The maintenance tunnel was dark and cramped, forcing me to duck my head as we moved deeper into the cliff. Min-Li led the way, her small frame navigating the tight passages with practiced ease. Every few meters, strange luminescent fungi provided just enough light to avoid stumbling.


    "How much farther?" I whispered, my patience wearing thin with each passing minute.


    "We''re almost to the main shaft," Min-Li replied, her voice barely audible. "From there, we''ll need to climb to the upper levels."


    The tunnel suddenly widened into a small chamber. Min-Li pressed her hand against what appeared to be solid rock, channeling a small burst of energy into it. The stone wall shimmered and dissolved, revealing a vast vertical shaft stretching both up and down farther than I could see.


    "The central column of Heavenly Mystery Cliff," Min-Li exined. "Every level connects to it."


    Narrow ledges spiraled around the shaft''s interior, forming a precarious stairway upward. Far below, I could hear the rush of water—perhaps an underground river. Above, distant lights marked the various levels carved into the cliff.


    "Which level holds Isabelle?" I asked, my eyes scanning upward.


    Min-Li pointed to a faintly glowing chamber near the top. "The extraction chamber is on level seventy-three. We''re currently at level twelve."


    Sixty-one levels to climb. Each potentially guarded by Military Marquises or worse.


    "Let''s move," I said, stepping onto the narrow ledge.


    We began our ascent, hugging the wall as we climbed. The ledge was barely wide enough for single-file movement, with nothing but a deadly drop on the other side. After twenty levels, Min-Li paused, pressing herself against the wall.


    "Guard post ahead," she whispered.


    I peered around her. Two disciples in formal Guild robes stood at attention where the ledge widened into a small tform, guarding a doorway that presumably led deeper into that level.


    "Can we slip past them?" I asked.


    Min-Li shook her head. "They monitor everyone passing this checkpoint."


    I assessed the situation quickly. "How far are we from the extraction chamber now?"


    "Still forty-one levels."


    Too many potential encounters to fight our way through every guard post. We needed stealth.


    "Is there another way up?" I pressed. "Maintenance shafts? Service tunnels?"


    Min-Li hesitated before answering. "The supply lifts... they run along the outer wall, but they''re closely monitored."


    "Not an option then." I studied the guards again, noting their rxed postures. They weren''t expecting trouble. "Wait here."


    Before Min-Li could protest, I moved past her, hugging the wall as I approached the tform. The guards continued their conversation, oblivious to my presence until I was almost upon them.


    The first guard noticed me just as Iunched my attack. His eyes widened in surprise—thest expression he would ever make. My palm strike hit his chest with enough force to stop his heart instantly, my fingers channeling energy directly into his meridians. He copsed without a sound.


    The second guard barely had time to reach for his weapon before I was on him. One hand covered his mouth to prevent any rm while my other hand delivered a precise strike to his throat. His strugglessted only seconds before he went limp.


    I lowered both bodies quietly to the floor, then motioned for Min-Li to join me.


    She approached cautiously, her face pale as she stared at the dead guards. "You killed them so easily..."


    "They would have done the same to us." I searched the bodies, finding a token simr to the one Min-Li wore but with different markings. "Will this get us higher?"


    She examined it briefly. "Level thirty ess. It helps, but not enough."


    We continued our climb, using the same strategy at the next two guard posts we encountered. By the time we reached level fifty, my borrowed token granted us passage without question—the guards merely ncing at it before waving us through.


    "We''re getting close," Min-Li whispered as we climbed past level sixty. "But the security will be much tighter from here up."


    She wasn''t wrong. Level sixty-five had not two but six guards stationed at its entrance, and I could sense their power—all Peak Form Military Marquises.


    "There''s no way past them without a fight," I murmured.


    Min-Li tugged at my sleeve. "There might be another way. Service shaft for the elders, two levels up. It bypasses the main checkpoints."


    We carefully maneuvered past the heavily guarded tform, continuing our ascent. At level sixty-seven, Min-Li located a nearly invisible crevice in the rock face.


    "Here," she whispered, squeezing into the narrow opening.


    I followed, finding myself in a small tunnel lined with polished jade. Unlike the rough maintenance passage we''d used earlier, this one showed signs of regr use—the floor was worn smooth from footsteps.


    "This leads directly to the high elders'' quarters," Min-Li exined. "And from there, we can ess the extraction chamber."


    As we moved through the tunnel, the energy in the air grew increasingly dense. My skin tingled with power, my cultivation base responding to the concentrated qi. Whatever ceremony they were performing with Isabelle''s blood was generating immense energy.


    The tunnel ended at an ornate door carved with the same symbols I''d seen on the portal entrance. Min-Li pressed her palm against it, channeling energy, but the door remained sealed.


    "My token isn''t high enough rank," she admitted, stepping back.


    I examined the door, noting the intricate formation patterns woven into its surface. Breaking it down would alert everyone inside, but I had no choice.


    "Stand back," I ordered Min-Li.


    Gathering my energy, I focused it into my palm, forming a concentrated point of destructive force. As I prepared to strike, Min-Li grabbed my arm.


    "Wait! Look!" She pointed to a small line of text at the bottom of the door frame. "This indicates it''s connected to the extraction chamber. If we break through here, it might disrupt whatever ritual they''re performing."


    "And that''s bad because...?" <q ss="in-imprint-b">Help us out by reading on *.</q>


    "Because if the ritual is disrupted suddenly, it could kill everyone inside—including your Isabelle."


    I lowered my hand, frustrated. "Then how do we get in?"


    Min-Li bit her lip, thinking. "There''s one more route—through the sacrifice preparation chamber. It''s adjacent to the extraction room."


    "Sacrifice?" The word sent ice through my veins.


    Min-Li nodded grimly. "The highest ceremonies require blood sacrifices. They prepare them in a chamber on level seventy-two."


    My jaw clenched so hard I could hear my teeth grinding. "Take me there. Now."


    We backtracked to the main shaft and climbed to level seventy-two. This time, Min-Li led me to a different passage—wider, clearly designed for regr use. The walls were lined with strange runes that pulsed with faint red light.


    "Blood formations," Min-Li exined quietly. "They preserve the sacrificial energy."


    At the end of the passage stood a simple wooden door. Unlike the ornate barriers we''d encountered before, this one had no visible security measures—just a in handle.


    "Why isn''t it guarded?" I asked suspiciously.


    "Only those with specific tokens can even see this door," Min-Li replied. "To anyone else, it appears as solid rock."


    She pushed the door open carefully, revealing a small antechamber. Inside, rows of shackles hung from the walls, and various instruments I didn''t want to identifyy arranged on stone tables.


    But the chamber was empty—no guards, no prisoners awaiting sacrifice.


    "Through there," Min-Li pointed to another door at the far end. "That leads to a stairway up to the extraction chamber."


    As we moved across the room, a faint cry of pain froze me in my tracks. Isabelle''s voice. There was no mistaking it.


    Rage flooded through me, hot and consuming. All thoughts of caution vanished. I rushed to the door, throwing it open without hesitation.


    A narrow staircase spiraled upward. I took the steps three at a time, Min-Li struggling to keep pace behind me. At the top, a barrier of energy shimmered across the entrance—some kind of defensive formation.


    I didn''t care. Gathering all my power, I mmed my fist into the barrier. It shattered like ss, rms immediately ring throughout the cliff.


    "Are you insane?" Min-Li cried. "You''ve alerted the entire Guild!"


    I ignored her, stepping into the extraction chamber. The sight that greeted me would be forever burned into my memory.


    The chamber was vast, circr, with a domed ceiling covered in intricate formations. In the center stood a massive stone pir, and bound to it with glowing chains was Isabelle.


    She hung limply, her once-vibrant face now gaunt and pale. Dozens of thin tubes connected to her arms, legs, and neck, drawing blood from her body into containers arranged around the pir. Her beautiful hair was matted with sweat and blood, and her clothes hung in tatters from her frame.


    Around her, twelve Guild members in ceremonial robes chanted in an ancientnguage, their hands weaving patterns in the air that caused Isabelle''s blood to glow with unnatural light.


    Guards—at least twenty of them—formed a protective circle around the ceremony. Their heads snapped toward me the instant I entered, weapons drawn.


    "Intruder!" one shouted. "Protect the ceremony at all costs!"


    But I wasn''t looking at them. My eyes were fixed on Isabelle. Her head lifted slightly at themotion, and through the curtain of her matted hair, her eyes found mine.


    "Liam..." Her voice was barely audible, a broken whisper that shredded what remained of my self-control.


    Something snapped inside me. The rage that had been building since I entered this realm exploded outward in a wave of pure destructive energy. My vision tinged red, and I felt my Martial Saint power surge to the surface, no longer constrained by any sense of caution or restraint.


    "Get away from her!" I roared, the force of my voice alone cracking the stone floor beneath me.


    Min-Li stumbled backward, terror on her face. "What are you? Your aura—it''s impossible!"


    The guards hesitated only a moment before charging. The first reached me with his sword aimed at my heart. I caught the de with my bare hand, the metal shattering in my grip. My counter-strike punched through his chest, killing him instantly.


    Two more guards attacked from either side. I moved between them in a blur, my elbows crushing their throats before they could even register my movement. A fourth guard fired an energy st that would have vaporized an ordinary cultivator. I deflected it with a casual sweep of my arm, sending it back to incinerate its caster.


    The remaining guards attacked as one, a coordinated assault that under normal circumstances would have overwhelmed even a Military Lord. But I was beyond such calctions now. My body moved with unnatural speed, each strike delivering fatal damage. Blood sprayed across the chamber''s floor as guard after guard fell before me.


    "Stop the intruder!" one of the ceremonial elders shouted. "The extraction cannot be interrupted!"


    Three of the elders broke from their circle, their hands forming seals of deadly intent. I recognized the technique—Three Heavens Destruction Formation, capable of obliterating a Military Lord.


    I didn''t care.


    As their attack converged on me, I channeled my energy into a pure expression of rage. The collision of powers shook the entire chamber, cracks spreading through the walls and ceiling. When the light faded, the three eldersy broken on the floor, and I stood unharmed.


    More guards rushed in from outside, alerted by the rms. I cut through them like a scythe through wheat, their weapons and defensive techniques useless against my fury.


    "What manner of demon are you?" one of the remaining elders demanded, fear recing arrogance in his voice.


    I didn''t answer. Words were meaningless now. Only Isabelle mattered.


    Fighting my way to the central pir, I finally stood before her. Up close, her condition was even worse than I''d first thought. Her skin was ashen, her breathing shallow. The tubes connected to her body pulsed with her blood, feeding it into strange devices arranged around the chamber.


    "Liam..." she whispered again, her eyes barely focusing. "You came..."


    "Always," I promised, reaching for the chains that bound her.


    They burned at my touch, defensive formations activating to repel me. I ignored the pain, gripping the chains firmly and channeling my power into them. The metal heated, glowed, then shattered under the onught of my energy.


    One of the remaining elders screamed in protest. "You fool! The blood extraction must bepleted properly or she''ll die!"


    I turned toward him, my killing intent so strong that he stumbled backward. "If she dies, none of you will live long enough to regret it."


    Returning to Isabelle, I began ripping the tubes from her body, careful not to cause further damage to her already abused flesh. With each disconnection, the glowing formations around the chamber dimmed.


    "You can''t do this!" another elder shouted. "Her blood is the key! The ritual must bepleted!"


    I ignored him, focusing only on freeing Isabelle. When thest tube was removed, I turned my attention to the pir itself—the massive stone column anchoring the chains that had held her.


    With a roar that came from the depths of my soul, I mmed my fist into the pir. The stone cracked but held. I struck again, and again, pouring all my rage and pain into each blow. On the seventh strike, the pir shattered, fragments of stone exploding outward in all directions.


    Isabelle copsed forward into my arms, her body frail and light. I cradled her gently, checking for signs of life. Her pulse was weak but steady.


    "Liam..." she murmured, her eyes fluttering open. "You found me."


    "Always," I repeated, tears threatening to blur my vision. "I''ll always find you."


    More rms sounded throughout theplex. In the distance, I could hear the pounding of feet as reinforcements rushed toward the extraction chamber.


    Min-Li appeared at my side, her face pale with terror. "We need to leave now! The Military Lords will be here any moment!"


    I nodded, lifting Isabelle carefully into my arms. "Show me the quickest way out."


    "You can''t escape!" one of the remaining elders dered, raising his hands to form another attack. "Her blood belongs to the Guild!"


    Without setting Isabelle down, Ished out with a kick that connected with the elder''s chest. He flew across the chamber, crashing into the wall with enough force to crack the stone. He didn''t get up.


    "Anyone else want to try stopping us?" I asked, my voice deadly calm despite the rage still coursing through me.


    The remaining Guild members backed away, their earlier confidence shattered by the destruction I''d wrought. Twenty of their strongest guardsy dead, three elders defeated, and their precious ceremony ruined. None seemed eager to be the next to fall.


    Min-Li tugged urgently at my sleeve. "This way—there''s a direct passage to the lower levels."


    I followed her through a side door I hadn''t noticed before, still carrying Isabelle. The passage beyond was narrow but unguarded, clearly an emergency exit of some kind.


    "Stay with me, Isabelle," I whispered as we hurried down the passage. Her only response was a faint squeeze of her hand against my chest.


    Behind us, more rms sounded, and I could sense powerful auras gathering in the extraction chamber we''d just fled. The Military Lords had arrived.


    "How far to the exit?" I asked Min-Li as we descended a steep staircase.


    "Several levels down, there''s an emergency evacuation point," she replied, her voice shaking with fear. "If we can reach it, we can bypass most of the guards."


    We raced downward, the sounds of pursuit growing louder behind us. At one point, two guards appeared on the stairs below us. I didn''t break stride, simply kicking one into the other and sending both tumbling down the stairwell.


    Min-Li led us through a maze of passages, some so narrow I had to turn sideways while carrying Isabelle. Finally, we emerged onto a wide tform overlooking the main shaft we''d climbed earlier.


    "There!" Min-Li pointed to an opening across the chasm. "That leads to the outer cliff face. From there we can descend to the forest."


    The gap was at least twenty feet—too far to jump while carrying Isabelle. I nced back the way we''de, sensing our pursuers closing in.


    "Hold onto her," I told Min-Li, carefully transferring Isabelle to her. "I''ll go first, then you throw her to me."


    Min-Li''s eyes widened in rm. "Throw her? But she''s injured!"


    "It''s our only chance." I moved to the edge of the tform. "Be ready."


    Gathering my energy, I leaped across the chasm,nding solidly on the opposite tform. Turning immediately, I positioned myself to catch Isabelle.


    "Now!" I called.


    Min-Li hesitated, then carefully swung Isabelle''s limp form to build momentum. With a desperate heave, sheunched Isabelle across the gap. For a terrible moment, Isabelle''s body hung in the air, seemingly suspended between life and death.


    I lunged forward,