He Yu arrived on the valley floor first. As he drew closer, the storm of metal grew more distinct. Unmistakable. He shared Li Heng’s certainty now. Nobody else he’d ever encountered had this spirit. And what a spirit it had become.

  A shining expanse of white sand stretched to the horizon in every direction. Above, a ball of black fire limned by a dark orange blaze glared down over the desert. It was so much like the real White Desert, but at once so different. The storm at its center was of metal—thousands upon thousands of tiny razors, churning in an unending cyclone of utter destruction. Over it all hung that familiar sense of sharp danger. More now than simple killing intent, she had grown more like Li Renshu—the weight of the lives she’d taken in the past fifteen years had stamped themselves upon her spirit, and left an indelible mark.

  For all the weight and power her Nascent Soul spirit now carried, Tan Xiaoling’s foe was clearly the stronger. When He Yu finally drew close enough to clearly see the battle with his sight rather than his qi sense, it was obvious why.

  Tan Xiaoling fought against a golden tiger. It stood as tall as Kang Zhu had, at nearly twenty feet. Although it still had the head and claws of its original form, its body had become far more human-like. It walked on its hind legs, and was built like a man, rather than a giant cat. It carried no weapons; its claws were weapon enough.

  The tiger met Tan Xiaoling blow-for-blow. An explosive flurry of her twinned dao sabers sent flashes of qi sparking into the air as iron and claw clashed. The golden tiger launched a swift kick at Tan Xiaoling, and she countered with a kick of her own. The exchange was the first time He Yu thought he’d ever seen her fight a foe capable of matching her in sheer ferocity and raw strength. It was little wonder her Golden Tiger Cultivation Law took inspiration from these beasts.

  For the briefest moment, she flicked her eyes—now twin pools of molten gold—to He Yu. In that instant, understanding passed between them. She saw him. She recognized him. And she would accept his help.

  A storm broke over the valley. The churning black mass of clouds covered the burning sun, and a torrent drenched the barren white sands. Heaven’s wrath descended to earth in a wall of sparking gold. An instant later came the others. The shadow, the mountain, and the winter moon. The four of them joined the tiger of the White Desert, and once again, the five fought together.

  Much like Tan Xiaoling herself, the middle Nascent Soul golden tiger fought beyond its advancement. When confronted with four new opponents, it didn’t shrink back. It didn’t run.

  Instead, it roared.

  The thunderous sound of the roar froze He Yu in place. He cycled everything he could into the Empyrean Ninefold Body Tempering, just to get moving again. It was the same technique the Third Realm tiger had used in the western wilds all those years ago, but this time powered by an awakened beast of the Nascent Soul stage.

  In the space where the tiger’s technique pressed down on the battlefield, the tiger attacked. A punch, a kick, a swipe of its claws. Tan Xiaoling matched each blow, catching one after the other on the edge of her sabers. Still, it pushed her back. When finally the tiger’s roar grew light enough for He Yu to once again move, he shot forward on the Sky Dragon’s Flight.

  Li Heng arrived first. Appearing behind the golden tiger in a burst of frost, snow, and moonlight, he held his jian poised to strike already. The blade turned to mist, and he swung. Five black scars opened on the world, the five frozen wounds of the Darkmoon Strife. The tiger turned. It counterattacked with a powerful strike shining with qi, even as the blackness of frostbite crept over its hide.

  Moonlight flashed as Li Heng caught the strike with the edge of his jian. Rather than spin away to create distance as he often did when deflecting blows this powerful, he stood firm. The frost that lined the hems of his robes, and the cuffs of his collar and sleeves covered him in an instant. Crystalline fingers of hoarfrost crept across the ground, radiating out from where he stood. Any scrap of shrub by his feet withered and died under the unnatural return of winter. Even his skin took on a slight bluish tinge as the cold closed its grip on the world.

  From behind the golden tiger, Tan Xiaoling struck. The massive, burning spear of her Mark of the Dark Sun flew true, and Tan Xiaoling herself burst through the explosion of fire qi. Her paired dao bit deep into the tiger’s golden fur. An instant later, Li Heng’s jian found its mark. Golden flame coursed down the tiger’s arm, swirling around its claws as it countered. A formation barrier flashed into place. Silver and gold qi burst away from the impact. Powered by Chen Fei’s advancement to Nascent Soul, the barrier held.

  He Yu sent a streaming mass of lightning out from his guandao, carrying the power of Heaven’s Descending Blade on a formation of the Rushing Wind. Yan Shirong stepped out of the shadows, spraying countless spikes with his Myriad Black Thorns technique, while also sending hundreds of poison-tipped daggers into the beast’s hide.

  As strong as the golden tiger may be, it couldn’t stand against five cultivators of the Nascent Soul for long. When the beast finally fell beneath Tan Xiaoling’s paired dao, its spirit guttering out in a flare of fire qi, she raised her chin to the others in acknowledgment.

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  “Impeccable timing,” she said, one corner of her mouth creeping up in her familiar half smirk. She sent her sabers back to her storage treasure. “Now, what are you doing here?”

  While He Yu and the others took turns filling her in on their journey, she set about to harvesting the golden tiger’s corpse. He Yu should have figured she’d have been the one to instigate the battle they’d interrupted. By the time they’d recounted everything they’d learned and their reasons for seeking her out, she’d just about finished up with the tiger.

  “Well,” she began, “I’m not exactly in a position to help you right now. I need to deal with my uncle.”

  He Yu bit back his disappointment. “What’s stopping you from simply coming back later? Surely, if we can advance enough to deal with Jin Xifeng, you’ll be strong enough to handle Tan Qingsheng, right?”

  Tan Xiaoling finished packing up the parts she’d harvested from the golden tiger, saving the gleaming beast core for last. “I don’t think you fully understand my position. I fled Jade Mountain Citadel once, when I took refuge with the Shrouded Peaks Sect. After my return, I fled once again. In the eyes of most, I’ve all but given up my claim to the throne.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” He Yu asked. “By the time we’ve defeated Jin Xifeng, you could just found your own kingdom if you wanted.” Judging by the reactions from Li Heng and Yan Shirong, he’d just said something incredibly stupid.

  “The Jade Kingdom is my birthright as the only child of Tan Zihao. It’s a matter of honor.”

  He Yu pressed his lips together to keep himself from voicing all his objections. He didn’t understand, but that didn’t mean she was wrong. If she considered it a matter of honor, that would have to be good enough. “What would it take for you to help us, then?” he asked.

  “Shouldn’t that be clear? Once I’ve defeated my uncle and secured my succession, I’ll have a free hand to do what I please.”

  Tan Xiaoling motioned for them to follow as she headed down a nearby path that led into the densely packed trees on the forest floor. As they followed, she explained a bit more of the situation in the Jade Kingdom, and what had transpired in the time since she’d left.

  As they’d already learned, her departure to the south caused many in the kingdom to view her as a coward. It didn’t matter that she’d only been at peak Foundation. It didn’t matter that her uncle had already reached Nascent Soul. It certainly didn’t matter that any fight between them would have been horrifically one-sided. She’d ran, and that was all that mattered.

  In her absence, Tan Qingsheng had gotten to work. As his reputation rapidly eclipsed hers, Tan Xiaoling’s favor fell even further. Between his generosity towards the guards and the experts of outlying villages, he’d gathered quite the following of supporters.

  She’d thought to first seek an audience with her father once she returned. As much as she was focused on the threat her Tan Qingsheng posed to her personally, she also recognized what Jin Xifeng’s return meant. The Dragon Empire had long held dominion over the Jade Kingdom, but the terms were at least tolerable. There was no reason to believe the status quo would remain as such under the rule of Jin Xifeng’s avarice.

  Her uncle’s followers attacked before she’d even arrived at Jade Mountain Citadel. According to her, she’d killed a good number of them. A claim He Yu readily believed. Still, more had come, and the longer she stayed near the capital, the greater the chance her uncle would show himself. So, for a second time, she fled. For the past fifteen years, she’d been in the mountains gathering her strength.

  “We can help,” Li Heng said when she’d finished. They still walked through the densely wooded valley floor.

  Tan Xiaoling grimaced. “It’s my responsibility.”

  “Your uncle isn’t doing this by himself,” Chen Fei said. “Its only fair that you have help if he does.”

  She looked as though she was about to disagree again, but stopped herself. They walked in silence for some time. Then she said, “My uncle has advanced to Soul Refining. I’m still early Nascent Soul, and no stronger than any of you. Even with all of our strength combined, there’s no chance we could defeat him as we are now.”

  “Then we grow stronger,” He Yu said. “If we want to face Jin Xifeng, we have to reach beyond Soul Refining, anyway.”

  Tan Xiaoling shook her head and gave a quiet laugh. “I should have known you would say something like that. Alright. If you help me defeat my uncle, I’ll do what I can to convince my father to aid us. I can’t imagine he’s keen to stay loyal to the empire, given everything you’ve told me.”

  Yan Shirong’s eyes lit up at the prospect of receiving Tan Zihao’s aid. The Jade Kingdom was wealthy—surely some of that aid would come in the form of treasures and even more elixirs.

  He Yu felt a similar excitement himself, but for different reasons. Tan Zihao was a living legend. He’d reached the Eighth Realm centuries ago, and would be a significant force in the fight against Jin Xifeng. Even better was the possibility that he might do more than throw treasures at them, or aid in the battle itself. If he could impart even a fraction of his expertise, it would be a tremendous boost to their future advancement.

  “Of course,” Tan Xiaoling added as they approached a well-hidden cave entrance. “We all have a long way to go before we’re strong enough to challenge my uncle. Fortunately, we have the Jade Mountains.”

  They did have that. He Yu and the others had seen first-hand the reality of the mountains. Tan Xiaoling had been here for fifteen years, training, cultivating, and fighting. She’d reached Nascent Soul on her own—without the guidance and resources any of them had enjoyed during that same time. She’d done it only through her own strength, and through the resources and challenges the mountains provided.

  “You think we’ll be able to do it out here?” Li Heng asked.

  “With all five of us? I’m certain. The mountains are home to every kind of spirit and beast. Any we find will be more advanced than anything we could face in the south. It isn’t enough to simply sit in a cave and cultivate if one truly wants to reach the heights. One must face hardship and strife. Only by overcoming death can one truly walk the path of the immortal.”

  Her words were an echo of what Li Renshu had told them before they departed from Iron Gate City. After their journey into the mountains, and the winter they’d already spent here, He Yu could see their truth. He could sense the threshold to middle Nascent Soul ever more clearly with each passing battle. The rich qi and abundant resources of the Jade Mountains had benefited them all, now that he thought about it.

  “Alright,” He Yu said. “First, we reach Soul Refining, then we defeat your uncle.”

  Their course set, the only thing left was to cultivate and train.