley sat the village of Three Stones, its fields and pastures stretching back toward the shadowed depths where the spirit beasts apparently made their lair.

  "We welcome you, great warriors," said the head of Three Stones as they entered the center of the village. He was an old man named Chen Lu. "We are glad you answered our call."

  "What can you tell us about the shadow wolves?" asked Hou, getting straight to business.

  "They have been showing themselves here for about two months,” Chen Lu’s expression grew troubled. “First, we lost some livestock from the outskirts of the village. But now they have grown bolder. Last week, they attacked a group of loggers during daylight hours."

  "Did anyone die?" Tian asked.

  "No one died. Two loggers were seriously hurt, however. The pack appears to want to scare us away instead of killing us, which is unlike most spirit beasts we have encountered,"

  Hou and Tian exchanged glances.

  It was common for wild animals to show territorial behavior, but low-level spirit beasts were different. They were smarter, they would usually attack under the cover of the night, and no corpse or evidence of their presence would be found. It was rare for them to try to intimidate others as survivors meant reinforcements.

  "Can you show us where the attacks happened?" Hou asked, pulling out a map of the valley.

  Chen Lu pointed to multiple areas along the east side of the valley, near where the terrain changed from gentle slopes to sharp ridges. "That's where the abandoned mine has been for decades. Most of the attacks seem to come from that general area," he explained.

  Once Hou and Tian had gathered all the information regarding the frequency of attacks, the number of wolves, and the exact timing, they prepared for their trip. From what they knew, their mission should be simple: Track down the pack to their den, figure out why they were behaving aggressively, and either persuade them to leave the area or kill them if negotiations failed.

  "That's the basic plan," Hou said as they reviewed their gear the next day. "Send scouts ahead to locate the pack's leaders, gather intel on their abilities, and then figure out how to proceed."

  Tian nodded, although something about the situation didn’t feel right.

  Over the course of five years, experience had shown Tian to rely upon his intuition, even when he couldn’t explain his feelings logically.

  The abandoned mine sat in a natural bowl-shaped depression surrounded by steep hills dotted with cave entrances. There was a lot of wreckage from old equipment and ruined buildings that would provide excellent cover for the wolves but make it difficult for them to fight if needed.

  So, the two approached cautiously, using the cover to observe without revealing themselves.

  "Hmm...there," Hou whispered as he pointed to a group of dark shapes near the biggest cave mouth. "I count at least six adult wolves. More are probably inside."

  The shadow wolves were magnificent creatures, the size of large horses, yet moved with a fluidity that seemed to warp light around their bodies. Their cultivation was at least in the Lucid Novice range, as Master Jian had guessed, but something about their actions seemed odd to Tian.

  "They are organized," he mumbled. "Look at their positions. That's not random pack behavior; they're maintaining a defensive position."

  Hou took a closer look at the situation. "You're right," Hou agreed. "And take a look at the way they keep looking at that central cave. They are protecting something specific."

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  Just as they were about to explore the area more thoroughly, everything went wrong at once.

  A tearing sound filled the air as space seemed to rip apart near the cave entrance.

  A monster that radiated the spiritual pressure of a Dream Architect stepped through the dimensional tear. The being shifted between the shape of a wolf and something much older and far more terrifying.

  "Demon," Hou breathed, his face turning white. "That’s not a spirit beast. That’s a real demon."

  As soon as the new arrival appeared, the shadow wolves immediately fell to their bellies and bowed their heads in submission.

  “So, the humans finally sent some warriors to investigate,” the demon’s gaze landed directly on their hidden position. “Step out, little swords, let’s see what kind of courage you have.”

  Since they had already been detected, Tian and Hou were forced to emerge from their hiding place. With weapons in hand, they prepared to defend themselves against an enemy that would likely not be defeated through standard means.

  "You're trespassing in human territory," Hou called out, his voice steady despite the hopelessness of their situation. "If you leave now then we won't have to report your presence to the local sects."

  “Who should I be afraid of, little warrior?” the demon laughed. “Should I fear the Jade Moon Sect, whose monks I ate last month? Or should I fear the Iron Cloud Academy, whose elder members ran away when they realized I had awakened?”

  Tian felt terror creeping up his spine as he realized that this wasn’t an invasion by chance; this was a strategic removal of the regional defenses. It was possible that the shadow wolves had been chased from their original territory by the demon, which would explain their unusual behavior.

  “Run,” Tian whispered to Hou. “Go back to Master Jian and warn him about this.”

  “Not without you!”

  “This isn’t a debate,” Tian insisted. “You’re faster than me, and one of us has to—”

  The demon quickly covered the distance between the two of them.

  Tian didn’t have enough time to raise his sword before the demon’s claws, as long as a dinner knife, tore across his chest, sending him crashing to the rubble of a collapsed building.

  Severe pain washed over Tian’s body as broken rock and dirt cut into his back and arms. Blood filled his mouth, and his eyes blurred as shock set in. Through the haze, he could hear Hou screaming his name and the clash of steel on something much harder.

  Then the jade pendant that Tian’s father gave him activated.

  Bright light poured forth from the jade disc against his chest, and it seemed as if the very air around him crystallized. The demon’s follow-up attack struck what felt like solid diamond and slid off the newly formed barriers.

  “Fascinating,” the demon said, encircling the protective shell that had materialized around Tian. “You must be somebody important, perhaps you’ll be more valuable alive than dead.”

  However, as the light intensified, the demon’s curiosity rapidly turned into genuine concern. This wasn’t merely a defensive barrier; this was the early stages of a peak-level dream cultivation manifestation.

  The spiritual entity that emerged from the pendant was translucent and undeniably real. Tianming appeared as he had been at the peak of his power: towering, powerful, and projecting the type of presence that made reality itself seem malleable.

  “You shall not harm my son,” Tianming’s manifestation declared.

  The battle that followed drastically altered every notion Tian held regarding power.

  When the demon appeared behind Tianming in a flash of red, its claws striking the manifestation’s neck, the attack passed through it as though there was no enemy there to hit. Its eyes widened and it quickly realised it was thoroughly outmatched, but when it tried to escape, it found that the ideas of “away” and “fleeing” had been temporarily redefined to not apply to it.

  Tian who had read the advanced cultivation manuals understood what that meant: this wasn’t mere Oneiric Sovereign power; this was the power of Law.

  Tianming looked down at the demon as though it was nothing but an insect.

  With a casual wave of his hand, the demon’s body began to unravel.

  It screamed in agony as its existence was erased.

  “Father,” Tian whispered.

  Tianming’s ghostly image knelt beside Tian, and for a brief moment, the manifestation’s face conveyed all the love and concern that the real man harbored. “You’re safe now,” he said, “but this was meant to be your last resort, Tian. I won’t be able to protect you anymore.”

  “Father, I’m sorry,” Tian said, as he strained to sit up, his injuries already starting to heal due to the pendant’s remaining energy. It was only now did he realise what his father truly sacrificed. “Sorry about everything. Sorry for the cost of my birth, sorry for not being able to cultivate, sorry for being a burden—”

  “Enough,” Tianming’s ghostly form touched his son’s shoulder, the contact somehow conveyed immense power and limitless tenderness. “You’re the greatest thing your mother and I have achieved. Don’t ever forget that. Don’t ever apologise for existing.”

  The manifestation began to fade as the stored energy in the pendant exhausted itself.

  “Follow your own path,” Tianming whispered, “it might not be the one anyone else expects, but it will be your own.”

  And then he was gone.

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