The battlefield burned with the aftermath of Elder Fan's Flame Prison.
Golden flames rampaged around Su Vaen, enclosing him in a globe of searing heat.
The ground beneath him blackened and cracked, the air itself warping from the sheer power of the elder's might.
"Your tricks end here!" Elder Fan's voice boomed as he flew above, his palm facing upwards.
"Blazing Sun Manifestation—Final Judgement!"
A burning ball of golden flame appeared above him, its radiance eclipsing the moon. The heat rocketed in that moment. If that attack hit, Su Vaen's body would be reduced to mere ashes.
Su Vaen exhaled. So this is the strength of a half-step Golden Core cultivator…
His fist tightened on his sword. Fear had no place here.
SHWOOOSH!
Darkness erupted from Su Vaen's form, his Shadow Veil roiling furiously like a living entity.
He forged forward, his form streaking through the inferno like a ghost.
The searing heat licked at his skin, but the Tenebris Energy within him nullified the damage.
His sword pulsed, a dark black aura enveloping its blade.
Slash of Night fall: First Slash
A blade of pure darkness cleaved the fire, slicing through it like a knife through paper. Su Vaen stood up, shooting straight at Elder Fan.
The elder's eyes widened. "Foolish!"
The golden sphere in his hand shrank for a moment before exploding outward—a storm of divine flames diving down like a meteor shower.
Su Vaen did not bat an eyelid. His blindfolded eyes fixed on his target as he spun in mid-air, his entire body moving with the slash of a knife.
Slash of Night fall : First Slash
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The elder barely deflected the blows with a Queried Qi shield, but each strike caused his body to shudder. His face twisted in shock.
"This isn't normal swordsmanship—!"
Su Vaen's lips curled into a sneer.
It wasn't.
As the elder was occupied in parrying the illusory cuts, Su Vaen had already made his move.
WHOOSH!
His shadow flashed beneath Elder Fan in an instant, reforming behind the latter. His sword—now imbued with pure Tenebris Energy—did not hesitate to attack.
SCHLICK!
A yawning chasm tore open across the elder's back, dark energy tearing into his flesh like venom. The elder roared in agony, his body convulsing forward beneath the force of the blow.
He whirled about, his eyes blazing with fury. "You—!"
But Su Vaen didn't give him the chance.
Slash of Nightfall : First Slash
He vanished.
Elder Fan's eyes narrowed. For the first time in decades, he had lost sight of his enemy.
SHING!
A frozen whisper brushed the back of his neck.
A moment later, a sword did the same.
SLASH!
A brutal tide of shadow washed across Elder Fan's chest, biting deep into his flesh. His chest arched backward, crashing into the earth with a loud BOOM.
A thick cloud of debris and dust choked the air. The golden flames encasing the battlefield flickered… then died.
Silence.
Then—
COUGH.
Elder Fan struggled to rise, blood pooling beneath him. His pristine robes were rent, his face pale. His Qi churned wildly—unstable, turbulent.
His eyes lifted, locking on Su Vaen, who stood over him, his sword still dripping with his blood.
The elder's lips trembled. "What… are you?"
Su Vaen uttered not a word. His face, blindfolded, was unreadable, but his aura spoke volumes. Unmoved. Absolute.
He won.