Chapter Text
The Immortal Alliance Conference.
What should have been a fruitful competition to showcase the cultivation world's newest talents had, once again, turned into a ruthless slaughter of the weak. Since there was no way to allow the attendees to retreat without compromising the safety of nearby villages, a single solution to this mess remained. Whoever was capable enough (and most importantly, willing) had to enter the battlefield themselves. Needless to say, quite a few cultivators found enough worth in their apprentices' lives or personal image to face off against the invading demonic creatures.
Upon breaching the spiritual barrier that Zhao Hua Monastery's representatives were upholding, Shen Qingqiu quickly scanned his surroundings, attempting to find traces of one of his own disciples. The emergency fireworks had been scattered all across Jue Di Gorge, so it was difficult to discern which direction he should head towards. While more righteous cultivators were doubtlessly satisfied with simply helping wherever they could, Shen Qingqiu preferred to save his own flock first. He would rather prevent having to carry the mutilated corpses of Ming Fan or even Ning Yingying back to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, just so some greasy groomer like Huan Hua's palace master could bring home all of his prized possessions.
Blood-curdling screams assaulted Shen Qingqiu's ears from every direction, but for better or worse, none of them sounded the slightest bit familiar. It was then that a giant cloud of demonic qi shot up into the sky like a black beacon, its sinister shock waves nearly ripping him right off Xiu Ya. As Shen Qingqiu steadied himself, a complicated expression flashed across his slowly paling face. Liu Qingge was not here and Yue Qingyuan had been headed to the west; whatever had caused this would surely kill nearly every other cultivator in the gorge.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Shen Qingqiu steeled himself and resolutely directed his sword towards the swirling miasma. As he flew closer to the origin source, he noticed that all the nearby treetops had been scorched, some of them giving off faint wisps of smoke. Despite the lurch in his chest, Shen Qingqiu continued onwards. The demonic qi was still hanging thickly in the air, making it hard to breathe, although there seemed to be no movement coming from its centre. In all honesty, despite his vast knowledge on demonic creatures, the Qing Jing Peak Lord could not name a single creature that could have caused this type of powerful explosion.
When he finally dropped to the ground, hopping off Xiu Ya in what he assumed to be the eye of the storm, Shen Qingqiu's heart gave out for a second. Whatever he had expected to find, it was far from this. Standing above the fresh corpse of a Black Moon Rhinoceros Python was... Luo Binghe. Luo Binghe, who, for some reason, had a blazing red demonic mark plastered across his forehead. Luo Binghe, who, for whatever godforsaken reason, gave off such an extensive amount of demonic qi, that it had burst into the sky like artillery and now cloaked a large portion of the wasteland they were standing in.
Just as Shen Qingqiu opened his mouth, a large rumble shook the earth, nearly bringing him down to his knees. His first assumption was that Luo Binghe had caused this as well, however, the pained howls that followed reeled in these spiralling thoughts rather swiftly. A look to his left confirmed it. Splitting the ground apart and bringing with it the fiery pits of hell itself – the Endless Abyss had opened.
A thoughtful look flashed across Shen Qingqiu's face. All of this was far too coincidental. Shelving his suspicions for later, he once more shifted his sharp eyes onto Luo Binghe. The boy was standing on the demonic beast's cadaver as if in a trance, Zheng Yang having slipped from his grip and lying on the burnt grass below. His widened eyes were pulsing with red light and his body kept twitching as if something was trying to claw its way out of it. All in all, the sight was deeply unsettling.
Gritting his teeth, Shen Qingqiu took a few tentative steps forward, keeping his guard up. “Bea-”, he spoke up, before abruptly correcting himself, “Luo Binghe!” To his surprise, red eyes focused on him in an instant. They seemed cloudy at first, but as Luo Binghe took in Shen Qingqiu's appearance, they gradually cleared. “Sh...shizun-”, he forced out, sounding as if he was in massive pain, “Th-...this...”
His words were suddenly cut off by a horrifying scream that sent goosebumps down Shen Qingqiu's spine. Luo Binghe was clutching his head in raw agony, tumbling off the Black Moon Rhinoceros Python as he quickly lost his balance. Kneeling in the dirt, he huffed out short pants and grunts as he seemed to battle with some kind of invisible force within him. Carefully, Shen Qingqiu drew closer, a deep frown flashing across his features for just a split-second.
When he was only a few steps away, Luo Binghe's breathing started to even out again. Whatever had possessed him seemed to have been conquered... for now. Ignoring his wildly beating heart, Shen Qingqiu called out once more: “Luo Binghe.” As his disciple obediently raised his head to meet his stern gaze, it became apparent that the red in his pupils had lessened in intensity, now only discernible by close proximity. Similarly, the swirling black qi around them was retreating rapidly as well. The demonic mark however...
Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but feel betrayed. “What in the world-”, he whispered harshly, finding himself at a complete loss of words. Luo Binghe shrank even more into himself, finally lucid enough to realize the sheer magnitude of the mess he had created. “You-”, Shen Qingqiu spoke up again, before abruptly cutting himself off. From afar, the sound of footsteps and muffled voices drifted closer. There was no time.
Thinking for only just a moment, Shen Qingqiu sprang into action and resolutely drew Xiu Ya. The shimmer of its sharp blade reflected in Luo Binghe's fearful, teary eyes and the sight of it almost made him want to laugh. This stupid child. As always, Xiu Ya did not disappoint, cutting through skin like it was melted butter. Suppressing a hiss of pain, Shen Qingqiu raised his now injured hand to his disciple's forehead and crudely smeared the fresh blood on top of the demonic mark.
While Luo Binghe stared at him like a deer caught in the claws of a predator, he moved to cut away a strip of the teen's white uniform and hastily bandaged up his head with it. Having used his injured hand, the fabric was naturally covered with blotches of blood as well, adding to the desired picture. That is: his poor disciple had suffered a head wound. Surely no one would deem it proper to rip the makeshift bandage off to have a closer look at it.
Hearing the voices draw near, Shen Qingqiu swiftly hid his bleeding hand inside his long sleeve and gave Luo Binghe another stern look. “Do not say a word.” A few moments later, Yue Qingyuan and a few other cultivators rushed into the clearing, a small group of disciples trailing after them like little, lost ducklings. The moment he spotted Shen Qingqiu, palpable relief flooded his features. “Qingqiu-shidi!”, he called out, before his eyes fell to the figure huddled near the Qing Jing Peak Lord's feet. Finally, they landed on the cadaver of the Black Moon Rhinoceros Python behind them. His face darkened.
“This really... Qingqiu-shidi did well taking care of such an abominable creature”, Yue Qingyuan sighed as he took a few large steps towards the two. Out of his peripheral vision, Shen Qingqiu saw Luo Binghe flinch at those words. Although he did not feel the slightest bit happy about stealing his disciple's laurels, they needed a proper scapegoat for the giant explosion of demonic qi. After all, it was likely Yue Qingyuan hurried over for whatever powerful creature had caused this. Confessing that a mere 17-year-old took it out would be... Thus, he only let out a soft hum of acknowledgement.
When Yue Qingyuan came to a stop before them, he shot a worried look at Luo Binghe, who was still kneeling on the scorched ground. “Your disciple got injured?” Shen Qingqiu subconsciously tightened the bloodied fist within his long sleeve, gritting his teeth at the sharp sting the action brought with it. “A minor head wound, I already took a look at it”, he answered mildly. Yue Qingyuan nodded once, then gave Luo Binghe another glance. “Once we are back on Cang Qiong Mountain, we can let Mu-shidi treat it properly. For now, unfortunately, there are disciples with graver injuries.”
Shen Qingqiu gracefully inclined his head in understanding, then beckoned to Luo Binghe to get up. “This master will try to find the rest of his disciples.” “Ah, Qingqiu-shidi, would it not be better to stay together, just in case-”, Yue Qingyuan started, but was quickly interrupted by a resolute “I am leaving.” As Shen Qingqiu took off without further hesitation, he stole a glance to his right. Distracted by the pure adrenaline of masking Luo Binghe's heritage, he hadn't even noticed the Endless Abyss sealing itself back up.