Qingye didn't need to be told again as he launched himself at Tiang, phasing out of sight due to the speed he was going at — Tiang's experienced eyes darted between the open field and he spotted Qingye, and he did a palm strike, sending a shockwave that uprooted the destroyed floor and hit Qingye, simultaneously flinging him back.
Qingye hit the back of the barely standing wall and it collapsed on him, but that did little to nothing to deter him.
Like a zombie, Qingye got up and stared at his father before he staggered forward and vanished again — his speed unhindered by the blow Tiang had dealt.
Qingye appeared to Tiang's left and the latter threw another palm-generated shockwave, but this time Qingye dodged by sliding under the attack, and by doing so, Qingye closed the distance between him and Tiang and sent a punch aiming at Tiang's jaw.
Proving to be no slouch either, Tiang blocked the attack and sparks of Neuro-Qi flew wildly.
The tendrils of energy struck everything alongside the two, causing the ground to shatter and winds to spawn from the attacks.
Tiang brought the two ethereal hands above him and smashed them on Qingye, grinding the latter into the destroyed ground — Qingye's resistance prevailed and in a single motion, he swept the legs from underneath Tiang, tripping his father. He opened his mouth just as his father hit the ground and a searing wave of fire scorched through the ground, turning it to charcoal.
Qingye got up and stared at the burning area — his eyes scanned rapidly around him as he could still detect the presence of his father; he was unprepared for what happened next as a force struck him on the side and shot him into the forest behind the destroyed wing.
Qingye's body broke through trees one after the other before he composed himself and skidded to a stop.
"To survive the Guardian Scripture's second form is impressive," Tiang congratulated Qingye as he stepped into the clearing.
< Maximum combat output >
< Autopilot engaged >
< AI control >
< Potential unlocked >
Qingye's eyes changed, becoming bright red. His body lifted from the ground and he settled into the stance his father had done earlier, much to Tiang's shock. Instead of luminescent Qi like the one around Tiang, this one was red with streaks of gold flashes around it. The column that appeared took over the sky and split the white clouds before shrinking and forming six hands instead of two.
"Father, do you know the purpose of this? It's because you are unfit to be the Sect master." Qingye said in a robotic yet sinister voice.
"Unfit? I've been the Sect leader for over three decades and you deem me unfit?"
"That's the truth — you are unfit as a Sect leader and a failure as a father. Your children are golden standards yet they never had a father's love — cold and cruel, that's what you have been to them!"
"..."
"Cat got your tongue? Figured since you condemned one to this world a failure, your daughter hates you! You are a sorry excuse of a man."
"Six Fold: Slashing Light!" Before Qingye and Tiang could react, a sword tip crossed the empty space and six slashes of light accompanied the sword, and in that moment of silence — blood splattered on the ground and a heavy thud resonated as the attacker came to a stop.
Qingye looked at his shoulder and saw blood; he looked at the person who attacked him and he roared to the heavens. "YOU DARE CUT ME?"
Gaia smirked and got to her feet. She looked at Qingye with distaste. "That's for spouting crap about our young master — he's more of a man than you could ever be." She looked at the Sect leader and did a slight bow. "Sorry for interrupting you, Sect master."
Tiang shook his head. "You interrupted nothing, but don't be fooled, he's no easy enemy," Tiang informed and settled into a fighting style.
Gaia took her place beside him and raised her sword. "I don't intend to underestimate him — he's Lord Qingye, after all."
"Good."
The unofficial signal that needed not be repeated was uttered and the two dashed toward Qingye; Gaia dodged the hands from Qingye and weaved between the debris created when the latter clashed with Tiang's Buddha hands — she slid under his detection in a blink and came to a screeching halt, sheathing her sword and unsheathing it at the same time.
"Ten Fold: Sword Intent."
A wave of Neuro-Qi shot from the tip of the blade as Gaia swung it upwards in an arc, cutting through Qingye's shoulder cleanly.
Qingye let out a primal scream which immediately croaked as the artificial intelligence woven within his mind took over completely — the fire that was around him dissolved four of the hands, leaving two, and the other four created a cover of flames that wrapped around him like a cape; the injuries he had sustained closing themselves from the fire's touch.
Qingye raised his hand and the flames around him began to increase in potency — like waves, they gathered above him and formed what could only be classified as a miniature sun radiating with so much heat that the air became hot and the moisture in the trees dried up, turning the once-humid forest into a decayed wasteland. He pointed his hand at Gaia and Tiang, and the sun descended onto them.
Gaia watched, astonished at what she was seeing; no technique she knew could stop that thing, and her eyes only widened further when Tiang stood in front of her.
Tiang looked behind him. "Go, take Lian'er along with you."
"But I can't leave you!"
"That's an order!"
Gaia opened her mouth and closed it again; she nodded to the demands of the Sect leader and disappeared from the fight.
With her gone, Tiang closed his eyes and chuckled to himself. *I have gone soft*, he mused to himself and crossed his hands in front of his face. "Foolish son, I shall show you the true power of the Guardian Scripture!" His energy skyrocketed again and the shroud of hands grew in size until it was dwarfing the trees. The complete Buddha stretched its hand and held the sphere, and a blinding light covered a massive section of the forest, easily superseding a range of thirty kilometers.
---
The explosion died down and what was left of the forest was a gigantic crater, and inside the crater stood Qingye with his clothes torn from the fight but overall in good condition. In his hands was his father — he had Tiang by the throat, lifting him above his head.
Tiang was covered in bruises, his famed golden gauntlets chirping away from taking excessive damage at the hands of Qingye.
On the dusk of the fifth day.
The golden lion, and one of the powerful masters, was deceased.
Winner? Qingye.