The golden dome of the Suppression Circle groaned under the weight of Yun's presence. Although he could have simply dissolved the entire mountain pass, Yun felt the strain on Shara and Meilin. Their loyalty during the betrayal had earned them more than just protection—it had earned them a place by his side in battle.
"Shara! Meilin!" Yun's voice cut through the roar of the mercenaries' Qi. "The anchor is broken! Take the wings, I will take the heart!"
As Yun stepped forward, he didn't consume the golden dome. Instead, he reached out and touched the inner wall of the barrier, injecting a pulse of pure, neutral void. Like a glass window hitting its resonance frequency, the Suppression Circle shattered into millions of harmless sparks.
"Finally!" Meilin roared. With the pressure gone, her flames erupted with a vengeance. She didn't just throw fire; she became a whirlwind of white-hot Nirvana embers. "You wanted a phoenix? Here is the fire that births one!"
She dived into the left flank of the Iron Blood Hall, her movements so fast that she left trails of cinders that exploded upon contact. She wasn't just killing; she was strategically herding the mercenaries toward the center.
On the right, Shara moved with the cold, silent grace of a forest predator. Her jade sword danced, creating a "Labyrinth of Thorns" made of hardened wood Qi. Every mercenary that tried to flee was entangled in vines that drained their energy, feeding it back into the earth to strengthen the formation.
"Lucius is mine," Shara whispered, her eyes locked on the trembling merchant.
In the center, the leader of the Iron Blood Hall raised his massive claymore, glowing with blood-red Qi. "Die, brat!"
Yun didn't even use his hands. He stood still as the giant blade descended. When the sword was inches from his forehead, the violet mark on his neck glowed. The blood-red energy of the blade was instantly sucked into the mark, leaving the claymore as nothing more than a rusted piece of scrap metal.
Yun looked at the leader. "Your blood is loud. Let me silence it."
A wave of violet pressure emanated from Yun, not hitting the leader, but passing through him. The man didn't explode; he simply slumped to the ground, his cultivation base completely erased. He was now a common man, his memories of power consumed by the void.
Seeing their leader fall and their formations decimated by the two women, the remaining mercenaries fled into the night. Lucius was found pinned to a tree by Shara's vines, his face pale as death.
The three stood amidst the rubble. Meilin was breathing hard, her dress singed but her eyes bright with triumph. Shara sheathed her sword, looking at Yun with a pride that had transcended the role of a Master.
"We move as one now," Yun said, looking at both of them. For the first time, he offered a small, genuine smile. "The Empire will need more than mercenaries to stop us."