The heat of the sun was unbearable. The waves of sand dunes seemed endless. Aaren was exhausted. She had been thrown out of the camp by the raiders and left to die in the desert. Yet four days had passed since then and she was still alive. She had the good luck of discovering a well during the first day and had used her vast internal energy to preserve her cool. Yet she was getting weaker by the moment. Her internal energy was being depleted and she felt grueling pain all over he body. Suddenly, she heard the sound of hooves. A moment later, she saw who the riders were; four elves. One of them was Almar.

"Good," she said. "The elves got the message." She was referring to the magic stone which Almar had given to Yuan and which he used to notify the elves just before being captured by the raiders.

Almar got off his horse and approached Aaren. "What happened? Where are the others?"

"Captured," Aaren said. "We were ambushed by desert raiders. They got them to their camp to work as slaves. We must get there immediately and save them. There is no time to lose. Although they are ignorant of the medallion, if they get their hands on it I fear for the worst."

"How far away is the camp?"

"It took me four days to come here, though I was tired and on foot. On horseback, I believe that the distance can be halved."

"Hop onto one of the horses. We must hurry."

Aaren hopped onto one of the horses. Then she and the elves rode forward. Their hoofs beat a steady pound over desert sand, the only sound around.

Harald and Ping were carrying wooden buckets of water, which they had filled in a nearby well, and returning back to the raiders' camp. They were being supervised by a raider armed with a whip. Both their hands and legs were cuffed with iron chains. They were sweating and their faces had an exhausted, dull expression. Yet they marched forward; if any of them stopped, the raider would immediately whip them.

"Why did I have to follow you...?" Ping whispered. "I was fine back in the forest..."

The raider immediately raised his whip and landed it on Ping's back. He screamed in pain.

"Walk and don't talk!" the raider barked.

Harald looked at the raider with intense hatred in his eyes. He fumed in anger and he was trembling with indignation but he did not talk. His frustration was a silent one. He knew that he had to endure until he had a chance to escape.

Dusk was falling and the sky grew darker by the moment. Yuan was on his way to princess Yesugen's yurt after a long day of work. He had washed her horses, an arduous if somewhat boring task. Now he was going to see if the princess had any other orders before going to his yurt to sleep; unlike other slaves, Yuan was afforded his own, albeit small, yurt. This was a privilege afforded to a selected few slaves who were in the service of the Khan and his immediate family. Although Yuan was privileged compared to the other slaves and able to roam more freely, he hadn't tried yet escaping; he knew that there were plenty of armed guardsmen across the camp. Although he was a skilled swordsman and had cultivated internal energy, Yuan understood that he could not take on an entire army on his own.

Upon entering her yurt, he saw the princess sitting on a silk mat and staring herself at a hand mirror; this was a luxury few could afford in this harsh environment. "Did you finish your task?" she asked

"Yes," Yuan replied.

"Good," Yesugen said as she got up. "I've wanted to ask you a question; I've seen that you have a medallion in your possession. It looks beautiful. Will you give it to me?"

Yuan's face got deathly pale. He couldn't afford to lose the Flaming Medallion; if he did all his journey and tribulations up to now would have been for nothing and the world could well be doomed. "This is a family heirloom, mistress. I plead you to allow me to keep it," he said as he bowed before her, hoping that his plea would change her mind.

"I couldn't care less," she sternly said. "You are my slave; my property. Whatever you owe is mine. So give me the medallion."

Yuan had to make a decision. If he fought back, he could easily overpower the princess but not the countless armed men in the camp. In that case, his mission would end up in failure. If he gave the medallion to Yesugen, there was a danger of losing it forever. He weighed for a brief moment those two options and decided to hand over the medallion; if he survived, he could always take it back another day.

It was a bright morning. Xiao and Nuan were galloping forward, heading towards White City, the south's great metropolis, where they would meet up with Yao. The city was walled; the wall was made of compressed earth blocks and surfaced with bricks. Towers were located at regular intervals along the wall and staffed with archers. The two Kunlun disciples approached the city's main gate. It was guarded by ten imperial soldiers. The commanding officer, seeing that the two of them were well dressed, allowed them to pass. As White City saw thousands of travelers of all kinds such as scholars, merchants, mercenaries and others going through its gates every day, the soldiers would only stop suspiciously looking individuals for search.

The two Kunlun disciples hopped off their horses and, leading them by their bridle, walked through the loud, crowded street. They could smell the curries, spices and herbs that merchants were selling and the fragrance of the delicious meals prepared in the crowded restaurants. White City was famous for its fine establishments, renown for offering to their costumers the best service, tastiest foods and greatest comfort. Xiao and Nuan walked towards one of those establishments, the 'Dragon Inn'. Upon seeing them, a smiling employee rushed towards them. "Greetings costumers. Please come inside, we have the best food in White City and the most comfortable rooms. Allow me to take your horses to our stable."

"Thank you," Xiao said. As he and his disciple walked into the inn, the employee took the horses by their bridles and led them to the inn's stable.

The inn was full of life. Crowds of people sat around tables, loudly talking and laughing. Xiao and Nuan saw Yao sitting in one of the tables, drinking a cup of wine. They walked towards him.

"Hello Brother Yao," Xiao said. "Haven't seen you in a long time."

Yao smiled. "Good to see you, though I hope you have changed your ways; I wouldn't want a lazy drunkard as my aide."

Xiao sighed. "I have changed but you are always the same strict and arrogant Yao..."

Yao laughed. "Indeed." He then noticed Nuan. "Who is she?"

"She is Xia Nuan, my disciple."

Nuan bowed slightly before Yao as a sign of respect. "I am honored to meet you." She had heard a lot about how Yao was the best disciple of Mount Kunlun.

"I can't say I envy you having a lazy drunkard as a teacher," Yao said. "Hope you are up for the challenge because while you two were traveling here, I made an important discovery."

"Do tell," Xiao said.

"I investigated the identity of those clad in black swordsmen I found massacred. They indeed belong to the Demonic Cult. That Demon I and Yang Jing faced on Fox Village wasn't being hyperbolic; they are back in full force. I've also discovered that a prominent young master in this city is a member of the cult."

"Who exactly?"

At that moment a tall young man with long black hair and a delicate face walked into the inn, followed by two servants. He was dressed in a white gown made from the finest silk. "Him," Yao said, pointing at the man. "His name is Ren Kun. He is the son of a wealthy merchant. He got a degree in the imperial examinations at a young age but turned down the offer for an office in the central administration; instead he chose to come back to White City and spend his time having fun. I don't know how he got recruited into the cult, but I learned that he has become a prominent member. If we get him to talk, we can find out the headquarters of the cult."

Young master Kun and his servants approached a table occupied by a company of three men. One his servants barked at them, "Get up! Don't you know that this table is where our young master likes to spend his time?"

Kun smiled. He bowed slightly and said, "forgive my servant, I haven't disciplined him enough. I usually sit in this table. I would not bother you but all other tables are occupied as the place is quite crowded. I am willing to pay you two gold ingots each if you give up your table."

"Two gold ingots?!" all tree men repeated. They gaped in astonishment. One of them got up and thanked the young master. The other two quickly did the same. The servants gave the three men their gold ingots and they got away. Then Kun sat on the table and ordered a cup of green tea.

"What a show-off!" Xiao said. "He just likes to show how rich he is and pretend that he is a nice person."

Yao chuckled. "You are just jealous that you don't have his money."

"Instead of joking around," Nuan interrupted, "shall we go ask him about his connections to the cult?"

"Indeed. We don't have time to waste," Yao replied.

The three of them approached Kun's table. One of the servants shouted, "what do you want?! Why do you bother our young master?"

Kun smiled. "No need to be so rude." He then turned to the three Kunlun disciples and said, "you may sit down if you want to. I can buy you some tea."

"No need," Xiao said. "We just want to ask you about your friends in the Demonic Cult."

Kun sipped his tea. "Excellent tea," he said. "Its taste is just perfect. You may want to try it."

"We aren't joking," Yao said as he unsheathed his sword. "We are disciples of Mount Kunlun."

Seeing the sword, one of the costumers screamed in fear and ran out of the inn. The others, noticing what was happening, panicked and began running away. One of the employees shouted, "don't fight! I will call the guards! Damn you!"

Kun sighed. "Why did you have to ruin the man's business? Don't they teach you self-control in Mount Kunlun?"

"They do teach us that," Yao replied, "but when the fate of the entire world is in danger, we cannot waste time on formalities."

Kun's two servants, armed with knives, leaped forward at the Kunlun disciples. The three disciples darted away, easily dodging the attack. Nuan drew her sword, feinted high towards the servant's eyes and then cut low, slashing the man's chest. The servant screamed in pain and let go of his knife. She then kicked him with a powerful back kick; the man fell backward and hit his head on the table. Meanwhile, the other servant was trying to cut down Xiao. He attacked wildly, slashing and stabbing. Xiao dodged his attacks and elbowed him in the face. The man cried out as blood flowed from his nose. Xiao found the chance to unsheathe his sword. He then struck at the man's left flank. The blade went in. Xiao then brought out his sword with a twisting motion. The servant made a cry and stumbled back; he collapsed on the floor.

Kun sighed. "I hate using violence but, unfortunately, you people leave me with no choice." He drunk his cup of green tea and got up. "All right. Let's get started."

Kun grabbed his cup and threw it at Yao. The Kunlun disciple moved swiftly his blade and with a single, precise move he cut the cup in half.

Kun clapped. "Excellent swordsmanship. I would love to demonstrate you my sword skills but unfortunately, I do not have a blade with me."

"Nuan," Yao said, "give him your sword."

"But he is an enemy!" Nuan protested.

"Indeed," Yao replied, "but Kunlun disciples are known for being fair. We cannot fight an unarmed opponent."

Nuan complied and threw her sword at Kun. He grabbed it and said, "nice sword."

Kun swung his blade at Yao. The Kunlun swordsman leaped backward and then struck back with short, quick motions. Kun parried those attacks with relative ease. He grinned. "Now, that is a good fight!"

Xiao was going to intervene but Yao stopped him. "This is a fight between me and him."

Xiao sighed but nodded his head in agreement. He knew that Yao was very prideful and didn't want any help. So Xiao simply sat back and watched the two men exchange blows.

Kun slashed high at Yao from right to left. Yao grabbed Kun's hand with his left hand while his sword slashed across Kun's chest. Kun reacted by kicking Yao's jaw, pushing him backward. Yao fell on the floor and spit some blood but he ignored his injury; he got up and slashed his sword at Kun's head. Kun swiftly swung his sword upwards and the two blades collided. A loud sound was heard. The two blades clashed again.

"This is getting exciting..." Kun said. "It's been a long time since I had such a competent opponent."

"Likewise," Yao replied.

Yao somersaulted, landed behind Kun and struck with his sword. Kun was taken by surprise and was slow to react; he was barely able to parry the attack. Yao slashed again, this time more forcefully, forcing Kun on the defensive. He then fainted an attack on Kun's chest. As Kun tried to parry the attack, Yao swiftly moved his blade upward and brought it to Kun's neck. Kun was barely able to dodge the slash but his neck was slightly cut; it was only a minor cut but Kun knew it could have been far worse had he not moved as quickly as he did. Yao kicked Kun's right knee and he fell on the ground. As Kun got up, he saw Yao slashing at him. He tried to parry the attack but Yao's strike was too forceful and Kun's sword fell off his hand. Unarmed and with Yao's blade on his neck, Kun had no choice but to admit defeat.

"I admit my defeat," Kun said and let out a sigh of disappointment.

"Finally!" Xiao exclaimed. He had gotten bored of standing back and doing nothing. "Can you now tell us about your friends in the Demonic Cult?"

Kun laughed. "You may call them demonic but they care about the people more than you do. This world is an unjust one. The emperor has no interest in governing, his chancellor is a corrupt and vengeful man, powerful officials can oppress the people with impunity and you remain secluded in your sects, doing nothing unless one of you is hurt. You don't care for the common people. This world deserves to burn to the ground. When the Dark Lord is revived, he will destroy this unjust world and bring an era of justice and piousness."

Xiao had to admit that sometimes he wished the Orthodox Sects or the Celestial Court could take some more direct action against imperial officials who abused their powers yet he understood that the Jade Emperor wasn't going to withdraw his heavenly mandate just yet as doing so would cause war and mass suffering. The Grandmasters of the Orthodox Sects were of the same mind; they wished for a reform in the imperial court as an all-out war would cause destruction on a scale unseen in centuries.

"You think resurrecting a power-hungry immortal who cared only about power is going to help the people?" Yao asked. "Or do you think the mass destruction he is going to inflict will improve their lives? Will you be kind enough to tell us about your friends?"

Kun clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "No!"

Yao hit Kun's head with the hilt of his sword, breaking his nose. "Wrong answer."

As Kun did not reply, Yao hit him again. Kun cried out in pain. "Alright! I will tell you. Zhongqihar. That's where their headquarters are."

Zhongqihar was a coastal town on the southern shore. Most of its inhabitants were fishermen and sailors. Yao had visited it once before but it did not make much of an impression on him.

"Good," Yao said. "Thanks for your cooperation." He then knocked him out with a punch on the face. "We must get going; the guards are going to be here at any moment."

Nuan picked up her sword and then the three of them rushed out of the inn. They run to the stables and hopped onto their horses. As they galloped forward, they saw a brigade of imperial soldiers running towards the inn. They had escaped just in time.

It was early in the morning of the next day. Aaren and the elves had reached the raider's camp. They overlooked it from a sand dune, making sure that they were not seen by the tribe's guards. For a settlement in the midst of the desert, it was an impressive sight. Wooden palisades encircled a settlement of tens of yurts. Most of the men and women were armed. Only the toughest could survive in such a harsh environment. Most of the men and plenty of the women had seen action more than once and were battle-hardened.

"There are too many soldiers," Almar said. "We cannot hope to take on all of them."

"Indeed," Aaren replied. "One of you will need to create the distraction while the rest of us sneak into the camp and rescue Yuan and the others."

Almar nodded in agreement. He pointed at one of the other three elves and said, "you will be the one responsible for distracting the raiders."

The elf headed towards the camp. Approaching it, he used his internal energy to create a bolt of fire and throw it at one of the yurts, setting it aflame. This alerted everyone in the camp to his presence. The men nearest to him grabbed their swords and charged at him while shouting at the top of their lungs, "we are under attack!"

The elf used his internal energy to channel lightning at them. Violent electrical current pulsed through the raiders, electrocuting them to death. Yet more and more of them were charging at him and the elf's internal energy was beginning to get depleted.

Seeing the chaos the elf caused, Aaren said, "now is a good time to sneak into the camp."

Almar nodded in agreement. Then he, Aaren and the other two elves used the distraction to stealthily walk into the camp. As they passed through yurts, trying to remain unseen, they saw Harald and Ping chained on a wooden pole. Both of them were sweating and looked exhausted. The elves and Aaren approached the two men. Almar channeled his internal energy into his hands and broke the chains with a swift move.

"I've never been happier to see you!" Ping exclaimed with a wide grin on his face. Although he resented having to follow Yuan, Aaren and the others in their 'crazy quest', as he called it, he preferred that to being a slave to the raiders.

"We need to save brother Yuan," Harald said.

"Where is he?" Aaren asked.

"He has been given to Princess Yesugen as a slave. He must be in her yurt."

Harald led Aaren and the others to the princess' yurt. Outside of the yurt were four guardsmen, all sturdy and armed with axes. Seeing the intruders, they charged at them with chilling war cries but the elves used their internal energy to send invincible energy waves that pushed them aside. Harald rushed at one of them and before he could get up, he grabbed his axe and used it against him, chopping off the guardsman's head.

"At last!" Harald exclaimed. "I missed holding an axe in my hands."

The other guardsmen, still dizzy from the energy wave that hit them, got up and slowly approached Harald. One of them tried to hit him but Harald moved to the right, dodging the attack, and then swung his axe at the guardsman's body, cutting deep into his flesh. The man cried out and then fell backward sprawling on the ground. The other two remaining guardsmen charged but Almar intervened; he channeled his internal energy into his hands, creating bolts of fire, and threw them at the two men. They two guardsmen were set ablaze and screamed in pain as they were being burned alive.

"Let's get inside!" Harald said. He and the others rushed into the yurt to find Yuan holding the medallion in his hands and holding a knife on Yesugen's neck.

"What took you so long?" Yuan smilingly said.

"Brother!" Harald exclaimed with a wide grin on his face. "Good to see you."

"I see you've managed to free yourself," Almar said.

"Only because you took care of the guardsmen," Yuan replied. "While you were taking care of the guards, I found the chance to grab the princess' knife and take her hostage. Now we can escape."

"Indeed," Aaren said. "We should hurry. Even if we have the princess as a hostage, an escape isn't guaranteed. We need to leave at once."

"We must first save Hua."

"Why do you care? She will be one less burden for our journey."

"She has been helpful through this journey and... I owe her. Her chief lieutenant saved my life when the imperial soldiers were about to kill me, so I cannot abandon her here."

"Fine..." Aaren said and sighed.

Yuan moved out of the yurt, still holding the princess hostage, along with his other companions. Before them were tens of warriors and Khan Khongkhai himself.

"If you do not let my daughter go," the Khan said, "I will boil you alive!"

"We can arrange an exchange," Yuan replied. "Free Hua and I will return to you your daughter."

The Khan was trembling with anger. He was being blackmailed by a slave. Yet he had little choice. "Fine," he said. He then turned to a servant and told him, "bring Hua here."

A moment later the servant returned with Hua. "She is here," the Khan said. "We can exchange prisoners in three, two, one..."

He then threw Hua at Yuan while Yuan threw Yesugen at the Khan.

"You've got the medallion, right?" Hua asked.

"Yes, of course I've got it," Yuan replied. "No need to thank me for saving you."

"I could have saved myself, you know. My swordsmanship is better than yours."

"Can we focus on the fact that we are still in the midst of an enemy camp?" Ping interrupted.

With his daughter safe, the Khan barked, "you will all die! Attack them, men!"

Almar and the other two elves used their internal energy to create an energy shield that repulsed the raiders; it was as if they were charging at a wall.

"Maintain the shield!" Almar said to his subordinates. He then turned to Yuan and said, "we need to escape. My warriors will hold back the raiders long enough for us to leave."

"But they won't survive!"

Almar sighed. "I know that. As I've told you in our last meeting, every single one of us is prepared to risk death in order to regain the favor of the Gods in Heavens. You are the One who will allow my people to return back to the surface, so they are glad to die so that you can be saved."

"Let's get going," Ping said. "There is time for discussion once we are out of this camp."

Yuan nodded in agreement. "Follow me. I know where the Khan's best horses are."

Yuan led the others to the Khan's best horses; they were enclosed by a short wooden fence. Yuan and his co-travelers jumped through the fence and hopped onto the horses. They then made their way out of the camp, galloping forward as fast as they could, leaving plumes of dust in their wake.