Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Betrayal of the Shadows

The sun rose on the horizon, bathing the hill where Xiao Feng stood with his 600 clan members in a golden light. The temple had been plundered by the outer realm army, its sacred grounds desecrated. Xiao Feng had frozen when he heard the Immortal's ultimatum: "If you don't wish to become the reflection of the Immortals in this world, we will choose another. You must decide: either sacrifice your clan and gain infinite power, or let your greatest enemy become the reflection of the Immortals." As the Immortal vanished, Xiao Feng's mind turned into a storm. The memory of Zhang Tao, his love for his clan, and his hatred for Zhao Hu clashed within his heart.Xiao Feng closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Zhang Tao's smiling face appeared in his mind, her warm voice whispering to him to protect the clan. "No," he murmured, his voice filled with resolve. "I won't sacrifice my clan. I can't betray Zhang Tao's memory." The Immortals' promise offered infinite power, but that power would drag him into darkness. Xiao Feng chose his clan, rejecting the chance to become the reflection of the Immortals. But this decision would come with a terrifying cost.The sky darkened instantly, the clouds turning crimson. A familiar, dreadful scream echoed; the Immortals had returned. But this time, they hadn't come to protect Xiao Feng—they had come to unleash their wrath. One of the Immortals descended before him, its eyes blazing like flames, its voice roaring like a storm. "If that is your choice, so be it," it said. "But know this: your rejection has only strengthened the curse. You refused to become the reflection of the Immortals, and now, your greatest enemy will wield that power." Xiao Feng froze at these words. "My greatest enemy… Zhao Hu?" he whispered, his heart filling with dread.The Immortal smirked mockingly. "Yes, Zhao Hu," it said. "He will become the reflection of the Immortals. And he will return to destroy you, your clan, everything." With that, the Immortal ascended into the sky, disappearing with the other shadows. Xiao Feng collapsed to his knees, his hands trembling. "What have I done?" he whispered. He had rejected the power to save his clan, but now, Zhao Hu would return as the reflection of the Immortals. This meant an even greater danger for his clan.Feng Xiu and Wang Shu rushed to Xiao Feng's side. "Xiao Feng, what's happening?" Feng Xiu asked, her voice trembling with worry. Wang Shu murmured, "The shadows… why did they come back?" Xiao Feng told them everything: the Immortals' offer, his decision, and how Zhao Hu would now become the reflection of the Immortals. Feng Xiu's eyes widened in shock. "Zhao Hu… he's already a traitor! If he gains that power, he'll destroy us all!" Wang Shu, clutching his jade talismans tightly, said, "Then we must flee. Our lands are lost, but we must survive."Xiao Feng lowered his head, but then stood up. "You're right," he said, his voice firm. "We've lost our lands, but our clan still lives. We need to find a new refuge. When Zhao Hu returns, we must be strong enough to fight him." The 600 clan members followed their leader's command, leaving the temple and sacred grounds behind as they ventured into the unknown.The clan trekked through the depths of the forest, but the outer realm army's trackers were already on their trail. Before becoming the reflection of the Immortals, Zhao Hu had sent a group of elite warriors to hunt them down. This unit of 200 was composed of the outer realm's most skilled hunters. When Xiao Feng and his clan reached a valley, they fell into the unit's ambush.Moonlight cast a pale glow over the valley's rocky terrain. Xiao Feng was leading his clan toward a cave when his shadow qi suddenly began to tremble. "Danger!" he shouted, but it was too late. The outer realm hunters unleashed a barrage of arrows from the cliffs above. The arrows rained down on the clan like a storm; several warriors fell to the ground. Xiao Feng used his shadow qi like a shield to deflect the arrows, but the clan was vulnerable.Feng Xiu summoned her wind qi, creating a tornado that scattered the arrows and protected the clan. "Xiao Feng, we need to escape!" she shouted, but Xiao Feng narrowed his eyes. "No, if we run now, they'll keep following us," he said. "We have to stop them!" Wang Shu threw his jade talismans into the air; the talismans formed a barrier of light, but the outer realm hunters charged forward to break it.Xiao Feng launched himself at the hunters, his shadow qi forming a spear. Each move was lethal; he pierced one hunter's chest, then severed another's arm. But the hunters were numerous and well-trained. One of them aimed a dagger at Xiao Feng's wounded chest, but Xiao Feng blocked it with his shadow qi at the last second, then crushed the hunter's skull with a single strike. The battle turned into a massacre; 150 of the 200 hunters were killed, but the clan lost 50 members. The remaining 550 clan members, wounded and exhausted, managed to escape the valley.After escaping the valley, the clan set up camp in a forest. But Xiao Feng's heart was uneasy. During the battle, he couldn't shake the thought of how the outer realm hunters had found their exact location so quickly. "There's a traitor," he murmured, turning to Feng Xiu and Wang Shu. "It's impossible for them to track us so precisely unless someone tipped them off."Feng Xiu frowned. "Who would do such a thing?" she asked. Wang Shu said, "Maybe Zhao Hu's spies have infiltrated our ranks." But Xiao Feng suspected something deeper. Someone within the clan might be leaking information to Zhao Hu. That night, Xiao Feng secretly observed the camp. He caught a Zhang Clan warrior sneaking out of the camp. Using his shadow qi, Xiao Feng captured the warrior and began to interrogate him."Tell me, who did you give information to?" Xiao Feng asked, his voice cold with fury. The warrior denied it at first, but when Xiao Feng's shadow qi began to tighten around his arm, he confessed everything. "I, I gave information to Zhao Hu!" he shouted, his voice trembling with fear. "He said he'd save my family! If I told him the clan's location, he'd set them free!"Xiao Feng's rage boiled over at this confession, but he also understood the warrior's desperation. "You betrayed your clan to save your family," he said, his voice filled with pain. "But Zhao Hu never keeps his promises." The warrior, sobbing, pleaded, "I know… but I had no choice!" Xiao Feng hesitated for a moment, but he knew he had to make a decision for the clan's safety. Using his shadow qi like a dagger, he killed the warrior. "This is the price of betrayal," he whispered, though his heart ached with sorrow.This incident sent a wave of fear through the clan. Xiao Feng turned to his people and declared, "If there's another betrayal, you'll meet the same fate," his voice stern. But the event shook the clan's unity; everyone began to look at each other with suspicion.The clan reached the Dragon's Breath Valley a few days later. The valley was shrouded in thick mist, its rocky cliffs stretching toward the sky. The cave system Old Shen had mentioned was hidden deep within the valley. Xiao Feng and his clan took refuge in the caves. The caverns were vast and cool, filled with natural springs and moss. "This will be our new home," Xiao Feng said, turning to his clan. "We'll rebuild here. When Zhao Hu comes, we'll be ready."But Zhao Hu had already become the reflection of the Immortals. Back at the temple's courtyard, the sky had darkened once more as the Immortals descended before Zhao Hu. "You, Zhao Hu," they had said, their voices roaring like a storm. "Xiao Feng refused to become the reflection of the Immortals. Now, this power is offered to you. Do you wish to become the reflection of the Immortals in this world?" Zhao Hu had hesitated for a moment, but a glint of ambition flashed in his eyes. "Yes," he had said, his voice resolute. "I'll take this power. I'll destroy Xiao Feng and his clan."The Immortal had smirked mockingly. "Then this power is yours," it had said. A storm of shadows rose around Zhao Hu; his body filled with the energy of the Immortals. His eyes began to glow like flames, his shadow qi swirling around him like a hurricane. Zhao Hu had become the reflection of the Immortals. The commanders watched this transformation in fear. "Leader, what happened?" one commander had asked, his voice trembling. Zhao Hu, feeling his new power, had declared, "I am now a god. I'll find Xiao Feng, and I'll destroy everything."Zhao Hu had turned to his army and ordered, "Track Xiao Feng! No matter where he flees, we'll find him!" The 20,000 soldiers set out to hunt Xiao Feng. Zhao Hu's new power made his army even more terrifying; his shadow qi could annihilate anything in its path. Within a few days, Zhao Hu reached the Dragon's Breath Valley. Using his shadow qi, he dispersed the valley's mist and located the caves where the clan was hiding."Xiao Feng!" Zhao Hu roared, his voice echoing through the valley. "Stop hiding! I am the reflection of the Immortals, and I will destroy you!" Zhao Hu's shadow qi surged toward the caves like a storm. Xiao Feng rallied his clan; the 550 warriors took defensive positions at the cave entrances. "We'll fight!" Xiao Feng shouted, gathering his shadow qi for one last stand.The battle erupted once more. Zhao Hu's shadow qi shattered the cave entrances; outer realm soldiers flooded in like a tidal wave. Xiao Feng faced Zhao Hu head-on; their shadow qi clashed, creating an explosion that shook the valley. "You can't stop me, Xiao Feng!" Zhao Hu bellowed, using his shadow qi like a spear to attack Xiao Feng. Xiao Feng blocked the spear with his own shadow qi, but Zhao Hu's newfound power sent him reeling backward.Feng Xiu and Wang Shu did their best to defend the clan, but the outer realm soldiers outnumbered them. Of the 550 clan members, 200 were killed in mere minutes. Seeing his clan being annihilated, Xiao Feng shouted, "Retreat!" The remaining 350 clan members fled deeper into the caves. Zhao Hu moved to pursue them, but Xiao Feng used his shadow qi one last time to collapse the cave entrance, trapping Zhao Hu outside.Xiao Feng and the remaining 350 clan members hid deep within the caves. Zhao Hu's furious roars could still be heard from outside. "You can run, but I'll find you!" he shouted. Xiao Feng turned to his clan, his eyes filled with determination. But at that moment, Old Shen stepped forward slowly. With his gray beard and deep eyes, he looked at Xiao Feng with a wise, steady gaze."You made the right choice, Xiao Feng," Old Shen said, his voice calm but powerful. "You didn't choose the path of darkness. By refusing to become the reflection of the Immortals, you saved your soul. Take this." Old Shen handed him an ancient parchment. The parchment was worn but radiated a powerful energy. Xiao Feng took it and unrolled it; inside was a map and a drawing of a dagger. "What is this?" Xiao Feng asked, frowning.Old Shen took a deep breath. "This is an enchanted, blessed dagger that can kill Immortals," he said. "According to legend, this dagger can destroy the reflection of the Immortals. If your greatest enemy, Zhao Hu, has become the reflection of the Immortals, you can kill him with this dagger. There's no other way." Xiao Feng's eyes gleamed as he looked at the parchment, but Old Shen's voice continued with a warning. "But I must warn you: if the reflection of the Immortals dies, the Immortal Realm will spiral out of control and attack our world. Using this dagger may destroy Zhao Hu, but it could plunge our world into greater chaos."Xiao Feng froze at these words. "Another choice…" he murmured, his voice filled with anguish. Old Shen placed a hand on Xiao Feng's shoulder. "Leave the clan and go," he said. "Find the dagger on this map. It's the only way to stop Zhao Hu. But the decision is yours: either kill Zhao Hu and unleash the wrath of the Immortal Realm on our world, or find another way." Old Shen finished speaking and vanished into the shadows.Xiao Feng stared at the parchment, knowing he was once again faced with a choice. Should he take the dagger to stop Zhao Hu, or search for another way? Would the wrath of the Immortal Realm destroy their world? Zhang Tao's memory whispered to him to protect the clan, but Zhao Hu's growing power loomed larger with every passing second. Xiao Feng had to decide.