Forged in Blood and Shadow

He finally found the bandits' hideout and began walking towards it, releasing his shadow Qi. One of the bandits on lookout duty atop the fence spotted him and shouted, "We're under attack!"

John quickly reached the fence. Using his Shadow Ghost Flame, he punched the wooden structure, sending burning fragments flying. The other bandits, alerted by the commotion, rushed towards him. One attacked, but John easily dodged, grabbing the bandit by the neck and engulfing him in Ghost Flame. The bandit was incinerated in moments, leaving no trace. John asked in a deep voice, "Who is your leader?"

One of the remaining bandits replied, "Who are you? Why are you looking for the boss?"

"I'm not going to repeat myself," John said. "Who is your leader?"

The bandit smiled. "Even if you're strong, there are hundreds of us. Do you really think you can take us all on?" The bandit and others charged.

"I was going to kill all of you anyway," John muttered, releasing his Qi. Using Qi-woven threads covered in Ghost Flame, he moved like a deadly dance, cutting down bandit after bandit. The Ghost Flame spread through the hideout, consuming everything it touched.

The bandits' leader finally emerged, attacking John. John jumped back, looking at the leader. "You finally showed up," he said. "I thought you were too scared to come out." He's at the late stage of Qi Forging, John observed.

"You must be crazy to charge into a bandits' hideout alone," the leader snarled.

John replied coolly, "Why are you sending your men to kill villagers?"

The leader laughed. "That's why you charged into a bandits' hideout alone—seeking death! If you want to know so badly, try making me talk."

John smiled. "Good. I was going to kill you anyway." He released the shadow clone from his mask. The bandit leader grinned and charged. John used his Shadow God technique, merging with the shadows and reappearing in the air above the leader, the full moon silhouetting him. His shadow clone attacked the leader simultaneously. John sent a stream of Ghost Flame towards the leader from above. The leader tried to block with his sword. We're on the same stage, but he's much stronger than me, the leader realized as the flames knocked his sword from his hand.

John's shadow clone caught the falling sword. John quickly moved through the shadows, reappearing beside the leader and using Qi-woven threads to bind him. The leader struggled, but the threads tightened.

"I'm not going to ask you twice," John said. "Why were your men killing the villagers?"

The leader, realizing his imminent death, said, "A man from the Skyfall Sect…" He clutched his chest, coughed up blood, and died.

John stared at the body, anger burning in his eyes. "The Skyfall Sect…" He walked up to the dead leader and incinerated the body with Ghost Flame until nothing remained.

As he walked away, he thought, I don't know why the Skyfall Sect is considered a righteous sect. They collude with bandits to kill innocent people. A thought crossed his mind: What if not everyone in the Skyfall Sect is bad? But knowing what they were doing only strengthened his resolve.

He soon reached a part of the hideout that was mostly burned rubble. He cleared the debris and discovered a secret entrance below. He went inside and found pills and spiritual stones. Why would a bandits' hideout have this kind of stuff? he wondered. He gathered everything in the room and used his Shadow God technique to disappear into the shadows.

Meanwhile, at the main branch of the Skyfall Sect, one of the two disciples who had tortured John and left him for dead in the forest held a broken jade talisman. "That bastard is dead," he said to himself. "Useless. We lost our lead."

Back in the cave, John was about to begin cultivating. He took one of the pills he had found in the bandits' hideout and began his practice.