Naked Sword Art

"The Elder you struck is none other than Elder Luo TianXun, of the Soul Devouring clan."

"Why have I never heard of that clan before?"

"They're relatively new—a few hundred years old—but they don't possess any offensive techniques so they've remained as an Outer Court clan up until now."

"No offensive abilities? NO OFFENSIVE ABILITIES!? LOOK AT ME, I CAN'T FUCKING MOVE!" Chi Rui shouted before trying to escape again, only to be dropped flat under the tremendous pressure she was feeling.

"He's merely using a debuffing technique," the young man said, before lighting his spirit stick again to take another puff. His next words he said under his breath, but still loud enough for everyone to hear, "I suppose you can master any technique these days and make it seem like an effective offensive ability."

Elder Luo finished dusting himself off then looked at the handsome young man with interest,

"You know of me and my clan, and it seems my technique isn't affecting you like the others. May I know your name, young disciple."

"My name?" The man said with a hint of surprise. "Ah, that's right, you Outer Court clans wouldn't really hear much about my family clan, we're new to the sect as well."

'Relatively new, but already an inner court clan?' Elder Luo frowned at the thought of it.

Typically, clans only earned a place in the Inner Court after forging powerful alliances with other powerful Inner Court clans. For newly inducted clans, such alliances were nearly impossible—walls built from bloodlines, pride, and centuries of cultivation.

And yet… this one had made it in.

That was what made Elder Luo uneasy.

Because he knew of one other way to become an Inner Court without allies.

Overwhelming, unfathomable strength.

The kind that crushed resistance rather than negotiated with it.

"In that case, let me introduce myself," the young man said, rising slowly to his feet atop the beast. His gaze swept downward, casting shadows across the crowd below. He took one final drag from his spirit stick, then exhaled smoke like a veil over his face.

"My name is…"

Suddenly, an impossible darkness spread from beneath his feet reaching everyone in an instant. However, the heavy darkness was a figment of their imagination, what they truly felt in that moment was something far worse.

[ Fear ]

"Sihun Kuye," he said, his voice hauntingly smooth and quiet. "Of the Death Reaper Clan."

Luo Yue was the first to falter. Her knees buckled, her pupils trembled, and though she tried to breathe, her lungs refused to move.

It wasn't just fear. It was pure, invasive dread—like a cold hand slipping into her chest and squeezing her heart. Her thoughts became muddled, her spirit trembled. She couldn't tell whether the horror she felt was hers… or something that had been placed inside her.

The technique bypassed her body and assaulted her soul directly.

Even Elder Luo, a man of age and experience, staggered. His vision dimmed. The weight pressing on him wasn't spiritual pressure or killing intent—it was the oppressive suggestion of death itself. His dantian flickered as if trying to defend against something it couldn't grasp. His breathing slowed, and he tasted bitterness in the back of his throat.

This wasn't just an ordinary technique, it hardly felt like a technique at all. This was something that couldn't be defended against. What they were feeling at that moment was raw, unfiltered bloodlust. An urge that made them feel like standing up against him would mean putting their lives on line against a killer, someone that didn't fight to fight, but fought for the thrill of cold-blooded murder.

It made every fiber in their body scream to flee, but their bodies refused to move.

They stood, frozen, as if something ancient and hungry were coiling around their souls—something whispering that resistance was useless, that hope was an illusion, and that their fate had already been decided.

"Do you get it now?" Sihun Kuye asked, almost lazily. "You're not the only one who can use a debuff technique."

But no one was more shaken than Xiao Fang.

Even though the technique had no effect on him, he recognized it—down to its very core.

Because he was cultivating the same method.

Suddenly, the darkness vanished—but the feeling it left behind lingered like a stain on their souls.

To them, this man wasn't just a demon, he was a devil. Death, personified.

The thought of an entire clan full of people like him was beyond comprehension. No—Elder Luo could imagine it… he just didn't want to.

In that moment, Xiao Fang's thoughts drifted back to the cave in the deserted city of Mannan, deep in the GuQin Province (chapter 32). He remembered the corpse of the Elder he had looted from—the one whose scroll had introduced him to the Death Reaper Method.

If a mere disciple of that clan could wield such overwhelming presence and power, what kind of monster would an Elder possess, one who had cultivated that method for decades?

And more terrifying still—who was strong enough to kill such a man?

Xiao Fang had countless questions, but he knew there was no point in dwelling on them now. This wasn't the place for answers.

Only survival.

Silence blanketed the road like a shroud, thick with tension.

Sihun Kuye remained standing atop the paralyzed beast, his hands still casually tucked into his pockets. The darkness had faded, but the memory of it clung to their bones like frostbite.

Then, he smiled charmingly. Somehow that simple action lifted the tension completely.

"I hope I didn't scare you too much," he said, his tone smooth and disarming, as if they'd merely bumped shoulders in passing. "I assume the four of you have some place to be. We won't get in your way."

He spoke in a respective tone, and turned his body slightly as if to tell them to continue on their way.

Luo Yue's breath hitched. Even with the fear slowly draining from her limbs, her heart was still pounding like a drum.

Yin Fei on the other hand simply scoffed. Unexpectedly, she viciously kicked Chi Rui in the stomach, sending her flying and rolling towards the paralyzed beast from which Sihun Kuye stood.

Finally able to move again, Chi Rui coughed up a mouthful of blood as she held her stomach where Yin Fei kicked her. Chi Rui looked up at Yin Fei angrily, as her eyes shone red.

"You!—"

But just as she was about to get up, she felt a familiar pressure, that disheartening threat of death keeping her frozen in place. When she looked back at Sihun Kuye, she saw him looking down at her with his hauntingly black pupils.

Truthfully, she knew if she fought against Sihun Kuye, she'd likely win, but some people simply weren't worth fighting. So she reluctantly kept her head down and did nothing about the kick she just received from Yin Fei.

Elder Luo gave a tight nod in return.

As the three of them walked away from the road, Luo Yue glanced over her shoulder one last time.

Sihun Kuye still smiled at her knowingly, only her.

And somehow, that was the most terrifying thing of all.

Eventually, she recalled something strange that he said.

'Wait, didn't he say four?'