The Nightshade Clan is a mysterious and powerful tribe known for their mastery of shadow and darkness and are rivals of the Shi Clan.
Their cultivation technique, the Nightshade Blade, is feared across the surrounding tribes for its deadly precision and stealthy execution.
Their clan resides in a hidden valley surrounded by shadowed forests, where the light rarely penetrates, allowing them to hone their techniques in secrecy.
The Nightshade clan are often elusive, blending into their environment, and striking without warning.
Trace a member of the nightshade clan had eyes that held a chilling intensity, and his movements were fluid and precise.
Linen, another member of the clan, was equally dangerous, her skill with the Nightshade Blade unmatched.
She possessed a cunning mind and a ruthless streak that made her a formidable opponent.
"Leave now," Trace sneered, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade, "and maybe we'll let you crawl away with your lives."
Linen stepped forward, her eyes flickering with a predatory gleam.
"You're standing in our hunting grounds.
That spider belongs to us. If you don't hand it over..." She let the threat hang in the air, but the meaning was clear.
Kellan clenched his fists, anger flaring in his chest.
After everything he and Big Bone had gone through to survive the fight, now these vultures were trying to swoop in and take the kill from them.
Big Bone shifted beside him, his face grim with frustration. They had no intention of backing down.
"We killed the spider. It's ours," Kellan said firmly, stepping forward.
His voice was steady, but his mind raced.
Trace was at the 3rd level of the Blood Solidification realm, one realm higher than even him and Linen was also no pushover, being at the second level of the blood solidification realm.
It wouldn't be an easy fight, especially given the Nightshade Clan's infamous reputation for ambush tactics.
"You really think you're in a position to negotiate, kid?"
Trace laughed, his voice dripping with contempt.
"We'll take the spider, and then we'll take your lives if you don't get lost."
Linen's hand slid to her blade, her smile thin and dangerous.
"You might have killed the spider, but let's see how you fare against real warriors."
Without warning, Trace lunged at Kellan, his movements swift and nearly invisible in the dim light of the forest.
The blade surrounded by dark Qi sliced through the air with lethal precision, aimed straight for Kellan's throat.
Kellan barely dodged, his heart pounding and his eyes glowing golden.
He could feel the oppressive aura of Trace's blood Qi as the blade narrowly missed him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Linen darting toward Big Bone, her blade already drawn and glowing with dark energy.
"Big Bone, watch out!" Kellan shouted, but his warning came too late.
Linen's strike was already in motion, and Big Bone was forced to block with his arms, the impact sending him stumbling back.
The dark Qi from the blade began to seep into his skin, making his muscles twitch and slow.
"Fast, aren't they?" Linen grinned, her voice smooth as silk. "But you're slow. You won't last long."
Kellan gritted his teeth. He needed to think fast.
The Nightshade Clan's fighting style was like that of assassins—quick, deadly, and overwhelming.
He couldn't let them dictate the pace of the battle.
With a deep breath, Kellan focused on and gathered his temporal Qi, feeling the flow of time slow around him, giving him a moment of clarity.
"I'll take Trace. You handle Linen!"
Kellan shouted to Big Bone, who nodded, shaking off the numbing sensation in his arms.
Kellan surged forward, meeting Trace's next attack head-on.
The dark blade came down in a blur, but this time Kellan was ready.
With a burst of speed, he used his temporal Qi to accelerate his movements and sidestepped the strike and retaliated with a fist aimed directly at Trace's ribs, Temporal Qi surging through his arm.
The punch connected, and Trace let out a grunt, stumbling back from the force.
"You've got some fight in you after all," he spat, wiping blood from his lip. "But you're still dead."
Meanwhile, Big Bone roared as he charged at Linen, his arms coated in dark gray Qi strengthening his body while he deflected one with a punch, another blade cut into his arm, drawing blood.
He grimaced, using his Titan Refinement to channel more Qi into his muscles, but the dark energy was relentless.
Each strike from Linen forced him back, wearing down his defenses.
"I don't care who you are!" Big Bone bellowed. "You're not taking what's ours!"
Linen's eyes narrowed, and she slashed at Big Bone's arm, her blade leaving a deep cut.
Big Bone, grimaced in pain, his injuries stacking up but just as Linen prepared to deliver a finishing blow, Kellan concentrated, feeling time warp around him.
The world slowed, allowing him a split-second to react.
He then speed up and launched himself forward, using his accelerated movements to create an opening.
But even as he struck, Trace was waiting, shadow blades shimmering ominously in his grasp.
Kellan felt the bite of darkness as one of the blades sliced through his leg, causing him to stumble.
He tried to ignore the blood pooling around him.
The pain ignited a fire in his heart, and he pushed back against the encroaching shadows.
If he weren't so injured, he could turn this fight around.
And yet, he was scared. He and Big Bone were still kids.
This was the first time they had fought another human being, and it was even a fight to the death.
But he knew he couldn't hesitate, or they would be the ones dead.
"Finish them off!" Linen urged, his dark energy coiling menacingly around him.
The two Nightshade cultivators pressed forward, determined to end this skirmish.
Big Bone grunted, summoning every ounce of his Qi. "I won't let you take us down!"
He roared, his fists glowing with a dark gray aura.
But even as he launched a counterattack, Kellan could see the blood pouring out of his wounds.
Kellan fought to stay conscious, forcing himself to concentrate on the flow of time around him.
He could feel the threads of fate slipping, like their lives were on a knifes edge, and yet before he could think about anything else...
"Big Bone!" Kellan screamed out of the corner of his eye as he saw Big Bone being heavily injured by Linen, blades of shadow causing blood to spurt out of his chest and knocking him down.