The moment Leon and Lian Yue moved, the world seemed to slow.
Two terrifying forces collided like colliding stars.
BOOOOM!
The explosion of power blasted across Ironblood Peak, shattering the courtyard floor into thousands of fragments. Crimson lightning and silver sword energy tore through the air, ripping apart the storm clouds above the mountain.
The disciples watching from afar felt their hearts tremble.
This was no ordinary fight.
This was a battle between monsters.
Lian Yue's massive crescent blade descended like a falling moon, carving a crimson arc through the sky. The weapon hummed with terrifying power, the surrounding air warping as if reality itself feared being cut apart.
Leon stepped forward calmly.
His sword rose.
Then fell.
CLANG!!!
The two weapons collided.
A shockwave erupted outward instantly, flattening nearby buildings and forcing the observing disciples to retreat even farther down the mountain.
Fang Chen shielded his face.
"DAMN!"
Lan Mei gripped her staff tightly as she struggled to remain standing.
"This power…"
The battlefield had become unrecognizable.
Cracks spread across the courtyard like spider webs, and the surrounding stone pillars shattered one after another under the pressure of the clashing auras.
High above them, Leon and Lian Yue continued their exchange.
Lian Yue spun gracefully through the air, her crescent blade carving through space again and again. Each swing produced waves of crimson energy that tore across the mountain like tidal waves.
Leon moved through the attacks with frightening precision.
His sword flashed repeatedly, slicing apart every incoming strike.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Their movements grew faster.
Soon, even the elders watching from afar could barely follow them.
Supreme Elder Qiao narrowed his eyes.
"She's testing him."
An elder beside him frowned.
"Testing?"
"Yes," Qiao replied quietly. "She hasn't used her full power yet."
As if to confirm his words—
Lian Yue suddenly stopped attacking.
She floated backward, hovering calmly in the crimson sky.
Leon didn't pursue.
The two simply stared at each other.
Lian Yue stretched her arms lazily.
"You're stronger than I remember."
Leon's expression remained unreadable.
"And you talk too much."
She laughed softly.
"Fair."
Then her gaze shifted downward.
Toward Ye Tian.
Standing amidst the rubble.
Still watching the battle.
Still holding his sword.
Still refusing to retreat.
Her smile widened.
"You're very stubborn."
Ye Tian wiped blood from his chin.
"You noticed."
Lian Yue raised a single finger.
A crimson blade formed instantly beside it.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, dozens of blood-red blades hovered behind her like a deadly halo.
"This time," she said softly, "I'm not aiming for your ribs."
Leon's aura exploded instantly.
"You will not touch him."
The air around Leon condensed violently.
Sword energy filled the sky like an invisible storm.
But Lian Yue moved first.
Her hand flicked downward.
The blades shot toward Ye Tian.
Faster than lightning.
Fang Chen shouted in panic.
"MOVE!"
Ye Tian didn't move.
Instead—
His war talent activated fully.
The battlefield suddenly became clear.
Every blade's trajectory.
Every movement of air.
Every tiny shift in energy.
He saw it all.
Time slowed.
His body moved instinctively.
SWISH!
One blade missed his head by less than an inch.
CLANG!
He deflected another with his sword.
BOOM!
A third exploded against the ground beside him.
The disciples watching were stunned.
"He's dodging them?!"
"Those attacks could kill Core Formation cultivators instantly!"
Ye Tian moved like a shadow between death.
But there were too many blades.
One finally slipped through his defense.
The crimson weapon pierced his shoulder.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Ye Tian staggered.
But he didn't fall.
Instead—
He grabbed the blade.
Bare-handed.
Lian Yue's eyes widened slightly.
"Interesting."
The blade trembled violently in his grip.
Normally, the weapon would dissolve instantly after striking.
But this one didn't.
Instead—
It began absorbing Ye Tian's blood.
The crimson energy reacted strangely.
His war talent surged.
**Unknown Energy Detected.
Compatibility Check Initiated.**
Ye Tian's body suddenly felt burning hot.
The crimson blade cracked.
Then—
It shattered.
A pulse of strange energy exploded outward from Ye Tian's body.
Lian Yue's expression changed instantly.
"What?"
Leon noticed it too.
His eyes narrowed.
"Impossible…"
Ye Tian looked down at his hand.
Crimson energy flickered around his fingers.
Not hostile.
Not foreign.
It felt…
Familiar.
The war talent spoke again.
**New Ability Detected.
Blood Resonance Activated.**
Lian Yue's voice cut through the silence.
"How did you do that?"
Ye Tian looked up.
"I have no idea."
But his instincts told him something important.
That energy…
The energy inside Lian Yue's attacks…
His body could **absorb it**.
For the first time since arriving—
The Crimson Saintess looked serious.
"Leon," she said slowly, "I'm changing my mind."
Leon's sword lowered slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Her crimson eyes locked onto Ye Tian.
"He's not just interesting anymore."
Her aura surged violently.
"He's valuable."
The storm above Ironblood Peak roared louder than ever before.
Leon stepped forward again, placing himself between Ye Tian and the Saintess.
"You won't take him."
Lian Yue smiled coldly.
"Oh?"
Behind her—
The clouds split open.
Three enormous demonic shadows began descending from the sky.
The elders gasped.
Supreme Elder Qiao's face turned pale.
"That… can't be…"
Lian Yue's voice echoed across the mountain.
"I told you I came alone."
She paused.
Her smile turned cruel.
"But I never said I came **empty-handed**."
The shadows emerged from the storm.
Three terrifying figures landed behind her.
Each one radiated an aura equal to a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Fang Chen whispered in horror.
"…we're dead."