The dawn after the siege rose blood-red.
Emberfall City stood in eerie silence, its walls cracked, its streets littered with the aftermath of war. Smoke still drifted lazily above the ruined battlements, and the air smelled of iron and ash.
Lin Feng stood atop the tower, his robe fluttering gently in the cold wind. His eyes were sharp, but beneath their calm gleam lay a faint exhaustion. He had unleashed his Dragon Domain for the first time — and though victorious, the drain on his soul and spirit had been immense.
Behind him, Yang Busi approached quietly, her steps soft on the broken stone.
"You didn't rest," she said, folding her arms.
"I couldn't," Lin Feng replied. "Something doesn't feel right. That battle was too… convenient. The Blood Sect never retreats without a plan."
Yang Busi frowned. "You think they're regrouping?"
He nodded. "And the one behind it all hasn't shown himself yet."
Just then, a scout stumbled up the tower stairs, blood still dripping from his armor.
"General! There's movement — deep in the southern valley. A black mist is spreading… swallowing the dead."
Yang Busi's face turned pale. "The dead?"
Lin Feng's gaze hardened. "It's begun."
---
By dusk, the two of them had reached the southern valley. What they found froze even Lin Feng's blood.
The valley was drenched in a thick, swirling mist of black and red qi. Corpses from the previous battle — both Blood Sect and Fire Pavilion — floated in the air, suspended like puppets. Their eyes glowed faintly white, their mouths moving as if whispering unseen prayers.
In the center of the valley stood a tall, emaciated figure cloaked in black robes. His face was hidden beneath a bone-white mask carved with runes that pulsed faintly with purple light.
"So this is the High Elder of the Blood Sect," Yang Busi whispered.
Lin Feng's voice was low. "And that technique…"
He could feel it — waves of spiritual corruption rolling through the air. The elder was weaving Soul Devouring Arts, a forbidden technique from the ancient chaos era, long outlawed in every realm. It devoured both life and spirit to fuel the caster's power.
The black-robed man lifted his head slowly, his voice echoing across the valley like a whisper from the abyss.
"You are Lin Feng," he said. "The one who killed Ouyang Shan. The one who destroyed my disciples."
Lin Feng met his gaze. "You must be the one pulling their strings. The Blood Sect's hidden hand."
The elder chuckled, the sound dry and hollow. "You've stirred the lower realms, boy. The Ouyang Family pays well for your head… but I'd rather have your soul."
The mist surged.
The corpses screamed.
And the valley itself darkened.
---
In a single motion, Lin Feng's sword flashed out, releasing a wave of azure light that split the mist apart. But the darkness instantly reformed, howling like a storm.
The elder raised a hand. "Soul Art — Thousand Wraiths' Descent."
Spectral forms burst from the mist — faces of the dead, eyes hollow, wailing in agony. They rushed toward Lin Feng like a tidal wave.
Yang Busi stepped forward, flames erupting around her. "Fire Domain — Blazing Heart!"
Her flames surged outward, forming a sea of crimson that burned through the wraiths. But for every spirit destroyed, two more formed from the black mist.
"This isn't working!" she shouted.
Lin Feng closed his eyes. The nine-headed dragon within him roared faintly, restless.
Then —
Dragon Domain — Rise!
A deafening roar split the sky. Azure light exploded from Lin Feng's body, forcing the black mist backward. The earth cracked beneath his feet as the Dragon Domain expanded, covering the entire valley in its oppressive might.
The flames and the mist collided, creating a chaotic storm of light and shadow.
The elder only laughed. "A domain? Impressive — but your spirit burns too brightly. I will consume it."
He spread his arms. From the mist behind him, a massive spectral serpent formed — a creature made of souls, its eyes burning white. Its hiss shook the valley.
"The Soul Devourer…" Yang Busi whispered.
The serpent lunged.
Lin Feng met it head-on.
Their powers collided with an earth-shattering BOOM — the serpent's body slamming against the shimmering walls of the Dragon Domain. Waves of destructive qi rippled across the valley.
Lin Feng's sword moved faster than sight.
"Azure Sword Art — Seventh Stance: Heaven's End!"
A massive arc of sword light tore into the serpent, splitting its form in half — but the creature merely howled and reformed, absorbing the souls of fallen soldiers to grow even larger.
"Useless!" the elder roared. "You cannot kill what has no life!"
---
The serpent struck again — but this time, its tail passed straight through Lin Feng's body.
He gasped. His soul quivered. A chill crept into his bones.
The elder smiled behind his mask. "My serpent feeds not on flesh, but spirit."
Lin Feng fell to one knee, his vision dimming. The wails of the dead filled his mind. He could feel countless souls clawing at his consciousness, trying to drag him into eternal oblivion.
"Lin Feng!" Yang Busi's voice sounded distant, muffled.
But deep within the storm of chaos, another voice echoed — the ancient, powerful one that had dwelled in his bloodline since the awakening of his dragon soul.
"Mortal flesh may falter, but the dragon spirit does not yield."
"Show them… what true soul power means."
Lin Feng's eyes snapped open — golden fire burning within.
He stood slowly, the faint outline of the nine-headed dragon coiling around him.
"Dragon Domain — Second Roar: Soul Suppression."
The world shook.
The spectral serpent froze mid-air, its form distorting violently. The elder's mask cracked.
"What—?! Impossible!"
But Lin Feng wasn't done.
"Battle Intent — Fifth Stage!"
"Slaughter Intent — Fifth Stage!"
The two intents fused into the domain, intertwining with the dragon's aura. Azure light turned crimson-gold, and from Lin Feng's body surged an aura so overwhelming that even Yang Busi stumbled back, breathless.
"Azure Sword Art — Eighth Stance: Eternal Dragon's Fang!"
The dragon roared once more, its nine heads merging into one colossal spear of light. Lin Feng thrust his sword forward, and the spear followed — tearing through the serpent's heart, piercing the elder's chest.
"NOOOO—!" the elder screamed, his soul fracturing, body dissolving into mist.
The serpent shattered. The mist exploded outward in a shockwave that leveled the valley.
When the light faded, silence fell.
---
The valley was still. The black mist had vanished, replaced by the faint glow of morning light.
Yang Busi knelt among the ashes, her armor scorched. Lin Feng stood at the center of a massive crater, his sword planted in the ground. His breathing was shallow, but steady.
"It's… over," she said softly.
Lin Feng nodded, though his gaze was distant. "The Ouyang Family won't stop. But the Blood Sect… they'll need decades to recover."
He sheathed his sword and turned to her. "Emberfall is safe for now. I'll return to the sect soon — there are things I need to prepare."
Yang Busi looked at him, eyes shimmering faintly. "Without you, none of us would have survived."
Lin Feng smiled faintly. "We all fought. I was just the blade that struck first."
The wind stirred his hair. The sun rose behind him, gilding the ruins of the valley in gold.
And as he walked away, his Dragon Domain slowly retracted — the faint echo of a dragon's roar fading into the distance.