The battlefield trembled.
Xiao Lan stood tall, the world around him warping under the weight of his aura. The Abyssal energy that had once consumed him now crackled with untamed power, casting shadows across the ruined land. His sword hummed in his grip, an extension of his very will, and the air vibrated with the intensity of his presence.
Across from him, the Unseen Lord remained motionless, his eyes narrowing. His hand still held Xiao Lan's sword at bay, but the tremor in his fingers revealed a rare crack in his otherwise calm exterior.
Something was different.
"You…" The Unseen Lord's voice was softer now, tinged with something approaching surprise. "You carry the Abyssal Power. But how…?"
Xiao Lan's lips curled into a smirk. "You should've asked that question a little sooner."
The Unseen Lord's gaze sharpened. "The Abyssal Power was sealed eons ago. Only the Forsaken One could wield it… and yet, you… how can it be? You're supposed to be a legend. A myth."
Xiao Lan's laugh rang out, cold and merciless. "A myth, you say? I am no myth, Lord. I am the nightmare that was forgotten, the power that devours both heaven and earth." His eyes burned with the intensity of a thousand storms. "And you are just another fool who dared to stand in my way."
A tense silence hung between them, the air crackling with the weight of their energies.
Finally, the Unseen Lord stepped back, his voice as cold as steel. "You are no ordinary being. But neither am I. The Abyss may have bestowed upon you unimaginable power, Forsaken One, but you are still bound by the laws of existence. And I—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the world around them shifted.
The Unseen Lord moved like a blur.
In an instant, his hand was outstretched, fingers glowing with a dangerous golden light. The very air around them twisted as if reality itself was being bent. His power surged, and a beam of radiant energy shot toward Xiao Lan, crackling with the fury of an ancient force.
Xiao Lan barely moved.
His sword raised, dark tendrils of energy swirling around it. He slashed through the beam with a force that split the heavens. The beam disintegrated in an instant, and Xiao Lan appeared before the Unseen Lord, faster than the eye could follow.
CLANG!
Their clash sent a shockwave so powerful that the very ground beneath them buckled and cracked, splitting into jagged chasms. The energy from their battle turned the sky black, lightning flashing as their powers collided.
For the first time, Xiao Lan felt resistance.
The Unseen Lord's strength was immense. His spiritual energy was far beyond what any mortal could hope to wield, and his techniques were not of this world. His very presence seemed to distort the fabric of reality, and his golden eyes flickered with ancient knowledge.
But Xiao Lan—he was something more.
He was the Abyssal One, reborn from the dark void, beyond the laws of nature.
His sword cut through the Unseen Lord's attacks like a blade through water. Each strike was a testament to the brutal power that flowed through him, his movements swift and precise. The air grew heavy with each exchange, the ground trembling beneath their feet.
For a moment, it seemed as though the Unseen Lord might gain the upper hand. His power was overwhelming, and his attacks were relentless. Yet—
Xiao Lan wasn't just fighting with strength.
He was fighting with rage, vengeance, and a will that could not be broken.
"You cannot stop me," Xiao Lan growled, his eyes burning with an unrelenting fire.
The Unseen Lord's expression shifted. He hesitated for the briefest moment, a flicker of something in his golden eyes—a memory? A warning?
But before he could act, Xiao Lan struck.
A roar of energy erupted as he unleashed his full power.
Tendrils of dark energy spiraled outward, converging upon the Unseen Lord with a terrifying speed. The ground around them cracked open, and the very air seemed to buckle under the weight of Xiao Lan's attack.
For the first time, the Unseen Lord stumbled back, his mask cracked from the sheer force of the blow. His golden eyes flickered with a flash of shock.
Xiao Lan was upon him in the next instant.
SLASH!
The sword descended with the force of a falling star.
The Unseen Lord raised his hand, but it was too late.
The blade cleaved through his defenses like a hot knife through butter.
CRACK!
The Unseen Lord's mask shattered, and his golden eyes widened in disbelief.
SPLURCH!
Xiao Lan's sword pierced through his chest. The very fabric of reality seemed to twist and collapse around them as the Unseen Lord's body went limp.
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then, the Unseen Lord's body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Xiao Lan stood over him, his chest rising and falling with the weight of battle. His sword, still dripping with the Unseen Lord's blood, gleamed with the power of his victory.
"Another fallen god," Xiao Lan muttered. "One less obstacle in my way."
But even as the last of the Unseen Lord's energy faded, Xiao Lan could feel it—something more.
There were still forces at work behind the scenes, unseen hands that moved the strings of fate. And Xiao Lan's path—**his true path—**was just beginning.
He turned toward the horizon, his eyes burning with the fury of a thousand suns.
"Let the heavens tremble," he whispered, a smile creeping onto his lips. "I am coming for everything."
—