Into the Beast's Lair
1977 Words
Yun Kai's feet pounded against the forest floor, his breath coming in controlled bursts. Behind him, the reinforcements gave chase immediately they spotted him, their voices carrying through the trees like hunting hounds closing in on prey.
"After him!"
"Don't let him escape!"
"Whoever he is, he's seen too much!"
Their cultivation bases were higher than his. He could feel it in the way their Qi signatures pressed against his senses, heavy and threatening. They were early Blood Condensation at minimum. Some even at peak Blood Condensation.
He couldn't fight them directly. But he didn't need to.
Minutes into cat and mouse chase, Yun Kai's senses picked up something else. A distinct sharp and metallic smell. It was blood. Fresh blood, but almost fading. The smell was mixed with the familiar wild musk of a predator.
The Saber-tooth Panther.
Yun Kai's lips curled into a grim smile beneath his blindfold. The beast's trail was faint but unmistakable, leading deeper into the forest. Toward somewhere it felt safe or where it could rest and heal.
Yun Kai adjusted his direction, following the scent like a lifeline. His bare feet found purchase on roots and stones, his body weaving between trees with practiced ease. It didn't even look like they were chasing someone blind.
The reinforcements behind him grew closer, their threats louder.
"He's heading toward the cliffs!"
"Corner him! Don't let him reach the caves!"
'There are caves? Perfect. Thanks for the heads-up.' He expressed his gratitude inwardly.
Yun Kai's sensory bubble expanded, straining at its limits. Finally... there, ahead, a dark opening surfaced in the rockface, hidden behind a curtain of vines and tangled roots. The smell of blood grew stronger in this area. The panther was definitely inside the cave.
He pushed harder, legs burning with effort. The cave entrance loomed in his senses, and he dove through the vines without hesitation.
The temperature dropped immediately he entered the cave. Cool, damp air washed over him as he stumbled into the darkness. His feet splashed through shallow water, and the cave walls closed in around him, narrow and oppressive.
But he didn't stop moving.
Behind him, the reinforcements burst through the entrance, their footsteps echoing off stone.
"Trapped like a rat!" one of them barked, voice dripping with satisfaction.
Yun Kai skidded to a halt, chest heaving. He turned to face them, his sensory bubble painting their forms in his mind. There were six cultivators, four men and two women. All of them were armed and radiating killing intent.
Without much time to think of a solution to his plight, he feigned weakness. He let his body sag, shoulders slumping. His knees wobbled, and he stumbled backward, catching himself against the cave wall. His face twisted into an expression of fear and confusion.
"W-Who are you?" he stammered, voice trembling pitifully. "Why are you chasing me?"
One of the men stepped forward with a ruthless smile, a sword gleaming in his hand. "Playing dumb won't save you, boy. You were at the clearing. You saw everything."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Yun Kai protested, raising his hands defensively and pointing to his eyes, matter-of-factly. "I'm just a blind prince from the palace! I got lost in the forest!"
The group exchanged glances. Then one of them, a woman with a scarred face, squinted at him. Recognition flashed across her features.
"Wait. I recognize him." Her voice was cold. "He's that good-for-nothing blind son of the Ninth Consort, Lady Lan."
Another man burst into a harsh and mocking laughter. "The blind prince? The one who can't even cultivate properly? This is who we were chasing?"
"Pathetic," a third spat. "What's a cripple like you doing out here?"
Yun Kai kept his expression meek and helpless. Inside, his mind raced as he detected his saviour. His senses picked up the subtle smell of fresh blood. The panther was close by. Very close in fact. He could literally smell it, sense its presence deeper in the cave. The beast was prowling to their direction.
Though it was injured, this was a very territorial beast. It was angry at the tiny humans for entering its territory.
"Please," Yun Kai said, his voice cracking. "I don't know anything. Just let me go. I won't tell anyone."
"Liar!" the leader snarled, stepping closer. His blade pointed at Yun Kai's throat. "You think we're stupid? You ran away immediately you spotted us. You definitely heard everything."
Yun Kai said nothing, his head bowed.
The woman moved beside the leader, her own dagger drawn. "This actually works out perfectly. We'll kill you first before destroying the royal family come the festival. Consider it a preview."
The group laughed, the sound echoing off the cave walls. They moved closer, weapons raised, confident in their numbers and strength.
Yun Kai watched calmly through his senses, his body still as stone. In his mind, he counted. Three steps. Two steps. One.
'Now!'
His senses picked up a shift in the air. A low growl, barely audible, vibrating through the ground and wall he was leaning on. The Saber-tooth Panther, disturbed from its rest, was upon them in an instant.
Yun Kai's expression changed. The fear melted away, replaced by a cold, knowing smile. His teeth flashed white in the darkness.
"What are you smiling at?" the leader demanded, suspicion creeping into his voice.
Yun Kai's smile widened. "You should've listened when I said I was lost."
Then he moved.
He rolled to the side, his body a blur of motion. The reinforcements barely had time to react before the cave erupted in chaos.
The Saber-tooth Panther lunged from the shadows, a streak of midnight fury and gleaming fangs. Its roar shook the cave, a sound of pure rage and territorial fury.
"s**t!" someone screamed.
"It's a Spirit Beast!"
The panther slammed into the nearest cultivator, claws ripping through armor and flesh. Blood sprayed across the cave walls, hot and thick. The man's scream cut short as fangs closed around his throat.
Yun Kai didn't wait to see more. He burst deeper into the cave, his feet carrying him over uneven ground. Behind him, the sounds of battle exploded. Steel clashing against claw. Qi flaring. Screams of pain and fury.
The cave twisted and turned, branching into multiple passages. Yun Kai's senses guided him, avoiding dead ends and pitfalls. His bare feet splashed through underground streams, his hands brushing against cold stone as he ran deeper.
The noise behind him grew fainter but it didn't stop. The panther was injured and weakened from its earlier fight. Six fresh cultivators, even caught by surprise, wouldn't fall easily.
But they'd be busy. And that was all Yun Kai needed.
He ran until the cave opened into a wider chamber. His senses swept the space, feeling it empty. Just cold stone and the distant drip of water.
Yun Kai finally stopped, pressing his back against the wall. His chest heaved, breath coming in ragged gasps. Sweat dripped down his face, soaking into his blindfold.
His hands trembled as he reached into his robes, pulling out the stolen items. The storage pouch, the broken tracking device, and the communication jade.
The was evidence. Proof of a conspiracy that could destroy his kingdom. But would anyone believe him, even with this?
He clenched his fists, jaw tight. The royal court was a nest of vipers. His own father barely acknowledged his existence. His brothers and sisters saw him as little competition or a joke, except Yun Jie and Yun Yue. The ministers would dismiss him as a blind child playing at politics.
No. He needed more than evidence to protect the people he cared about. He needed power, personal strength to slay whoever or whatever stood in his way, be it gods or devils.
Yun Kai's fingers traced the edge of the storage pouch. Storage pouches were lesser spatial treasures compared to storage rings or bracelets, capable of holding far more than their size suggested. This one belonged to a Tendon Transformation Realm cultivator. Someone with resources that would be beneficial to a mid Qi Gathering Realm cultivator like him.
He channeled a thread of Qi into the pouch, activating it. Thankfully there was no spiritual seal on it. The contents spilled into his senses.
There were various talismans, dozens of them. Suppression talismans, binding talismans, communication talismans. A small fortune in paper and ink.
Low-grade Spirit Stones. At least fifty, their Qi humming with energy. Each one was worth months of a commoner's wages.
There were also Mortal Grade weapons. A sharp sword, several throwing knives, a coil of spirit chain, its links inscribed with Mortal Script sealing runes. Weapons were divided into four grades of Mortal, Spirit, Earth, and Heaven.
There was also something else. Something that made Yun Kai's breath catch.
A jade scroll. He sniffed the scroll all over. It was sealed with a blood-red wax stamp. He pulled it free, his fingers trembling as he broke the seal. The scroll unrolled, and even though he couldn't see the words, he could sense the Qi imbued within them.
A cultivation technique. Mid-grade Yellow Rank, judging by the energy signature. Far superior to the High-grade Black Rank manual he'd been practicing.
Cultivation Techniques were divided into five grades of Yellow, Black, Profound, Earth, and Heaven. While Martial Arts were divided into six tiers of Black, Yellow, Advanced, Elite, Master, and Heaven.
Yun Kai's lips curled into a bitter smile. These conspirators had been well-supplied. Too well-supplied for common bandits or mercenaries.
Someone powerful was definitely backing them. Probably someone within the upper echelon of the kingdom itself.
Sounds of heavy, limping footsteps suddenly echoed from the cave entrance. Followed by the wet rasp of labored breathing.
Yun Kai's head snapped up, his senses expanding. The Saber-tooth Panther. It was coming deeper into the cave.
"Sniff-sniff... No. That's not it."
The sounds were from two cultivators, their Qi signatures flickering weakly. And the panther, its presence had become weaker than before but it was still dangerous.
The survivors of the battle were retreating. And the panther was pursuing them.
Yun Kai rolled the scroll and tucked it back into the storage pouch. He moved quickly, quietly, deeper into the chamber. His senses found a narrow crevice in the wall, barely wide enough for his body.
He squeezed inside, pressing himself against the stone. He suppressed his Qi to nothing, breathing shallow and silent.
The footsteps grew closer. Two figures stumbled into the chamber, blood trailing behind them. One man, his arm hanging useless at his side. One woman, the scarred one from earlier, her face was pale with blood loss.
"We need to go back," the man gasped. "and get reinforcements."
"There's no way out of this hellhole," the woman hissed through gritted teeth. "That thing's blocking our only way out."
As if summoned by her words, the panther appeared. It limped into the chamber, its midnight fur matted with blood. Fresh wounds covered its body, deep gashes from swords and spears.
But its amber eyes still burned with fury.
The two cultivators raised their weapons, Qi flaring weakly around them. They were exhausted, injured, and running on fumes.
The panther snarled, muscles coiling as it pounced. It was wounded, yes. But cornered prey was always the most dangerous.
Yun Kai watched their fight from his hiding place, his heart pounding. He was trapped between a dying Spirit Beast and two desperate cultivators.
Whoosh!
A searing heat suddenly washed over his direction as the panther dodged a fireball hurled by the scarred woman.
If he wasn't blindfolded, you could see Yun Kai's eyes widen in shock. Unfortunately he was in a tight crevice, he couldn't react in time as the fireball struck.
Boom!
The already weak floor in the crevice caved in and he fell into the deep hole.
- Writer
