The Forbidden Heir in This Cultivation World

The oppressive silence of the Wailing Horizon faded as Tarezuchi and his companions pushed forward, leaving the cursed battlefield behind. Yet, the air felt no lighter. The unease clung to them like a second skin, and every step seemed to draw them closer to some unseen precipice.

Ryomi walked ahead, her burn hastily wrapped with a strip of cloth torn from Akiyo's cloak. Though her expression was stoic, her sharp gaze darted to every shadow, every rustle of the wind. Kaida followed, his hands resting on his swords, his shoulders tense as if ready for an attack at any moment. Akiyo, normally brimming with confidence, walked in silence, his warhammer slung over his shoulder.

Tarezuchi trailed behind, the weight of the Flameheart pendant pressing against his chest. Its heat had cooled since the battle, but he could still feel its faint pulse, like a second heartbeat. He couldn't shake the image of the cloaked figure's masked face or the cryptic warning that lingered in his mind.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Kaida finally broke the silence, his tone sharp as he addressed Ryomi.

Ryomi didn't turn around. "Away from here. That's all that matters."

"That's not a plan," Kaida retorted. "We're blindly walking into the unknown. For all we know, we're heading straight into another trap."

Akiyo sighed. "Would you rather stay back there with the wailing spirits? I'll take the unknown over more of those shadows any day."

Kaida scowled but didn't argue further.

Tarezuchi hesitated before speaking. "Ryomi's right. We need distance. If that figure wanted to follow us, they would've already. For now, we should focus on regrouping and finding shelter."

Kaida shot him a glance but relented with a grunt.

The group pressed on, the landscape shifting from the barren desolation of the Wailing Horizon to rolling hills covered in sparse, withered grass. The faint cries of the horizon were replaced by an eerie stillness, broken only by the occasional gust of wind.

It was Ryomi who first noticed the faint traces of smoke on the horizon. She held up a hand, signaling the group to stop.

"Smoke," she said, pointing. "Could be a camp. Or worse."

Kaida squinted, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "If it's a camp, it might mean supplies or information. If it's worse, at least we'll know what we're up against."

Akiyo chuckled darkly. "Always the optimist, Kaida."

Tarezuchi frowned, his gaze fixed on the smoke. "We should approach carefully. If it's the Ryokumo or their allies, we can't risk another fight so soon."

Ryomi nodded. "Agreed. Let's move quietly and stick together."

---

As they drew closer, the source of the smoke became clearer. It wasn't a camp but a village—or what remained of one. The houses were little more than charred husks, their frames blackened and crumbling. The air was thick with the acrid stench of burned wood and something far more unsettling.

The group slowed, their weapons at the ready as they entered the ruins. Ash coated the ground, and the remnants of the village were eerily silent, save for the faint crackle of embers that still clung to life.

"What happened here?" Akiyo muttered, his deep voice subdued.

Kaida knelt by a pile of rubble, sifting through the ash with his gloved hand. "This wasn't an accident. The fire was deliberate."

Ryomi's eyes narrowed as she scanned the wreckage. "No bodies. Whoever did this either took the villagers or left nothing behind."

Tarezuchi felt a chill crawl up his spine. He could sense it—the faint traces of malevolent energy lingering in the air. It was the same presence he had felt on the Wailing Horizon.

"The Ryokumo," he said softly.

Kaida stood, his expression dark. "Seems like their handiwork. But why burn an entire village?"

Ryomi's lips pressed into a thin line. "Fear. Control. They don't need a reason beyond that."

Akiyo tightened his grip on his warhammer. "If they're still nearby—"

A sudden noise cut him off—a faint rustling from one of the ruined buildings. The group tensed, their weapons drawn as they turned toward the sound.

"Who's there?" Ryomi called out, her voice sharp.

There was no response, only more rustling.

Kaida