Chapter 4: abandoned...

Lying on her side in a forest clearing, she felt the cold mix of mud and blood on her body while rain lashed against her pale, delicate face, each drop merging with the tears of pain and despair. 

Thunder echoed in the distance, its rumble the only sound in the otherwise suffocating silence of the unknown forest. Her life teetered on the edge; every slight movement brought waves of excruciating pain.

She could feel it, a majority of her ribs were shattered, her lung felt punctured, and a haunting numbness spread below her waist. She wondered if in this forsaken place, death was imminent.

As the rain masked her tears, she struggled to keep her eyes open, each second passed she felt the world around her getting quieter, eyelids inching closer and closer. 

She couldn't help but think "Is this what they call death…"

"how lonely..."

As she felt her vision slowly fade into nothing, memories of her life flashed past her, she felt nothing but sadness, there was nothing in her life to smile about.

"Father, I am going to the Sword Moon Sect disciple ceremony. I might not return for some time, so... I wanted to say goodbye." she had said, a fragile mix of hope and fear in her voice.

Her father, a formidable figure, sat on his throne with an air of indifference. His eyes, usually filled with disappointment when they met hers, contrasted starkly with the warmth he reserved for her elder sister. 

Yinling had always craved even a semblance of that affection, a simple acknowledgment of her worth. Yet all she received were cold, cutting words.

"Just remember, don't bring shame to us or the sect."

His voice was devoid of any fatherly warmth, each word a dismissal of her worth.

Clutching her fists tightly behind her back, her knuckles white from the strain, she bowed, masking the storm of emotions inside her.

"I understand, Father. I'll do my best." 

Her voice barely concealed the quiver of her unshed tears.

"Leave now. Don't be late for the ceremony," he had dismissed her, his tone sharp and unyielding.

Hearing her father's cold words was nothing new to her, having grown up hearing them for 17 years should have made her stronger… yet she could never get rid of the aching feeling she felt in her chest when hearing those words.

With a smile on her face, she bowed and turned around, any hope of having a relationship with her father broke. 

As she left, a part of her hoped for a final glance, a word of encouragement, something to cling to. But she was met with nothing but his silence.

She had flown away, her heart heavy, her spirit fractured. Once a cultivator reaches the Foundation Establishment realm they can use their energy to move their body in the air. 

2 weeks passed in her journey to the Moonlight Sect. The Moonlight Sect is very far, so far that it was located in another state entirely. Eternal Continent is split up into multiple domains with each domain split into thousands of states. Most states have a teleportation array connecting them to the local states in their area, this makes for faster travel and less time wasted.

The state she is headed for is dozens of states away. She purposefully chose a sect that is millions of miles away to get away from her "family".

The Moonlight sect is considered a high-level sect with speculation of it becoming a top-level sect. Top-level sects have a Dark Void powerhouse sitting in charge, low-level sects have a spiritual Pillar cultivator while high-level sects have a purple palace realm.

Night had enveloped the forest she was traveling in, pausing to rest, she threw out what appeared to be a blue gem similar to the one on her storage ring. Suddenly a house appeared, storage gems weren't just used for miscellaneous items.

Her senses, sharpened by her cultivation heard something move 50 meters away.

"Strange… I didn't see anyone following me so they should have just noticed me"

Rain started to pour down heavily, and thunder boomed in the background but none of this lessened her concentration on finding the enemy.

She scanned the surroundings. Nothing but the rain pelting the leaves, trees, and fauna. She blinked once – no one. She blinked again – a fist, mere inches from her face.

Dodging instinctively, she moved her head to the right, a fist stopping right at the place her head should have been.

BOOM

Looking at the fist centimeters away from her face, instinctively she looked back and discovered a trail of destroyed trees from the impact of this fist.

Fear enveloped her being, she had never been that close to death till now. The figure seeing her momentary distraction took the chance to swing his foot with full force hitting her solar plexus.

BOOM

she was sent flying through the air breaking tree upon tree causing the earth to shake from the sheer impact. 

Pain 

Pure agonizing pain was all she could feel, that hit alone broke practically all her ribs, and just that little distraction almost cost her her life. 

She tried to use her energy to stabilize herself mid-air but the pain was just too much, she was barely even able to stay conscious.

Sword still in hand, she failed to notice the assailant was not alone. Out from the woods, another humanoid figure ran up to her faster than she was sent flying.

His knee broke through the air almost as fast as the speed of sound and hit her spine full force.

SLAM

The blow sent a searing pain through her body, and her world erupted in agony. She screamed, her voice echoing through the forest, but her attackers seemed indifferent to her suffering.

Her body landed slowly but hit the ground with a thud, landing on mud in a U shape which the human body was never designed to do.

In a fleeting moment of clarity amid the pain, she realized her end was near. Going in and out of consciousness she realized her attackers were just enjoying watching her suffer, using a moment when they were talking to each other, she desperately used a teleportation talisman she acquired in a secret realm.

The world blurred, and then she was alone, in an unfamiliar forest, her body broken, her spirit on the brink of despair.

The relentless downpour made it close to impossible for her to see her surroundings, her eyes were losing the strength to stay awake, and she felt the life source inside of her leaving her body. 

By a stroke of luck, she was able to see a darker area near a cliff masked by the pouring rain. She knew there was no meaning but she clinged to what little hope she had. 

With her energy waning and options dwindling, she crawled towards it, each movement a battle against the pain wracking her body. "Just a bit further," she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible over the rain.

But as she reached the cave's mouth with her hand already on the other side, seeking shelter from the storm, a shadow loomed. A precise slash from an unseen assailant struck her, and the world faded to black amidst a searing pain.

Now, regaining consciousness in an unfamiliar place, her first instinct was to move. The realization that she was bound sparked a surge of panic. As her eyes opened to the sight of a stranger leaning over her, fear overwhelmed her, and a scream tore from her throat.