The wind died.
The five bandits stood quietly on the stone ledges, watching Shen Hao like hunters circling a tired animal. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.
Even the sky had gone still.
Shen Hao stood alone, blood dried on his arm, his breathing light but sharp. His body ached, and his Qi was nearly drained, but his eyes hadn't lost their focus.
Then the leader finally stepped forward.
He stopped just a few steps ahead of the others, hands behind his back. His voice was calm, even polite.
"You're as strong as I am," he said. "If this were a fair fight… I'd be excited."
He looked Shen Hao over slowly.
"But this?" he smirked. "This is just sad. Look at you. Burned out. Barely standing. I was hoping for a challenge."
The others laughed lightly behind him.
"He's trembling."
"Maybe he's going to faint."
"You sure this guy's the one who beat our men?"
The chain-wielding bandit added with a grin, "He won't even last another round."
Shen Hao stayed quiet.
Then the four-eyed one stepped up again.
"Let's just finish him. It's five against one."
He smirked.
"You're all alone."
Shen Hao looked up.
Then he smiled.
It wasn't forced. It wasn't loud.
Just confident.
"Who said," he said softly, "I'm alone?"
For a second, nothing happened.
Then the air behind Shen Hao shimmered.
Two pulses of energy flared from his ring.
In a flash of golden light, the two golems appeared—towering, glowing, and silent. Their eyes lit up with intelligence. Their forms hummed with elemental energy, and their presence filled the sky like ancient guardians waking from sleep.
The ground trembled just slightly under their arrival.
Shen Hao raised one hand and passed them a flow of Qi. It was slow, controlled. A connection only he could give.
And just like that—
Their energy flared.
Both golems rose sharply to peak Level 6. The ground cracked. The air buzzed with pressure.
The bandits all took a step back.
The elder on the left muttered, "That's… that's not possible."
"They're alive?" the other one said. "Those are conscious golems…"
The chain user swallowed hard. "Only elemental beings made from true sacrifice can awaken like that."
Shen Hao didn't say a word.
The bandits hesitated.
The two golems stood tall behind Shen Hao, their eyes glowing with quiet power. Elemental energy rolled off them in slow, heavy waves. The stone beneath their feet cracked. Sparks danced around their bodies like they were born from thunder.
The chain user took a step back.
"Is this a joke?" he muttered. "Since when can a cultivator like him bring two elemental guardians?"
"Even our leader can't do that."
"No way those are puppets," the four-eyed one added. "Those things are alive. Aware."
"They weren't summoned," one of the elders said quietly. "They came out on their own."
The leader didn't say anything.
Shen Hao gave a small nod.
The golems moved.
Fast.
The elder on the left barely dodged as the younger golem threw a fist his way — a straight, clean punch backed by pure force. The blow smashed into the rock wall behind him, turning stone into dust.
The other elder flew in with a burst of wind Qi, trying to counter, but the older golem raised both hands and clapped them together, creating a shockwave that blew him away mid-air.
Then came Lingfeng.
A soft zing sounded as lingfeng steped forward and spun into the air, glowing with violet sparks.
"Ahh, finally," he said, floating beside Shen Hao. "So much noise, so little talent."
"You're late," Shen Hao said under his breath.
"I wanted to give them a head start. Make it fair."
The chain-wielder dashed in, swinging hard — his chain wrapped in dark red Qi, aiming for Shen Hao's side.
But Shen Hao was ready.
He caught the chain mid-air, twisted it around his arm, and pulled. The man flew forward, and Shen Hao met him halfway with a sharp elbow to the shoulder, knocking him off-balance.
Then came the four-eyed one, fast from above, fists glowing.
They clashed midair. Shen Hao ducked low, kicked upward, and followed with a burst of Qi from his palm that sent the attacker spinning.
The elders circled wide, trading strikes with the golems now. Every blow shook the cliffs. Fire, wind, and stone clashed with each hit. The sky above flickered with leftover energy.
"Master!" Lingfeng shouted. "If we survive this, I want a name upgrade. Something cooler, Maybe 'Blade Emperor.' Just saying."
"Focus," Shen Hao muttered, side-stepping a second chain strike.
"I am focused. I just happen to multi-task."
The elder on the right broke off from the golem fight and turned toward Shen Hao, throwing a spinning wave of Qi.
Shen Hao blocked it, but the force pushed him back.
The leader still hadn't moved.
He stood on a ledge above, arms folded, watching everything. Calm. Waiting.
Lingfeng noticed.
"You seeing this guy? He's doing the classic villain stare. Hands behind his back. Not even blinking."
"He's waiting," Shen Hao said. "He wants to fight last."
"Ugh. Drama king."
The older golem grabbed one of the elders midair and slammed him into the ground with a low boom that echoed down the canyon.
"ENOUGH!" the elder shouted, stumbling up. "I've had it with these ugly rocks!"
"He's snapping," Lingfeng said. "Watch this."
The elder's face twisted. He raised both arms, Qi shaking violently around him.
"Filthy mountain rats! You dare touch me? You oversized wall ornaments! I'll grind you into—"
He didn't finish.
The younger golem's foot came down hard.
Boom.
Not enough to end him, but definitely enough to shut him up for now.
The canyon echoed with battle.
Stone cracked. Wind howled. Blades clashed against pure Qi. It was chaos—but controlled.
Shen Hao moved between his enemies like a storm within a storm. The chain user and the four-eyed bandit came at him from opposite sides, working together now.
"You're not escaping this time!" the four-eyed one shouted, diving in low with a fast strike.
Shen Hao twisted midair, blocked with his forearm, and sent a sharp blast of Qi to counter. But the chain followed right behind, curling around his leg mid-spin.
The big guy yanked.
Shen Hao dropped suddenly, but flipped with the pull and kicked off the canyon wall to launch himself right back into the air.
"Nice one," Lingfeng said. "Too bad he's still ugly."
"You're not helping," Shen Hao muttered.
"Lies. I'm hilarious."
The chain whipped again. This time Shen Hao ducked under and came up with a fast palm strike to the chest. The impact cracked the bandit's armor and knocked him back a few feet.
The four-eyed one tried to catch Shen Hao in that moment, fists glowing with fiery red Qi. He closed in fast.
Shen Hao narrowed his eyes.
Then exploded outward with a wave of purple energy.
The blast didn't fully connect, but it bought space.
On the other side of the canyon, the two golems were still tearing through the battlefield.
The older one locked arms with one of the elders in a raw strength clash, fire and stone grinding together. The younger golem moved faster, slamming both fists into the ground and sending a shockwave up through the rock. The other elder lost footing midair and stumbled.
"I'll crush you!" the elder screamed, throwing his hand forward to unleash a spiral of wind Qi.
The golem caught it with both arms crossed and charged straight through it like it was fog.
"Your guys are getting cooked," Lingfeng said. "Not that I'm complaining."
"One step at a time," Shen Hao said, panting slightly. His core was holding, but barely.
He focused on the chain user again.
This time, Shen Hao didn't wait.
He dashed forward, arms glowing, feet almost silent as he moved through the air. The chain spun wildly, but Shen Hao dodged low, then leapt up and struck with a hard right elbow to the chin.
The bandit reeled back. Dazed.
"Damn you—!"
He tried to swing again, but Shen Hao kicked the chain out of his hand mid-swing and followed it with a burst of Qi that sent the man flying into the canyon wall.
He didn't move after that.
"Four-eyed freak's next," Lingfeng muttered.
Shen Hao turned just in time to block a fast strike. The two exchanged a flurry of hits—hands, Qi, bursts of pressure. Sparks danced through the air with every contact.
Then the golems stepped in.
The older one knocked back the wind elder, who finally looked shaken. The younger one helped pin the other into a corner with a heavy stomp that cracked the mountain edge.
"Master!" shouted the four-eyed bandit. "We need to retreat! This is getting out of control!"
Shen Hao's eyes locked with his.
"You were smiling before," he said quietly. "What happened?"
The four-eyed bandit backed up, breathing hard. His leader still hadn't moved.
But now, finally, he raised a hand.
"Enough," the Level 7 leader said. "You two. Go."
They didn't argue.
They turned and vanished without another word, flying fast and wide into the distance.
"Look at them run," Lingfeng snorted. "I didn't even get to stab anyone yet."
Shen Hao exhaled, steady but sharp. The leader's eyes were still locked on his.
And he wasn't smiling anymore.
The canyon was quiet again.
The dust had settled. The screams, the blasts, the cracking stones — all of it had faded.
Only Shen Hao and the leader remained.
The man hadn't moved. He still stood on that ledge, arms behind his back, watching with calm, unreadable eyes.
Shen Hao floated just below, standing tall, though his body was tired and marked with signs of the battle.
The leader finally spoke.
"You handled them better than I expected."
His tone was casual, almost bored. But his eyes were sharp.
"You're not weak. I'll give you that."
He stepped forward, slow and smooth, until he was at the edge of the broken platform.
"But let's not pretend," he continued. "You're drained. Your golems are holding, but your own Qi? Barely flowing."
A pause.
He smiled — not kind. Just confident.
"You would've been a great match for me at full strength," he said. "But now? This is going to be disappointing."
Shen Hao didn't answer.
He stared straight ahead.
The leader's expression shifted slightly.
Then he said it:
"You're all alone now. The moment I move, it ends."
Shen Hao's lips curled into a faint smirk.
"I've heard that before," he said.
Lingfeng floated slowly beside him, blade gleaming.
"You got anything left, Master?"
"Just enough," Shen Hao replied.
The leader finally moved.
He stepped off the ledge and slowly descended through the air, stopping just across from Shen Hao.
They hovered at equal height. Same level. Same realm.
Silence fell between them.
Then the leader's hand twitched — just a little — and his aura surged.
Dense. Sharp. Uncompromising.
The sky above crackled with pressure. The mountain peaks around them groaned.
Shen Hao's eyes didn't flinch.
His core pulsed quietly.
And just like that—
The final fight was about to begin.