Ye Tian saw the bright blue flares rising to the sky in the distance. The young master with a good sense for trouble had already left the Ye Residence and reached the coast in the south. Standing at the coast, he saw the blue flares for the first time.
As far as he knew, it was the first for many, as the last time these flares were used was 130 years ago. Despite that, their meaning was known to everyone living in the estate. An extinction-level threat that needed the whole family to mobilize, while anyone incapable of battle had to be evacuated.
"Shit, are they serious? An extinction-level threat?! I have to hurry," he thought to himself. Originally, he thought to escape during the commotion. Nobody would ask any questions because one of the many collateral family members vanished.
The situation had changed now, because the evacuation of non-combatants would take the same path as him to escape: the sea. He had to hurry so he wouldn't be caught up in the evacuation. If they found him out here, he would have a lot of explaining to do and would probably face punishment.
Just what fool would fire the blue flares? Did they even know anything about the Southern Ye Family? The Ye Family had 13 official combat squads. The average level of the combat squads ranged from Peak Golden Core as a minimum to Peak Nascent Soul Ream at the maximum, with the average being beginner stage Nascent Soul.
In addition, the 21 auxiliary family leaders each had their own official combat squads and private forces that did not fall behind those of the main clan in quality or size. There were at least 700 Nascent Soul Cultivators in the family, just counting the ones employed in the combat squats.
And these squads were backed up by squads over squads of warriors in the Golden Core Realm at a minimum. Apart from the combat squads, there were the family members led by the elders. There were 9 elders of the family, the 3 guest elders, the family head, and the 21 auxiliary family leaders with their personal advisers.
All of them were at least in the Spirit Severing Realm, with some old even reaching the Dao Seeking Realm. Even if an immortal came trudging along, they would think thrice of touching the Ye Family, just what fool would fire the goddamn blue flares!?
Raging and cursing under his breath, Ye Tian brought out a small shuttle that could act as a boat, but could also fly for a period of time. It was his most precious possession, something his late mother left behind for him in secret.
Still cursing the fool that cried wolf, the boarded his shuttle and drove out to the open sea, before taking a turn and traveling along the coast. The sea was dangerous, too. Even one of the Nascent Soul Realm.
...
His eyelids fluttered, unable to see anything. Inhumane screams and cries of fear woke Ye Man De up from the warm darkness that gifted him comfort. Consciousness greeted him with unbearable pain that clouded his mind.
Reality hurt, but it meant he was not dead. His whole left side hurt, and he could feel his own hot blood gushing down his side and over his thigh. His left arm wouldn't move, and his right arm was missing a hand. Still, as the only thing able to move, the stump started reaching for his belt. However, he couldn't find the pouch, or his belt for that matter.
He wore a storage ring on his left hand, but he didn't know whether his left arm was even with him. He was barely in a state to extend his divine sense... Finally, the stump reached for his right ear. At least that was still there, as he felt the bare flesh touch it.
There on his right ear was a rare storage ear cuff. Rubbing it with the stump, he used all of his focus to activate the cuff with his divine sense and bring out a healing pill. It was about to fall. His heart raced. He hurriedly pressed it against his ear with his stump.
A sudden fit of drowsiness hit him again, probably because of the blood loss. He had to get it together. He would die here if he didn't eat the pill. Maybe he would anyway, but he had to try! He wasn't ready to give up his life, yet.
Ye Man De knew some telekinesis, but there was no way to use it in his current state. Like a savage, he used the stump of his severed hand to push the pill from his ear, along his cheek toward his gaping mouth. He might be ready to end his live of there was a witness to this act, but for now, he succeeded in swallowing the healing pill.
Its soothing power flowed down his throat and traveled along his energy passages to every corner of his body, supporting his healing. The first thing he gained was clear sight and a calmer mind. Despite the pain, he could turn his focus to grasp his situation.
Ye Man De was buried in rubble. There was some twilight, thanks to the light falling in through the gaps. Before he could properly grasp it, he got some additional pain, as he felt his left arm again, which was broken and stuck in the surrounding rubble.
Only his head, torso, and right arm were free inside a small pocket created from jammed pieces of the warehouse. As the healing pill took action, he gained the calm of mind to look at his left side, or what was left of it.
His left side was a bloody mess, but also the explanation for why he survived. Although he was close to death, his heart, head, and dantian were okay. The archer had missed his most important vitals. Ye Man De repeated the undignified process of shoving a healing pill into his mouth.
In his current state, he would soon recover. Yes, with the support of the second healing pill, he began circulating his true essence through what was left of his body and quickly regenerated. Yes, he would survive. He would get out of this. The combat squads and the elder would take action! The blue flares were lit. he would survive!
He kept repeating this in his mind and focused on his energy to drown out the dampened sounds reaching him from the outside. The mighty cultivator at the peak of the Golden Core Realm had to listen helplessly to men begging for mercy, crying for their mothers, as well as their painful screams, as whoever they were facing didn't show them any regard at all.
His body healed as his mental state slowly crumbled, facing the unimaginable horror reaching him with sound alone. The wound on his left stopped bleeding and even healed over. Even the pain in his arm subsided. However, Ye Man De now faced a serious question.
Did he really want to leave his hole? The outside had fallen silent. He could still hear the distant noise of battle, but there was nothing in the immediate vicinity. Could he trust this silence? Did it mean the danger was gone... or was it that any nearby allies had simply been wiped out?
For now, he freed his left arm, pulling it into the same pocket as his upper body, then he began freeing his legs. Then he waited again. Distant battle noise, nothing else. Deciding to risk a peek, he got closer to the gaps where light fell in. Nothing.
The pieces of the outside he was able to spot were desolate. It seemed like the storm had truly moved on. Carefully, not to reopen his wounds, he started making his way out of his little bubble in the rubble.
Another moment that would make him wish for death when someone saw him like this was when he laboriously crawled out from his little burrow, caked in dust, dirt, and dried blood. But he had little time to care for that, as his hands touched the ground outside, which was soaked in blood.
The vicinity was marred with signs of battle and destruction. The north gate was completely gone. Everything was painted red with blood, but no bodies could be seen. Having reached the outside, the noise of battle sounded much closer.
"Heavens..."