RIN

As the sun set, vanishing behind the towering frosted mountains, an orange glow painted the sky, its colors dimming by the hour.

Through the cold winds and frosted grounds, it had been over five hours since An Sun left the An campgrounds. After traveling for so long, the young man remained tenacious. If he continued forward without any stops he'd arrive back to the others by nightfall.

While traveling, An Sun struggled to suppress the uncomfortable distress in his heart. When he returned, he would need to inform them of his father's orders.

The night before, An Sun had stayed awake the majority of the night, thinking of a solution to the sudden dilemma he was faced with.

To keep his father and the rest of the clan's trust, he would need to kill Duyi Zhong. An Sun's brows creased, the displeasure that he felt within made his gaze grow darker and his hands tightened into fists.

It was the only way to ensure his plans succeeded…

Bzz…

An Sun's eyes narrowed dangerously and a sharp glint flashed by his deep gray eyes. Pulling on the reins of his horse, An Sun suddenly moved to the side, a faint and sharp coldness shooting past where he originally stood.

An icy storm brew in his eyes as his gaze turned in the direction of the sudden attacker.

Who was it that dare shoot at him?

The attacker hid within the trees, concealing their presence, but he could sense there was more than one. Someone must have sent them to kill him while his defenses were down.

An Sun hadn't needed to think twice before a certain figure appeared in his mind. An Sun's lips curled up slightly, his smile bore a trace of disdain.

Damn it, he should have known. To leave so easily without any mishaps, he had miscalculated the An Clan member's resentment toward him.

Another arrow shot in his direction and An Sun was quick to evade by jumping off his horse which avoided the arrow in a frenzy.

Landing on the frosty ground, An Sun raised his gaze and was met with a group of men in black armor rushing toward him, swords in their hands.

He was completely surrounded by them.

An Sun sneered. Pulling out his sword from his side, he didn't wait for them to approach as he assailed forward, confronting them head-on.

The first man to advance his way was immediately slaughtered, his iron sword cutting through his armor, into his flesh and bone as fresh blood sprayed onto the white terrain.

Seeing one of their men killed, the rest proceeded to attack without hesitation. As countless armored men rushed at him at a violent speed, An Sun's eyes hidden behind his silver overflowed with bloodlust.

More men continued to swarm around him but the young man remained standing, both his sword and silver armor had long been dyed red with blood.

The formerly white and pure grounds were covered in crimson liquid, the stench of blood permeated the air. The smell only seemed to arouse An Sun's bloodthirst as he severed through flesh and bones swiftly.

It was a full-on massacre!

"Kuaahhh!" Deafening cries of agony resounded all around the mountain path.

An Sun's advances were swift and smooth as he annihilated them off one by one. The man was an uncontrollable beast!

"To think you thought you could get rid of me so easily," His deep hellish voice sent chills down one's spine. "I'll kill every last one of you!"

Having been occupied by the black armored men, An Sun had overlooked the previous archer that attacked him. Hidden within the trees, the man sat by and watched as more of his men were slaughtered.

While An Sun was distracted by two of the men who were now fighting on their last breath, the archer raised his bow and pointed it at An Sun.

Slashing the man in front of him, a hum resounded in An Sun's ears. Before he had time to dodge, a violent pain suddenly spread throughout his shoulder. His jaw clenched down tightly as he suppressed a groan.

Staggering slightly, a flash of blackness came across his eyes. Glancing down, An Sun's face dimmed. An arrow had been shot into his shoulder.

Scarlet blood flowered to where the arrow pierced through and blood began gushing out from his wound. The man in front, seeing how An Sun had been shot, sneered and seized that moment to strike.

"You're dead now you little runt!"

Before the man had a chance to land an attack, An Sun's calm yet burning eyes raised up. The next moment, the man's head was cut off from his body, blood splattering onto the already red ground.

Those indifferent eyes of his swept across the field and up toward the trees. The archer seeing him panicked and quickly thought to escape.

He had to return and report to his master!

An Sun made no move to capture the man as he watched his back escape in the distance. Once he was out of sight, he could no longer suppress the mouthful of blood rushing up to his throat.

"Cough--! Cough--!"

A cold smile bloomed on his red lips, a trail of blood trickling down from a corner, "Damn, it hurts."

From the start, he had already been exhausted, but he put all his strength into every attack.

He'd never allow his life to end in the hands of the An Clan!

Regrettably, he had been too caught up with the men attacking him that he had overlooked the previous archer hidden within the trees.

Now with the arrow in his shoulder, An Sun felt his body had reached its limit - the strength he originally possessed sucked away.

Like before, a moment of blackness enveloped his vision and his body stumbled as he walked toward his black horse who hid behind the snow-covered trees.

Clenching his teeth, An Sun gathered up the strength to mount his horse. A searing shot of pain pierced through his shoulder and more blood poured out from his wound causing An Sun to groan loudly in pain.

"Shit…"

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he evened his erratic breathing. He clenched his fists tightly, trying to restrain and suppress the intense pain in his shoulder.

Despite the agony he was in, his eyes held no fear or panic, only a glint of sharp steadiness. Adjusting himself on his horse, An Sun raised his head and looked ahead with burning conviction.

Flicking his wrist, the black mount moved forward - drops of blood falling from the figure above it.