"What do you want?" Jang Tang demanded, his voice edged with hostility. His body was covered in a thin, gleaming layer of lubricant that shimmered faintly under the light. This was no ordinary substance—it was a defensive ire he had activated the moment Yang Zhai appeared before him. Thanks to its protection, the damage he suffered from Yang Zhai's sudden kick was minor, almost negligible.
Yang Zhai did not bother to respond to his question. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Wan Xui, his expression calm and unshaken. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the Death Warrant toward her. His voice was steady, quiet, but it carried a weight that pressed into her soul.
"Don't you want to take your brother's revenge? Why are you sitting there quietly, drowning in despair, when your brother's spirit is waiting for justice? Stand up. Use it one last time. After that, you may rest. Your brother is waiting… don't make him wait too long."
Wan Xui's trembling hands caught the Death Warrant. She looked at it, her face pale, her voice breaking as she whispered, "But… but… he is a rank five cultivator. Death Warrant cannot harm someone like him. And in my state, I cannot even fight… I have no strength left…"
Yang Zhai did not reply. Instead, he suddenly leapt forward, his body going into motion. His speed was already amazing, born of his immense strength, but with the activation of Gale Wing Ka, it became even faster. The air pressed against him as his figure tore through it.
In his hand, the Corpse Collector appeared, and with a surge of power he hurled it forward with tremendous force. Yet the throw was not aimed directly at Jang Tang—it was angled to pass him.
Bells rang in Jang Tang's mind. The moment he saw Yang Zhai attacking, he leapt backward with urgency and summoned a rank five method. A sharp, gleaming water blade slashed through the air toward the Corpse Collector.
But before it could land, a rank four cultivator emerged from the Corpse Collector, intercepting the attack. The blade pierced him clean through, and his body collapsed motionless as if the Corpse Collector had severed its hold over him.
Yet, even with all this, the Corpse Collector's momentum never faltered. It went past Jang Tang, and as he spun cautiously to prepare for a counter, an ice spear of rank three whistled from the shadows. It struck him, throwing his balance into chaos.
He staggered, but quickly recovered, his defensive ire glistening faintly as he steadied himself. With desperation, he unleashed more water blades, lashing out at both Yang Zhai and the Corpse Collector. One of his attacks morphed mid-flight into a massive water sphere that engulfed the Corpse Collector, severing Yang Zhai's connection to it.
Yang Zhai narrowed his eyes but remained unfazed. He instantly activated the Earth Release Ka, shaping condensed air into spheres before hurling them at Jang Tang with sharp precision.
Jang Tang, refusing to engage in close combat, darted around the battlefield. His movements were erratic, his water blades cutting arcs through the air, always keeping distance from Yang Zhai. He knew full well—if Yang Zhai closed the gap, he would not last. Yang was stronger in strength than him.
Yang Zhai exhaled lightly, his voice carrying a trace of sigh. "Enough. I am not a body cultivator. I am not any other path cultivator either. I walk the Mastery Path. Though I've strengthened my body, I lack ires and kas for close combat. My only weapons are my fists. As for other paths, I do not hold complete methods, only fragments and borrowed kas. But my Mastery Path kas… those are complete."
He snapped his fingers.
From the village gate, a beast entered—a rank five Reign Elk. It strode forward, its steps like rolling thunder in this quietness, before stopping beside Yang Zhai. Behind it followed several more beasts, the ground quaking under their weight.
"You want a battle?" Yang Zhai said calmly. "Then they shall fight you."
At his command, five beasts charged at Jang Tang.
Jang Tang stood his ground. He did not retreat, for to do so would be to leave the vortex unguarded in Yang Zhai's hands. Surrounded, he tightened his stance, determination flashing in his eyes.
Two of the beasts radiated power of rank five. The first, a Jagzee, lunged forward, its predatory roar travelling through the air. Jang Tang snapped his fingers and summoned droplets from the soil. They hardened mid-flight, sharp as needles, and pierced into the Jagzee, drawing blood.
Yang Zhai ordered the Reign Elk to recall Jagzee back, pulling it back before it suffered fatal wounds.
Then the Lekt advanced. Its tree-like body swayed as thick vines erupted from its core, slamming toward Jang Tang. Its roots dug deep into the ground, greedily siphoning nutrients to fuel its relentless assault. Jang Tang cut through the vines with water blades, but the severed tendrils only regrew and continued.
Meanwhile, two rank four water hounds circled him from both sides, snapping with jaws of condensed energy in the teeth. Jang Tang fought fiercely, his attacks slashing and piercing, but even though he inflicted damage, they did not relent.
Still, despite the beasts' numbers, they could not truly wound him. His defensive ire gleamed faintly, absorbing every blow. Only Yang Zhai's Reign Elk bore the ability to empower and command them, but beyond that, they lacked further buffed strength against Jang Tang's rank five techniques.
"It should be about time…" Yang Zhai muttered.
At his signal, he pulled back the hounds, then sent Jagzee and the remaining water hound to engage Jang Tang once more.
Jang Tang's brow furrowed. *What is he doing? Why isn't he ordering all of them to strike me at once? And why isn't he attacking directly himself? If he attacked me together with them, I'd be cornered easily. Is he deliberately wasting my void rays? But even then, throwing everything at me would drain me faster. Just what is his aim?
Still, he clenched his teeth. Whatever he's planning, it benefits me. I'll hold out, endure, and once that ire is refined, I'll use my full strength. Then, I'll seize it and escape.
The battle dragged on for over an hour.
All five beasts stood battered, their bodies broken and bleeding, while Jang Tang stood tall with barely a serious injury on him. Yet suddenly, without warning, he coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth.
"H-how… how could this be?" he stammered in shock.
His consciousness dove inward, and he saw it—his blue lines had vanished.
"No… no! I need to get out of here!" Fear seized his heart as he turned to flee. But before he could, the Jagzee leapt before him, blocking his escape.
From behind, countless vines shot out, Lekt's vines wrapping tightly around his legs, binding him in place.
Yang Zhai watched with steady eyes. He activated his own blue lines, one by one, until they all granted him toughness. Slowly, he began walking toward Jang Tang. The water hounds stepped aside, clearing a path for him.
"How long do you plan to keep that ire activated?" Yang Zhai's voice was calm, but beneath it flowed a chilling edge.
Jang Tang's eyes widened, his heart sinking. He knows…?*
He turned his gaze to Yang Zhai, his voice cracking in both anger and fear. "So—it was you! It was your doing all along!"
His mind raced in panic. Wait… he arrived the very moment the ire was about to be refined. And… that terrifying ire—I am sure he was the one who handed it to Wan Xui! Don't tell me… don't tell me he knew our plan from the very beginning?! Then… he came here for that ire deliberately! All this time—he was stalling me on purpose! Damn it! I should have prepared myself the instant Gu Dan fell to rank four. Fool! I've been nothing but a pawn in his scheme…
Hatred and terror churned within his heart as he braced himself.
Yang Zhai's voice rang again, calm and merciless. "Your void rays must already be near depletion. Yet here you are, clinging desperately to that rank five ire. At this rate, you'll exhaust yourself completely… and fall."
He reached Jang Tang, seized him by the neck, and lifted him high into the air with terrifying ease.
"Damn it!" Jang Tang cursed inwardly: I can't attack him—all my attack kas are rank five. I'm pouring everything into maintaining this ire. I… I can't…
Yang Zhai's fist slammed into his face, cracking against him with brutal force. Blow after blow rained down, and with each strike, Jang Tang's defenses weakened. Within moments, his ire flickered and finally deactivated.
Yang Zhai drove his fist deep into Jang Tang's abdomen before hurling him like a ragdoll across the ground, tossing him toward Wan Xui. It was a savage strike, but even then, Yang Zhai had not used his full strength.
Jang Tang lay there, battered and broken, struggling to breathe. His voice rasped out, heavy with desperation. "Yang Zhai… you want Eleca, don't you? At least… at least tell me this—how did you discover our plan?"
Yang Zhai's gaze calm, his voice low, almost a whisper.
"About that…"
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