Heaving hard, Hui shifted the outer ring of the compass one last time. It clunked into place, and the entire platform began to hum. The black clouds swirling overhead twisted together into a wild tornado that whirled over Hui’s head. In the center of the feng shui compass, the red lines spread, opening into a circle. The tornado hovered over that circle, all the power funneling into the compass.

A thousand black threads spread out from the compass, touching every single person inside the barrier. Some threads quested beyond the barrier, but none could pierce it, save the ones that slid through the barrier’s crack. Hui’s mind split into a thousand pieces, each one following one of the black threads. His eyes blurred, and he fell against the compass. His mind trembled under the weight of controlling the threads. A mouthful of blood splattered over the compass. Cracks appeared all over his body, and blood soaked into his robes.

Hui shuddered and drew a breath, marshalling his wits. He swapped into his plant form, and the injuries closed up, but opened just as fast.

I can’t sustain this for long. This… isn’t something I should be doing. But there’s no choice!

Digging his fingers into the compass’ surface, he opened his third eye. The threads appeared before him, dancing on the wind. Hui lifted one hand off the compass and pointed at one of the threads, then one of the Starbound cultivators. One after another, his hand speeding until it became a flicker of light. One after another, threads connected to the cultivators all around him, tying them back to him.

The pillars darted up, circling around the sect. They marched three quarters of the way around now, and still more pushed into the sky with every passing moment. Hui glanced at them, then turned away and pressed on. No time for hesitation.

As the threads connected, images shot through his head. There was no time to process them, nor think. He let the thoughts flow through him.

Weak.

…dying, I’m dying, I’m…

—end? Can’t be. I won’t—

Master! Help!

A thousand thoughts. A thousand selves. All connected to him, unfiltered, nonstop. His sense of self eroded under the weight of the thoughts. They overloaded his sea of consciousness. Hui’s hand slowed. I… who…?

Zhubi reared up and licked his neck. Hui stirred slowly, his face twitching. He touched Zhubi, and his brows furrowed. I… that’s right, I…

Chen Wuya clicked his tongue. “You’re too weak. This spell should be able to ignore barriers, but…”

“Senior, spare me the commentary,” Hui grit through clenched teeth, sweat dripping down his face. He shook his head and scowled at himself. I almost lost myself there. If Chen Wuya hadn’t spoken, I…

Zhubi hissed, tongue flickering against Hui’s neck. Hui laughed and pet the snake. “That’s right. You helped, too.”

He took a deep breath. With his free hand, he drew a talisman on the air in front of him, then slapped his own forehead. The talisman inscribed itself over his face in glowing orange lines, as if burning embers glowed on his skin. The talisman burned, a low-level pain, but it held him to himself. His eyes narrowed, and he continued connecting the threads.

Hui held out his hand. Thousands of threads no one could see but him connected his hand to every Starbound Sect cultivator within and without the sect. At the far end, the strings turned white where they connected to the cultivators’ souls.

The pillars continued to spread. Eighty percent, ninety percent.

I am the sect, and the sect is me. Hui clenched his fist and simultaneously suppressed his cultivation to nothing, exuding an aura of death. Instantly, every cultivator began to fight back. His qi drained as they fought, surging out of his body. He swapped out of plant mode and caught his breath as his body withered from simultaneous blood loss and qi drain. In the space of a breath, he truly hovered on the verge of death, only a breath away from dying.

“Mount Mu!” Hui shouted.

Gold qi swirled up the trunk. Every single branch tip trembled with it, until gold leaves sprouted from the tree. The gold leaves shook, as if a great wind blew, then flew toward Hui. They sank into him, and his cultivation and body recovered. At the same time, he poured the power into the strings, forcing the cultivators on the other end to fall to the ground. In the distance, Starbound Sect cultivators crumpled.

Still the pillars marched on. Ninety-five. Ninety-six. Ninety-seven.

Sis Mei stiffened. She looked up toward the peak. “Hui?”

It’s me! Sis Mei, give in! I’m trying to help you! Hui shouted silently, unable to spare the breath for speaking.

Sis Mei stared at him for another moment, then closed her eyes. She fell to the ground.

Half of the Starbound Peak cultivators laid on the ground now. The remaining cultivators represented the strongest of Starbound Sect. Peak Lords, fourth and third stage cultivators, all manner of geniuses and powerhouses. Hui gasped. Despite the power flowing into him from Mount Mu, his body withered again. Strength fled him. He fell against the compass, barely holding onto consciousness. I'm… trying to help! Stop fighting!

Chen Wuya snorted. “I guess this is as far as you get. It was amusing watching you, junior, but ultimately, this is your limit, isn’t it?”

“No!” Hui shoved himself up. He threw his hand out to Mount Mu and released his hold on his cultivation, calling out to Mount Mu’s qi with all his might.

Mount Mu twitched. Its branches shook. Gold qi shook out of it like pollen, flew on the wind and rushed into Hui. Without holding a single scrap back, he threw the qi into the compass and continued to reach out, forcing the remaining cultivators to fall with all his might.

Ninety-eight.

The Jade Garden Peak Lord closed his eyes and slumped. The Cauldron Peak Lord followed him, toppling to her knees. Illusions flickered around the Butterfly Pavilion Peak Lord, and then she, too, fell.

Ninety-nine.

Hui swept his hand over the sect. All the cultivators beneath his palm fell. As the final pillar flew into the sky, Hui, too, fell.

One hundred.

Dead. Every single cultivator within the sect, dead!