The air in the ruined arena was thick with the scent of blood and death. Severed limbs, scattered organs, and countless mummified corpses formed a grotesque battlefield. The once-grand stone pillars were cracked, drenched in the blood of fallen cultivators. The crimson hue of slaughter had painted the ground, forming a gruesome canvas of destruction.
Tianyang, Yuqing, and Yao'er stood in the center, their bodies drenched in the blood of their enemies. Their chests rose and fell, exhaustion creeping through their limbs. Tianyang & Yuqing still gripping the hilt of their evolved Asura Devil Swords (Level 17 Forbidden-Grade), their demonic auras faintly pulsating with hunger. And Yao'er, his eyes filled with lingering battle intent, shifted uncomfortably as he stared at the six Half-Step Ascendant Realm cultivators standing near the edge of the arena "Masters! Let's finish them off."
Just as Tianyang and Yuqing prepared to finish them off—
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, a crimson formation beneath them pulsated. The dried blood that soaked the arena's stone floor quivered before rapidly flowing toward the formation's inscriptions, as if dragged by an unseen force. The ancient engravings ignited, turning an ominous scarlet-red, forming an intricate pattern that spiraled outward like a blooming demonic lotus.
Yao'er frowned, his dragon instincts sharpening and crimson pupils narrowing. "Master! Something's happening beneath us!"
The blood was completely drained from the corpses in mere seconds. The very ground trembled as a dark vortex expanded from the center, its gravitational pull immense.
Tianyang clenched his fists, watching the formation greedily devour the blood like a starving predator. "This formation… It's reacting to the slaughter."
Yuqing's eyes darkened, her ethereal beauty still carrying traces of demonic intent. "Yes, it's absorbing the blood as a sacrificial trigger."
Before any of them could react, "FWOOOSH!" a massive space gate formed in midair, twisting and distorting the very fabric of the battlefield. A swirling vortex of chaotic space energy surged forth, its unstable fluctuations sending shockwaves across the entire arena.
The sudden disruption startled both the trio and the six remaining enemies.
In the chaos, the six Half-Step Ascendant Realm cultivators, who had been gravely wounded yet still alive, saw their opportunity. Like venomous serpents lurking in the shadows, they moves without hesitation.
One of the Half-Step Ascendant Realm women gasped, "A… a teleportation formation!"
Another Half-Step Ascendant Realm, a pale-faced man covered in gashes, barked in urgency, "This is our chance! The formation opened a path out of here!"
Another woman, her robes drenched in blood, forced herself to stand. "If we stay, we die. Escape first!"
The six figures darted towards the space gate, their bodies flashing with movement techniques as they neared the swirling vortex of escape.
A Decision Amidst Chaos.
As the six cultivators neared the gate, Yao'er's sharp senses instantly detected their movements. "Master! They're running—!" His claws sharpened, mythical energy flaring. He prepared to chase them down, but before he could leap forward—
Tianyang grabbed Yao'er's shoulder, stopping him mid-step.
"Wait."
The little dragon's eyes widened in confusion. "Master! Why are we letting them escape?!" His voice carried an indignant growl, his sharp teeth baring in frustration.
Yuqing, who had been silently watching, placed a delicate yet firm hand on Tianyang's shoulder. Her ruby eyes were clouded with exhaustion, yet she spoke with unwavering conviction.
"Calm yourself Yao'er… We must recover first."
Yao'er's confusion deepened. "Recover? But can't you just devour their energy and—"
Tianyang let out a deep breath, rubbing his forehead as if a migraine had just formed. "Yao'er, do you think we're unscathed after using the Asura Swords?"
Yuqing continued, her voice steady but laced with warning. "The Void Devourer Art allows us to recover our physical and spiritual strength, but the Asura Swords are different. They don't just drain our strength… they also consume our soul power and mental energy."
Yao'er's tail twitched. "But we've handled worse before."
Tianyang shook his head. "These swords are too overbearing. They maintain absolute law and order through slaughter. The more we use them, the more they try to control us. A single mistake, and we'll be consumed by their demonic nature."
Yuqing nodded. "That's why we must stabilize ourselves. If we recklessly chase them now, we'll exhaust ourselves before we even face the four Ascendant Realm elders waiting outside."
Yao'er's frustration simmered down as he slowly processed their words. Though he was reluctant, he knew they were right. His tail flicked slightly in disappointment. "I… understand… Master."
Tianyang smirked, patting his head. "Good. Be patient, little dragon."
Yao'er snorted, crossing his arms. "I'm not little."
With the decision made, they watches as the six Half-Step Ascendants vanishes into the space gate.
The oppressive battlefield fell silent once more.
The trio moved toward the nearly fading space gate.
Though battle-hardened, they needed time to stabilize their internal energies before facing what lay beyond.
Tianyang exhaled deeply, walking toward the edge of the crimson gate. "We should recover before stepping through."
He sat cross-legged near the gate, his breathing controlled, while Yuqing settled into his lap, pressing her soft body against his chest to harmonize their energies. The intimate closeness sent warmth between them, their cultivation bases intertwining as their yin-yang energies merged.
Yuqing sighed softly as Tianyang's hands instinctively traced her waist, drawing their auras into perfect synchronization. Her body shivered slightly at the sensation, but she leaned into his embrace, focusing on recovery.
Yao'er, pretending not to notice, plopped down a few feet away and focused on recovering his own strength through the Heaven's Sovereign Bloodline Technique (Mid-Divine-Tier).
Tianyang holds Yuqing's slender waist, pressing his lips to her delicate neck. "Are you alright, my demonic empress?" he murmures.
A shiver ran through her. Her white gown seemes to glow under the moonlight. She turnes her head slightly, her soft breath brushing against his cheek. "I should be the one asking you that, my ruthless emperor," she whisperes back, her lips brushing against his ear.
Tianyang smirkes. "Then allow me to make sure you recover properly…" He tightened his grip, his demonic aura blending perfectly with hers.
Yuqing's eyes softened, but before things could escalate—
BOOM!
The space energy from the gate suddenly distorted violently, as if something was disrupting its flow.
Yao'er snapped his head toward it. "Master! Something's happening!"
A powerful spatial fluctuation surged from Yuqing's storage ring.
A massive black egg, covered in ancient void runes suddenly emerges from Yuqing's storage ring and then materializes in midair, floating above the space gate.
Yao'er's eyes snapped open. "Huh?! Masters! That egg—"
Tianyang and Yuqing immediately turned their attention to the hovering object. The dragon egg, pulsating with space and void runes, began drawing energy from the space gate!
Yuqing's brows furrowed. "It's absorbing the spatial energy… but why now?"
The ancient runes on its shell glowed intensely, resonating with the chaotic space fluctuations from the gate. The more it absorbed, the more radiant its inscriptions became.
Yao'er muttered in awe, "Is it… trying to absorb the spatial energy to hatch!"
Tianyang's gaze sharpened. "Not yet. It's accelerating its growth and awakening, but if it absorbs too much—"
The longer the egg absorbed, the weaker the space gate's stability became. The crimson glow turned dimmer, the vortex becoming distorted. Cracks formed on the edges of the portal.
Tianyang immediately grabbed Yuqing's hand and called out, "It's time to leave—now!"
Yuqing immediately summoned her mental energy, reaching toward the egg.
Her voice was calm yet authoritative. "That's enough. Return."
The dragon egg trembled slightly before obediently flying back into her storage ring.
Tianyang smirked. "It's smart enough to know that if it absorbs more, it'll collapse the gate before we leave."
Yuqing glanced at the now dim and flickering space gate. "We should go. It won't last much longer."
Tianyang took Yuqing's hand. Yao'er followed suit, standing beside them.
With one final glance at the ruined battlefield, they stepped into the fading space gate.
---
A split second later, they emerged outside the ancient tomb's entrance, landing on the rocky terrain under a blood-red sky, the very place they had entered from. But something was wrong.
The space gate behind them collapsed, its lingering spatial energy scattering like dust.
Yuqing narrowed her eyes. "…Something's off."
Before they could react—
A furious voice pierced the silence.
"Master! It's them! They're the ones who killed our junior sisters and junior brothers!"
Tianyang, Yuqing, and Yao'er turned sharply toward the voice.
Standing before them were the six Half-Step Ascendant Realm cultivators who had fled earlier. Their expressions were twisted with vengeance, their killing intent boiling.
But that wasn't all.
A massive formation surrounded them, and standing at its edges were four Ascendant Realm elders, each exuding terrifying pressure.
They were completely surrounded.
Tianyang's sharp gaze scanned the ambush waiting for them—their powerful auras far stronger than the ones they faced inside the tomb.
A heavy realization sank in.
They had walked straight into a trap.
Yao'er's eyes darkened. "We're surrounded."
Yuqing's lips curled into a cold smile. "How amusing…"
The night became suffocating.