"Are you still hesitant?" Little Water's voice echoed gently, but his words struck like a hammer across the silent battlefield.
Sect Leader Flame Hornet stood still, torn between blood and truth. But before he could speak, the elder, now known as the traitor, suddenly roared, his voice a mix of panic and fury. "Don't listen to him! This is fake! An illusion! He's tricking you! He's one of them!"
The people of the Fire Clan looked uncertain. Some glanced at each other, their faces filled with doubt, but most stared in stunned silence at the mysterious blue-aura figure.
Flame Hornet turned slowly, his gaze settling on his daughter. She was holding Little Fire tightly, her face wet with tears but still so brave. And in her, he saw another.
He saw *her*.
His beloved wife.
It had been many years, yet the memory still struck like lightning across his heart. He remembered the day she died—in the Ice Cave, defending her family and the clan from an ambush that, now he knew, had been orchestrated by his own brother.
He remembered her voice as she smiled, resting her hand on his chest and whispering, "Live for our daughter. Let her walk in warmth, even if my path ends in frost."
A single tear fell from his eye, vanishing into the rain. His shoulders trembled, not from weakness but from release—from the unbearable burden he had carried silently.
He turned to Little Water and bowed slightly. "Fellow cultivator," he said, his voice hoarse, "I can't hurt my blood. Please... help me do this favor."
Little Water nodded gently. He had been waiting.
Raising his arm, his sleeve flowing like a river in the wind, the blue aura around him condensed into a whip of water that cracked through the air and wrapped around the traitorous elder.
The elder screamed, his bones creaking under invisible pressure. "Wait! Please! Don't kill me! I'm your uncle! I'm family!"
But Little Water did not flinch. His blue aura, though calm, now pulsed with a deeper wrath. The water around the elder tightened with a sharp snap. The elder's scream became a gurgled howl of pain, his bones crushed like dried twigs, his body snapping at unnatural angles. His Perfect Soul Creation Initial Stage strength offered no resistance.
But just before his death, the elder's soul tore itself free from the ruined body and shot through the air toward a group of low-level disciples.
"No!" the elder's soul cried. "I'll live again!"
But Little Water's senses were too sharp. He flicked two fingers, and water droplets in the air spiraled around the fleeing soul, instantly freezing into jagged crystals. With a surge of intent, the frozen soul turned into a block of shimmering ice.
The people gasped. Ice. In the Fire Land.
Ice that subdued a soul.
Some elders instinctively backed away in terror. A few began to kneel.
"Senior! Please! Don't kill us! We weren't with him! He tricked us!"
Little Water said nothing.
Even Flame Hornet was speechless. He stared at the frozen soul, his thoughts heavy. *This man… if I had to fight him... would I stand even a chance?* He knew the answer.
With a slow motion, Little Water closed his hand. The frozen block shattered, and the elder's soul scattered like snowflakes under a summer sun.
The wind quieted. Rain softened.
The Sect Leader lowered his head, then stepped forward. He placed his hand on his chest and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Senior. From the depths of my soul, thank you. You have not only avenged our clan but saved its future."
Little Water gave a light nod. He did not act for praise.
Two more elders came forward hesitantly. One of them spoke. "Sect Leader... what should we do with *him*?"
He pointed at Little Fire, who was sitting weakly, Spirit Fairy at his side.
Little Water turned slowly. "What do you want to do?"
The elders fell silent. But Flame Hornet, sensing their cowardice, barked, "Speak! Tell the Senior what you think!"
They quickly bowed. "Senior, please don't be offended. We just... don't know where he came from. He's not of our clan."
Little Water's aura shimmered, but not aggressively.
"It doesn't matter where he's from. What matters is that he is loyal and will not betray you. The rest... should be left between him and the young miss."
Spirit Fairy stood, holding Little Fire upright. Her voice was clear. "I am fine with him."
All eyes snapped to her.
It took a moment before she realized what she had said. Her face flushed crimson, and she quickly looked down. "I mean… he saved me. That's all."
To change the subject, she turned to Little Water. "Senior, may I know why you are helping us?"
"Because," he replied softly, "I wanted to."
Together, she and Little Fire bowed deeply. "Thank you."
As they bowed, Little Water's gaze sharpened. He placed his hands gently on both their shoulders, sensing something.
His Aura touched their spiritual cores, and instantly he felt it.
"Hmm..."
He drew out a thin thread of aura from each of them. From Little Fire, it was a small orange-red flame—the Burning Heart Desire Flame. From Spirit Fairy, a white-blue wisp—the Freezing Breeze Flame.
He held both in his hand, their flames dancing on his fingers.
Curious, he merged the two gently. To his surprise, they didn't conflict—they *merged*. The resulting flame was a brilliant white, cold and hot at the same time, with black star-like sparks glinting at its center.
It shimmered with harmony and contradiction.
Little Water looked at them.
"You both are blessed if you are together... but cursed if away from each other."
---[To Be Continued]---