The fire around Lin Tian flared wildly, consuming him in red-hot fury. But then, something shifted—deep within him, something darker stirred. The red flames began to twist and warp, turning an inky black. His breath quickened, and his heart raced as his spirit root reacted violently to the surge of power, taking on an ominous, unholy hue. His pupils narrowed into dark slits, and a red glow replaced the human warmth in his eyes.
The woman—still standing tall and poised—paused, her expression faltering. She could feel it, the surge of dark energy that radiated from Lin Tian, and her gaze turned wary.
"What... is this?" she whispered, a tremor in her voice as she took a step back, eyeing Lin Tian as if he were a dangerous beast.
Lin Tian's body, bathed in the black flames, pulsed with a primal energy he could hardly comprehend. His anger—born from the humiliation, the cruelty—had awakened something deep within his soul, something raw, something dangerous. The flames wrapped around him like a cloak, dark and unyielding, and his eyes burned with an intensity that seemed to pierce through the very air.
With a growl, Lin Tian lunged forward, catching her wrist before she could react. The woman's eyes widened in shock as she tried to pull away, but his grip was unbreakable—stronger than anything she had ever experienced. His eyes locked onto hers, and for the first time, she felt genuine fear.
In his gaze, she saw it—something ancient and terrible, a power she had never encountered in her long years of cultivation. It was as if a dark flame had awakened in him, a force that threatened to consume everything in its path. Her confidence faltered as she recognized that this was no ordinary cultivator. This was something else.
The woman's breath quickened as she struggled, trying to free herself from his grasp. She attempted to summon a spiritual technique, a powerful force meant to subdue him. But Lin Tian wasn't having any of it.
"Stop," he growled through clenched teeth, his grip tightening.
The woman's eyes widened in disbelief. No one had ever resisted her like this—no one had ever challenged her authority and lived to tell the tale. And yet, here she was, at the mercy of a boy with a weak spirit root.
Lin Tian shoved her backward with a force that sent her sprawling to the ground. She hit the earth with a grunt, momentarily stunned, but she quickly regained her composure. The pride in her eyes had dimmed, replaced by a calculating expression.
She tried to rise, but Lin Tian was faster. Before she could get to her feet, he had already pinned her down, sitting on her back with the weight of his body pressing her into the dirt.
"Stay down," he said, his voice low and dangerous, the black flames still swirling around him like a living thing.
The woman's face flushed with indignation. "How dare you!" she spat, her voice strained with fury.
But despite her anger, she couldn't escape his hold. Lin Tian's power surged again, making it impossible for her to break free. His body was alive with energy, but it was not the pure, controlled power of a cultivator—it was something far more chaotic and unpredictable. The dark flame in his chest burned brighter, and his anger fueled it further.
She struggled beneath him, trying to twist free, but her movements became weaker and more desperate. Lin Tian didn't relent. His focus was sharp, and his grip unyielding. But as he felt her trying to fight back, a flicker of doubt crossed his mind. Was this really what he wanted? To completely dominate her?
His thoughts were interrupted as his balance faltered for a split second. In that moment, the woman's eyes gleamed with a renewed determination. With a sudden burst of strength, she tried to kick him off. She had to escape. She was not just some helpless opponent.
But Lin Tian's mind was in a frenzy of anger, pain, and confusion. The surge of dark energy continued to overwhelm him, and his judgment wavered for a moment. As the woman moved, his foot slipped, and he lost his balance, tumbling to the ground next to her.
She seized the opportunity to scramble away, pushing herself up and ready to run. But as she attempted to take a step, something was wrong. Her legs wouldn't move. It felt as though an invisible force was binding her in place.
Her eyes shot wide open, panic creeping into her expression.
"What... what's happening?" she muttered under her breath. She struggled to move, but her legs refused to obey, as if they had been paralyzed by some unseen force.
Lin Tian, still struggling to regain his footing, looked at her with a mix of confusion and anger. He was as disoriented as she was. His body felt like it was on fire, and he could sense his spirit root struggling to stabilize itself.
"You're not going anywhere," he snarled, slowly getting to his feet. But as he did, he felt his strength beginning to wane. The dark flame that had empowered him was subsiding, fading into the background like smoke dissipating into the air. His body trembled from the exertion.
The woman—still immobilized—watched him warily. Her face had gone pale with fear, her pride shattered in an instant. "What are you? What kind of power is this?" she demanded, her voice trembling now.
Lin Tian didn't answer immediately. He was still trying to make sense of what had just happened. His body felt like it was shutting down, the unnatural strength from the dark flame fading with every passing second. It was as though the power had never belonged to him in the first place, just a surge of raw emotion and instinct.
"Stay away from me," Lin Tian muttered through gritted teeth. His vision blurred as exhaustion took hold, and his body collapsed to the ground once more. But even as his mind darkened with fatigue, the woman's terrified gaze remained fixed on him.