Outside the domain,
The atmosphere was tense. The four masters had surrounded Ling Xuan, who was bleeding heavily.
Ren Tai, the most composed of the group, stepped forward, his voice low and final. "Stand proud, Ling Xuan. You were strong."
But Ling Xuan, on his knees and seemingly defeated, mumbled a single word. "No."
Zhou Qianfeng, filled with contempt, snorted as he pushed past Ren Tai, determined to finish Ling Xuan himself. "Die!" Zhou Qianfeng roared, raising his saber high, ready to cleave Ling Xuan's head from his shoulders.
WHOOSH!
As the saber descended, Ling Xuan's eyes suddenly gleamed with a dangerous light.
"Now!" Ling Xuan's hand shot up, gripping Zhou Qianfeng's wrist with a vice-like grip.
Qi Devour!
Before Zhou Qianfeng could react, his Qi was being forcefully syphoned into Ling Xuan, who wasted no time in converting the stolen energy into his own. With a swift motion, Ling Xuan pulled Zhou Qianfeng closer and unleashed a devastating punch.
All of Ling Xuan's 172 meridians synchronised, absorbing and cycling the Qi through his body. His Potential Transmutation Art generated an immense amount of kinetic energy, all of which converged into his fist.
Crimson Thunder Obliteration + Crimson Void Barrage - Fusion Art: Crimson Thunder Void Obliteration!
BOOM!
The very space around them trembled as Ling Xuan's attack connected with Zhou Qianfeng's abdomen.
BANG!
Where Zhou Qianfeng's stomach had once been, there was now only a gaping hole. His life force drained rapidly, and he crumpled to the ground.
"Zhou Qianfeng!" Ren Tai shouted, rushing forward in shock, but it was too late. The damage had been done.
Ling Xuan, ever quick, capitalised on the chaos. He activated his trump card—Martial Ghost Fang!
In an instant, Ling Xuan vanished from the perception of the remaining three masters.
"What!" Xuehua gasped in disbelief, her eyes darting around for any sign of him.
"He has disappeared!" Ou Yezhi muttered, his senses straining to detect Ling Xuan's presence.
BOOM!
Ren Tai swung his weapon in a wide arc, hoping to hit Ling Xuan, but his attack only cut through empty air.
"Where are you!" Ren Tai roared, frustration mounting.
"Here, you bastard!" Ling Xuan's voice rang out as he suddenly reappeared behind Xuehua, his fist already in motion.
Crimson Thunder Obliteration + Crimson Void Barrage - Fusion Art: Crimson Thunder Void Obliteration!
BOOM!
Xuehua's head exploded in a gruesome spray of blood and gore, and Ling Xuan wasted no time in syphoning her Qi into himself. His power surged once again, revitalising him in an instant. Before Ren Tai could strike back, Ling Xuan vanished from their perception, using Martial Ghost Fang
"You dare!" Ou Yezhi shouted, fury driving him forward as he lunged at where Ling Xuan had been. But he was too late—Ling Xuan had already slipped away, disappearing into the shadows.
Ren Tai gritted his teeth. Just moments ago, all four of them had stood together, united in their strength. Now, only two remained, the others reduced to lifeless husks.
"Ren Tai, we have to stay calm!" Ou Yezhi called out, his voice trembling with urgency as he cautiously approached Ren Tai. The air was thick with tension, the smell of blood and death clinging to the surroundings like a shroud.
But Ren Tai barely heard him, his mind clouded by rage. He gripped his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white, the veins in his neck pulsing with fury. Before he could respond, a soft, chilling whisper echoed through the air.
"No, you don't…"
Ren Tai spun around, his heart pounding in his chest, only to witness the horrifying sight of Ou Yezhi's body collapsing to the ground—headless. Blood sprayed from the stump of his neck, staining the earth beneath him.
"No, not you too!" Ren Tai's thoughts raced as horror overtook him. He staggered back, his legs trembling as despair clawed at his insides.
"Where the hell are you, you fucker?!" Ren Tai roared into the void, his voice ragged, eyes bloodshot, wrath boiling over into every fiber of his being.
"Here," a calm voice responded.
Ling Xuan emerged from the shadows, his steps unhurried, his presence a stark contrast to Ren Tai's ferocity. His expression was serene, almost indifferent, as he walked toward the raging man.
"You!" Ren Tai roared once more, his fury now directed at the source of his torment. Like a feral beast, he pounced toward Ling Xuan, every muscle in his body coiled with violent intent.
But Ling Xuan remained unfazed. He continued to stride forward, his eyes locked on Ren Tai's with an eerie calmness that only served to infuriate Ren Tai further.
"Aghhhhhhh!" Ren Tai's roar echoed through the battlefield as he swung his fist with all his might, aiming to obliterate the man who had taken everything from him.
At that exact moment, Ling Xuan moved. His fist shot out with terrifying speed and precision, meeting Ren Tai's strike head-on.
BOOM!
A deafening shockwave rippled outward from the collision of their fists, shaking the ground and scattering debris. For a heartbeat, everything stood still. Neither Ling Xuan nor Ren Tai moved, their bodies locked in place as the impact reverberated through the air.
Then, suddenly—
BANG!
Ren Tai's arm exploded in a shower of blood and shattered bone. He staggered, his face twisting in pain and disbelief as he stared at the mangled stump where his arm had been.
"I'm not done," Ling Xuan's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion, as he thrust his fist forward once more—this time aiming straight for Ren Tai's chest.
BOOM!
Ren Tai's chest caved in under the force of the blow. His sternum shattered, ribs splintering as Ling Xuan's fist tore through his flesh and bone. Blood gushed from the wound, drenching the earth beneath them. Despite the mortal injury, Ren Tai's expression remained feral, his eyes wide with unyielding defiance.
But his body betrayed him. He took one step back, then another, and another—until finally—
THUD!
Ren Tai collapsed to the ground, his strength leaving him, life slipping away with each shallow breath. The world around him blurred, the sounds of battle fading into a distant hum.
"I… lost…" Ren Tai mumbled, the realization cutting through the haze of his mind like a blade.
Ling Xuan stood over him, his gaze impassive. "Indeed, you did. However, I must commend you. I didn't expect you to be able to merge with those weapons and recover so quickly. That Ou Yezhi was clever, but in the end, he was far too weak. Still, you did well, Ren Tai." His words were clinical, detached, as if he were merely observing the aftermath of a trivial event.
Ren Tai could barely comprehend them. His thoughts drifted to his comrades—their lifeless bodies scattered around him. Their once powerful forms now shrivelled and dry, drained of every ounce of essence, just like his son's corpse had been.
A sudden, dreadful clarity washed over Ren Tai as his gaze lingered on their twisted remains. The pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place.
"So… it was you…" His thoughts were slow, heavy, as the truth settled in. His eyes widened in horror and regret. How had he not seen it sooner?
"Forgive me… Son… Your father… has failed…" Ren Tai's final, whispered words escaped his lips as darkness closed in, his vision fading to black. His body went limp, his spirit departing, leaving behind only the husk of a warrior who had fought and lost.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Well, that's that." Ling Xuan heaved a sigh of relaxation, letting his body fall to the ground beside Ren Tai's lifeless form. The battlefield was eerily quiet now, the clamour of combat reduced to distant echoes. He leaned back, propping himself up on his elbows as he gazed up at the black sphere in the sky. It trembled occasionally, dark energy swirling within, a sign that the battle above still raged on.
"I guess now I just have to wait for that to be over," he muttered to himself, eyes fixed on the ominous sphere. The anticipation gnawed at him, but for now, all he could do was bide his time.
Ling Xuan's mind wandered as he replayed the events of the battle. "Using Qi Devour along with Martial Ghost Fang… Impressive." He smirked to himself, appreciating the synergy of the two techniques. Martial Ghost Fang, after all, was a skill that demanded a heavy toll. It had no set duration, no fixed limit—it was driven solely by how much of the user's mental state they were willing to sacrifice. The more you pushed, the more it consumed.
But Ling Xuan had found a loophole—using Qi to stabilise his mental faculties. That, combined with Qi Devour, made him nearly unstoppable. Qi Devour, due to the extensive network of meridians within his body, allowed him to syphon immense amounts of Qi from others. It made quick work of even Masters, draining them dry in an instant. That, in turn, fed Martial Ghost Fang, letting him sustain it far longer than anyone else could hope to.
"Unfortunately, all of it has been used up." Ling Xuan sighed, feeling the emptiness where his once vast reserves of Qi had been. He didn't feel too bad about it, though. In the grand scheme of things, his mental state mattered more than the temporary loss of Qi. Replenishing it wouldn't be a problem—not with The Dragon Emperor. The Strongest Being in the World would surely have more than enough Qi to spare, perhaps even enough to help him fully forge The Serpent Pathway and finally begin The Tiger Pathway.
As these thoughts lingered, Ling Xuan closed his eyes for a moment, allowing himself a brief respite. The ground beneath him, still warm from the recent battle, seemed to soothe his weary bones. But his relaxation was short-lived.
Suddenly the earth beneath his feet trembled as the Great Sphere above Ling Xuan's head contorted a bit before returning to its original constant state of immoving.
"What the hell is going up there?" Ling Xuan wondered.