"I'm not sure what just happened, but I already said it—today is your death day." Xue Daoren's expression was dark and grim. He raised his staff. The snake-headed wooden staff suddenly expanded, growing to a monstrous size that seemed to blot out the entire sky.
"Fall!"
With a sharp cry, the wooden staff once again transformed into a massive serpent and came crashing down toward Yun Jin.
Yun Jin lifted her gaze. In her eyes, something seemed to burn—flames, fury, maybe both.
Xue Daoren had to die.
These Blood Dao Sect disciples—every last one of them—had to die.
She had never intended to leave any of them alive.
Raising a hand, Yun Jin summoned the fire elements that surrounded her like a vast sea. They obeyed her will without hesitation, weaving together to form an enormous shield.
The giant serpent slammed into the flaming barrier and was halted mid-strike.
Xue Daoren's face shifted slightly.
This woman—Yun Jin—what kind of monster was she?
Her cultivation hadn't changed. She was still at the peak of Unity stage.
So why?
Why could she withstand a full-power blow from someone in Mahayana?
And those fire elements—why did they obey her so perfectly?
Not only that, the fire under her command… its strength and destructive force far exceeded anything he'd ever seen.
What in the world was going on?
Suddenly, an ancient rumor flashed through Xue Daoren's mind.
It was said that if someone fully comprehended the Law of an element, they could gain complete control over it—drawing out its full potential within their domain.
Could it be...
Had Yun Jin truly grasped the Law of Fire?
His expression wavered.
No.
Impossible.
She was only in the Unity stage.
How long had she even been cultivating?
Where would she have found the time to comprehend an entire elemental Law so quickly?
He himself had spent countless years and had only managed to grasp a single powerful Intent.
And yet Yun Jin... she had already comprehended a full Law?
"No. Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Xue Daoren muttered to himself, then suddenly thrust out both hands, pouring all his spiritual energy into the giant serpent.
Even if Yun Jin had grasped a Dao—which was a massive assumption—she was still just Unity stage. Her Primordial Soul wouldn't be strong enough. No matter how powerful the fire element, she would eventually reach her limit. And maintaining that level of control would consume an immense amount of soul power. He didn't believe for a second that Yun Jin could hold out forever.
The serpent's power surged again. Cracks began to spider across the surface of the flaming shield.
Below them—
Everyone on the ground was staring at the sky, holding their breath, too afraid to make even the slightest noise.
Gao Jingxuan lay motionless on the ground, but his eyes were fixed on the sky. He didn't blink once.
Yun Jin would win, right?
This was a battle between Unity and Mahayana. The gap between them was larger than the difference between a Golden Core cultivator and a mortal.
In all the long years of cultivation history, no Unity-stage cultivator had ever defeated someone in Mahayana.
But—
If it was Sect Master Yun—
She could create miracles. Right?
The flames looked close to collapse, but Yun Jin wasn't panicking.
She remained calm as her voice echoed within her mind.
"Activate Miracle Simplification. Use Enlightenment Mode."
She had sensed it before—
This Miracle Simplification's Enlightenment Mode was something unique. In this state, even her physical eyes could perceive things normally hidden.
Now—
She activated it again.
And once more, the world changed.
She saw herself suspended in a web of invisible threads, connected to the faith of millions. Their belief continued to flow into her without end.
The battlefield in front of her peeled away its illusions.
Everything reduced to its most primal form.
Every thread. Every element. Revealed in their purest essence.
Yun Jin looked at the serpent bearing down on her. Then she saw it—the one and only weak spot in its massive body.
Just as the flaming shield shattered, Xue Daoren didn't even have time to look pleased.
Yun Jin had already transformed the broken shield into a spear of fire and hurled it straight toward the serpent's right eye.
That's right.
The only true weak point on this serpent—was its right eye.
Yun Jin's strike was clean, decisive, and absolute.
Before Xue Daoren could react—
The flaming spear pierced the serpent's eye.
The once-arrogant serpent let out a horrifying scream, its colossal body unraveling into wisps of flame and ash.
Xue Daoren's face twisted with disbelief.
This serpent had only one weak point—and it shifted constantly. No one beneath his cultivation level should have been able to detect it.
How had Yun Jin seen through it?
The serpent collapsed. Yun Jin didn't pause. The fire-forged spear shot directly at Xue Daoren. He cursed under his breath. A blood-red shield appeared around him.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes. In Enlightenment Mode, she instantly spotted the weakest part of the barrier.
The spear lunged toward that spot.
With a sharp crack—
The barrier shattered.
Xue Daoren stumbled back, panic breaking across his face.
What was this woman?
If the first weak spot had been a coincidence—
Then what about this one?
Had she mastered the Law of Insight too?
No. That was absurd. No one could possibly be that outrageous.
But as Xue Daoren hesitated—
Yun Jin was already charging, sword in hand.
Her Tai'a Sword, originally balanced with yin and yang energy, was now wholly engulfed in flame.
The essence of fire—prideful, wild, unstoppable—wrapped itself around the blade.
For the first time, Xue Daoren felt a flicker of real fear.
He retreated in haste. Suddenly, he grabbed Qin Ping and yanked him close, choking him with a bloodied hand.
"Yun Jin, stop right there! Or I'll kill him!"
Yun Jin's eyes narrowed. She came to a slow stop.
Desperation flickered in Qin Ping's gaze. He tried to speak—
But Xue Daoren's grip was too tight. He couldn't get a word out.
Qin Ping struggled to move his fingers. He wanted to signal her, to tell her—don't worry about me.
Now that Yun Jin had broken through, she no longer needed to fear Xue Daoren.
The people were safe.
Whether he lived or died didn't matter.
He stared at her with all his might, trying to make his intention clear.
Yun Jin saw it.
But her gaze only sharpened. "Xue Daoren, you're Mahayana. I'm just Unity. And you still have to stoop to this? Don't you find it disgraceful?"
"Disgraceful? You're flattering me." Xue Daoren sneered. "As long as I get what I want, anything is justified."
Then his voice turned sharp. "All of you. Kill the civilians!"
Yun Jin's pupils contracted sharply.
A moment later—
The Blood Dao Sect disciples followed the command and moved in unison.
Yun Jin let out a cold laugh. At her fingertips, tiny blossoms of flame bloomed.
The fireflowers landed with perfect precision on each of the evil cultivators below.
In an instant—
Flames erupted.
Not a single scream.
Every Blood Dao Sect disciple turned to ash without a sound.
Yun Jin stared at Xue Daoren without a shred of emotion. Since attaining the Law, her control over fire had become absolute. Whether targeting a single opponent or a whole group—among the five elements, fire always had the advantage.
Maybe Xue Daoren could survive her enhanced flames.
But his followers? Not even close.
His eyes bulged as the massacre unfolded.
It had taken only a second.
And they were gone.
All of them—dead?
"You! Don't move again!" Xue Daoren dragged Qin Ping in front of himself, using him as a shield.