The early morning mist began to rise as Shen Yuan, Feng Yanqing, and Bai Chen hovered above the clan's inner grounds, each cloaked in their Heaven Path Realm aura. Sparks crackled around them, flares of power shimmering like ghostly halos behind their head as they steadied their energies in preparation. Word of their duel had spread rapidly, and disciples and elders alike gathered in the courtyards below, eyes fixed on the three figures looming in the sky. For these 3 were the rising stars of the new generation within the Gui Clan.
They were the 3 rising stars as Feng Yanqing was already a new disciple who was at the Heaven path realm, now Shen Yuan too ascended to that stage as well as Bai Chen, he too was in closed door cultivation and breakthrough to the Heaven Path Realm.
Beneath the seething power, the crowd murmured in awe and apprehension. Even the air felt charged, weighed down by the gravity of the impending clash.
Somewhere within his opulent abode, Gui Zuwang lifted his wine cup and leaned back, his divine sense extending to the battlefield above. A faint smirk crossed his lips as he observed his disciples, ready to see just how far they'd push themselves.
High above, Shen Yuan's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "First one to hit the ground loses."
The proposal hung in the air, sharp and undeniable. Bai Chen's smirk deepened as he nodded, and Feng Yanqing's fierce gaze sparked with anticipation. They each tightened their stances, channelling their spiritual energy in a silent promise—they would not fall.
Without a moment's pause, the three erupted into motion. The sky trembled with a thunderous burst as their combined auras clashed. Energy crackled through the air, the force of their movements creating shockwaves that sent gusts of wind cascading over the courtyards below. The disciples shielded their eyes, their hearts pounding as they witnessed a battle of such magnitude that it threatened to tear the very lands asunder.
Shen Yuan's Void Fire flared from his fists, its strange purple hue casting a spectral glow. It was the first step form! He lunged forward, launching a series of rapid, precise strikes that aimed to overwhelm his opponents. But Feng Yanqing, with a snarl of defiance, countered his assault with a sweeping wave of her own Void Fire, their purple blaze scorching through the air as it met Shen Yuan's attacks head-on. The collision of fire and fire created an intense shockwave, the heat so fierce that even the spectators below felt a wave of warmth wash over them. Even the clouds themselves seemed to have been erased out of existence.
Bai Chen darted around the fray, his movements fluid and calculated. Manipulating the very space around him, he unleashed gravitational pulls that tugged and disrupted Shen Yuan's movements, giving Feng Yanqing an opening to strike. She seized the moment, her hand slashing forward as a ribbon of fire burst from her palm, winding toward Shen Yuan like a viper.
With a fierce determination, Shen Yuan spun in mid-air, his Void Fire flaring brighter as he countered her strike. A pulse of dark, ominous energy rippled from him, sending Feng Yanqing reeling back with widened eyes. For a brief moment, their gazes locked, and a spark of mutual respect flickered between them. But neither could afford hesitation.
As the battle raged on, each strike, each blast of spiritual energy seemed to grow in intensity. Their combined strength wasn't just a display of Heaven Path Realm cultivation—it was a demonstration of star-shattering power. The sky above the Gui Clan grounds had turned into a tempest of clashing energy, flashes of light and dark energy illuminating the awestruck faces of those watching below.
The oppressive aura from their fight began to press down on the disciples. The weaker ones stumbled, their faces pale, clutching at their heads as if trying to shield themselves from an overwhelming force that threatened to consume their minds. They could feel their sanity slipping, as if the sheer power radiating from the fight would drive them mad.
One of the Heaven Path elders in the crowd, a figure with a long gray beard and intense gaze, frowned. "This... this power shouldn't belong to the younger inexperienced generation. The strength they're displaying could obliterate stars. If they go any further, they might tear the other disciples accidentally!"
Other Heaven Path Realm elders shared concerned glances, realizing the danger that their unleashed auras posed to the disciples. Murmurs rippled through the ranks of the more experienced cultivators, each acknowledging the severity of the situation.
Just then, Shen Yuan, seemingly in sync with his own increasing energy, summoned his Void Fire once more. But this time, it took on a darker, almost otherworldly intensity, tendrils of emerald flame weaving through the aura as his power continued to swell. The shift in his aura made even Feng Yanqing and Bai Chen hesitate, the raw, soul-erasing energy in the green Void Fire, the second stage of void fire, sending a chill through them.
Bai Chen's gaze narrowed. "He's more than we bargained for."
They exchanged a brief nod, both understanding they'd need to push themselves further. Bai Chen summoned his own power, his gravitational control intensifying, creating swirling vortexes of compressed space around him, while Feng Yanqing's flames took on a similar green glow, her energy blazing at a heat so intense that the very air around her warped.
Together, they launched a combined assault, waves of gravitational pulls and green void fire colliding with Shen Yuan's green Void Fire, creating a cataclysmic explosion that reverberated across the landscape. The clash of energies caused tremors to run through the ground, and the weaker disciples clutched at each other, struggling to stay on their feet.
With a grim sense of duty, the Heaven Path elders rose into the air, their auras stretching out to create a massive protective barrier around the courtyards. One by one, they channelled their spiritual power into the shield, each adding a layer of protection as they worked to contain the deadly energies tearing through the sky.
"Brace yourselves!" one elder shouted, directing the disciples to fall back. The elders' combined aura formed a shimmering dome, casting a soft glow over the courtyards below, shielding those within from the devastating force above.
The disciples looked up at the barrier, watching in awe and disbelief as the elders formed a network of spiritual energy between them, each one reinforcing the others, with half of the outer barriers being crafted with the surrounding space. For the first time, the younger cultivators began to understand the true depths of the Heaven Path Realm. It wasn't just about strength; it was a mastery of energy that allowed one to protect as well as destroy.
Outside the barrier, the clash continued to rage, the sky above painted with the shifting colours of energy, each flare of power more intense than the last. And in the midst of it all, Shen Yuan, Feng Yanqing, and Bai Chen pushed themselves to the very edge of their limits, each one determined not to be the first to fall.
The elder with the gray beard, still holding his place in the barrier, shook his head in wonder. "They've barely scratched the surface of their potential, yet here they are, wielding power beyond what most cultivators will ever touch at their age."
As the storm of spiritual energy surged on, even the elders could feel the weight of the battle pressing against their barrier, testing its resilience. And though they stood resolute, they couldn't shake the feeling that this clash marked the beginning of something far greater, a foreshadowing of power that would one day challenge even the highest realms.
For now, however, they could only hold the line, watching in silent admiration as the younger generation reached for the heavens with a fury that seemed destined to reshape their world.