The night outside the temple was calm, almost deceptively so, as if the world itself had taken a moment to breathe in the wake of the chaos. Snow still blanketed the mountains, casting the landscape in a peaceful, silvery glow. But inside the temple, the air was charged with an energy that had nothing to do with the battles they had fought.
Lan Yue's lips tingled from the kiss she had just shared with Li Feng, her body still buzzing with the intensity of the moment. It had been impulsive, reckless even—but in that instant, she had felt more alive than she had in years. For so long, she had suppressed her emotions, hiding behind her duty to the White Lotus Clan and the responsibility that came with it. But here, with Li Feng, all those walls had crumbled.
She could still feel the warmth of his body against hers, the strength of his arms as he had pulled her close. The kiss had been a moment of vulnerability, a brief escape from the darkness that surrounded them, but now that the moment had passed, reality came rushing back.
Lan Yue stepped back, her breath coming in shallow gasps, her heart racing in her chest. She looked up at Li Feng, his dark eyes unreadable, though the tension between them still simmered just beneath the surface.
"I... I shouldn't have," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I—"
Li Feng raised a hand, silencing her. His expression softened, and for the first time since they had met, she saw something other than cold calculation in his eyes. There was a warmth there, a tenderness that took her by surprise.
"Don't," he said softly, his voice low and steady. "Don't apologize."
Lan Yue's heart skipped a beat, her throat tightening as she searched his face for answers she wasn't sure she was ready for. They had been enemies once, rivals bound by the bloody history of their clans. And yet, here they stood, drawn to each other by something neither of them could fully understand.
"But we shouldn't—" Lan Yue began, but Li Feng cut her off again, this time with a shake of his head.
"I know what we're supposed to be," he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "But this... this is something else."
Lan Yue swallowed hard, her mind racing. She wanted to believe him, wanted to let herself give in to the pull she felt toward him. But there were so many reasons why they couldn't, so many obstacles that stood in their way.
"The war... our clans," she said, her voice faltering. "Everything that's happening—"
Li Feng stepped closer, his hand gently cupping her cheek, and the warmth of his touch sent a shiver down her spine.
"We'll figure it out," he said quietly, his gaze intense. "But right now, none of that matters."
For a moment, Lan Yue allowed herself to believe him. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, the weight of the world falling away as she let herself be vulnerable, just this once.
But the moment was short-lived.
A loud crash echoed through the temple, followed by the sound of stone crumbling and voices shouting in alarm. Lan Yue and Li Feng sprang apart, their hands flying to their weapons as they turned toward the sound.
The main hall of the temple had erupted into chaos once again. The walls trembled, dust and debris falling from the ceiling as the ground beneath them shook. Shadowy figures moved in the darkness, their twisted forms barely visible in the dim light.
"The Shadowborn!" Li Feng growled, his spear crackling with dark qi as he prepared to face the onslaught.
Lan Yue's grip tightened on her sword, the blade glowing faintly with the power of the Lotus Flame. Her heart raced, not just from the impending battle but from the remnants of the moment she had just shared with Li Feng. She pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand. There would be time to think about that later—if they survived.
"They're back already," Lan Yue muttered, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the shadows. "We didn't even have time to recover."
Li Feng nodded grimly, his posture tense as he stepped forward. "This is a coordinated attack. They know we're vulnerable."
The Shadowborn moved swiftly, their forms slipping in and out of the darkness like wraiths. Their dark qi pulsed through the air, thickening the atmosphere with malevolent energy. Lan Yue could feel it pressing down on her like a weight, suffocating and oppressive.
Without hesitation, they charged into the fray, their weapons blazing with the combined power of light and dark qi. Lan Yue's sword cut through the first wave of attackers, the blade slicing cleanly through the twisted forms of the Shadowborn. Their bodies disintegrated into wisps of smoke as the power of the Lotus Flame consumed them, but for every one she destroyed, two more seemed to take its place.
Li Feng fought beside her, his spear spinning through the air with deadly precision. His movements were a blur of dark qi, each strike aimed with ruthless efficiency. Together, they formed an unstoppable force, their energies intertwining as they fought back the horde of Shadowborn.
But the creatures kept coming, their numbers seemingly endless.
"We can't hold them off like this forever," Lan Yue shouted over the din of the battle, her muscles burning with exertion as she blocked another attack.
Li Feng grunted in agreement, his spear driving through the chest of another Shadowborn. "We need to find their source, like before!"
Lan Yue's mind raced as she parried another blow, her thoughts swirling with possibilities. The last time they had faced an attack like this, they had discovered a man controlling the Shadowborn with dark qi. If they could find the source again, they might be able to stop the attack.
But where?
Her eyes scanned the temple, searching for any sign of the figure that had unleashed this attack. The air was thick with dark qi, making it difficult to focus, but then, through the haze, she saw it—a faint shimmer of light at the far end of the hall.
"There!" Lan Yue shouted, pointing toward the source of the dark qi. "That's where it's coming from!"
Li Feng's gaze followed her gesture, and his expression darkened as he nodded. "Let's go."
Together, they fought their way through the mass of Shadowborn, their weapons cutting a path toward the source of the darkness. The energy grew stronger the closer they got, the air around them becoming heavier, more oppressive. But they pushed forward, determined to end this once and for all.
As they neared the source, the air around them began to crackle with dark energy, the very atmosphere distorting as the dark qi pulsed through the temple. And then, from the shadows, another figure emerged—this one even more powerful than the last.
The figure was tall, shrouded in a cloak of darkness that seemed to ripple like water. His eyes glowed with the sickly green light of dark qi, and his presence radiated power that made the air around him thrum with energy.
"You've come far," the figure said, his voice low and filled with malice. "But this is where your journey ends."
Lan Yue's heart pounded in her chest as she stared at the figure, her grip tightening on her sword. She could feel the darkness radiating from him, stronger than anything she had ever encountered before. But she couldn't let that fear take hold. She couldn't afford to.
"We've come to stop you," she said, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her insides. "Whatever you're planning, it ends here."
The figure chuckled, the sound sending chills down Lan Yue's spine. "You think you can stop me? The Shadowborn are endless. Their power is eternal. You are nothing but a fleeting spark, soon to be extinguished."
Before she could respond, the figure raised his hand, and a blast of dark energy exploded outward, sending both Lan Yue and Li Feng flying backward. They hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind from their lungs.
Lan Yue gasped for breath, her vision swimming as she struggled to regain her footing. She could see Li Feng a few feet away, already back on his feet, his spear crackling with dark qi as he prepared to strike.
But before either of them could move, the figure lunged at them, his dark energy swirling around him like a storm. Lan Yue raised her sword just in time to block the attack, the force of the blow sending shockwaves through the air.
The battle that followed was brutal, the dark qi of the figure clashing violently with the combined power of Lan Yue's light qi and Li Feng's dark qi. Every strike sent ripples of energy through the temple, the very ground trembling beneath their feet.
But despite their best efforts, the figure was too strong. His mastery of dark qi was overwhelming, his attacks relentless. Lan Yue's muscles burned with exertion, her body pushed to its limits as she parried blow after blow. She could feel the strain of the battle wearing on her, the weight of the fight pressing down on her like a suffocating blanket.
"We need to stop him!" Lan Yue shouted, her voice strained as she blocked another attack.
Li Feng grunted in response, his spear slicing through the air with deadly precision. "I'm trying!"
But even as they fought with everything they had, it was clear that this battle was unlike anything they had faced before. The figure's power was unlike anything they had faced before, and for the first time, Lan Yue wasn't sure if they could win.