The mountains trembled as Tai Jian's qi erupted. Rocks splintered and trees shattered as though unable to withstand the weight of his will. For days he had endured relentless ambushes, waves upon waves of assassins sent to wear him down, yet not once had he faltered. His blade was chipped, his robes soaked with blood, but his eyes burned brighter than ever.
He paused for a breath, sensing the land. Far to the east, a violent, unstable aura raged like a crimson flame. It cut through the sky like a beacon of despair and madness.
Tie Hongchen.
Her qi was unrecognizable, warped, and twisted. And yet he could feel her presence within it, fighting to hold on. She was burning her life away.
Hongchen… you fool… Tai Jian's chest tightened, not with fear, but with grief and fury. He knew what forbidden arts demanded of the cultivator. She had bound herself to the Asura path—something even devils avoided unless there was no return.
His fists clenched around his sword. I must reach her. Even if my body breaks, I must reach her.
But before he could take another step, the fog in the valley stirred. Out of it stepped a figure clad in golden armor, spear in hand.
The golden emissary.
His face bore a mocking smile, his eyes glowing faintly with golden light. His aura rippled unnaturally, sometimes stable, sometimes violent, as though another will stirred within.
Tai Jian instantly understood.
"Di Yi." His voice was a low growl.
The emissary chuckled, but the sound carried an echo that wasn't his own. "As expected of you. Sharp, unyielding… but doomed. You will not reach her. Even if you cut me down, you cannot escape the hand of fate."
Tai Jian's eyes narrowed. The air around him began to hum as his blade vibrated, eager for battle. "If heaven itself blocks me, then I will tear down the heavens."
With no more words, they clashed.
The first strike split the valley floor open. Mountains shook, trees were uprooted, and the ground quaked like thunder. Tai Jian's sword light surged upward, cleaving the fog into ribbons. The golden emissary met it with a spear thrust so sharp that it pierced through stone and air alike.
Their collision birthed a storm. Rocks turned to dust under the shockwaves, and rivers diverted course as though fleeing the battlefield.
---
Meanwhile, at the Shadow Guild's base, Tie Hongchen stood in a sea of corpses.
Her transformation was horrifying and majestic. Her hair, once sleek and black, now shimmered blood-red. Her nails had grown into razor-like claws, dripping with a metallic sheen. Crimson light burned in her eyes, and her presence was so suffocating that even seasoned assassins quaked before her.
The once-orderly base was now chaos. Screams echoed through the air as shadow cultivators were torn apart like straw dummies. Each step she took painted the ground crimson.
But she was not entirely gone. Somewhere deep within that madness, her thoughts whispered.
Stay awake. Jian is coming. I cannot lose myself yet.
A voice answered her from the abyss of her soul. Smooth, sinister, filled with hunger.
"Why resist, little one? You have tasted my strength. Let go, and you will never again feel weakness, fear, or despair. Become me, and together we will drown the world in blood."
Tie Hongchen clenched her fists, her body trembling. "Shut up…" she hissed through bloodied lips.
"Ah, you resist so sweetly. But already, your heart beats to my rhythm. Every kill, every scream feeds me. You are mine."
Her claws tore through three assassins at once. Blood splattered across her face, but she did not wipe it away. Instead, she turned her crimson eyes toward the black emissary and white emissary, who watched with grim expressions.
The black emissary's jaw tightened. "She's no longer human."
The white emissary's hands shook as he tightened his grip on his halberd. "She has chosen the Asura path. Soon, there will be nothing left of her mind."
"Soon?" The black emissary barked a bitter laugh. "Look around you, fool. She's already a demon!"
They had no choice but to fight.
Together, they charged. Weapons gleaming with killing intent, they attacked in perfect synchronization. The black emissary's spear thrust forward like lightning, while the white emissary's halberd swept in wide arcs, cutting off all retreat.
Tie Hongchen welcomed them. With a roar, she lunged, her claws clashing against metal. Sparks burst with every strike. Her strength was monstrous, her speed unnatural. Every blow drove them back, their arms numb from the impact.
Blood sprayed as she raked her claws across the black emissary's chest, tearing through his armor. He staggered back, fury and terror warring in his eyes.
"Monster!" he spat.
Tie Hongchen bared her fangs in a savage smile. "Then die by a monster's hand."
She launched forward again, her aura flaring so fiercely that the protective formation around the base cracked audibly. The soldiers maintaining the array screamed as blood poured from their eyes and noses, their spirits buckling under her pressure.
---
Among those soldiers was a young shadow cultivator named Ming Yue. Barely sixteen, he had been recruited by the guild to serve as an array anchor. His qi was weak, his body frail, but he was bound to the formation by oath. If he faltered, his soul would be ripped apart.
His hands trembled as he forced his qi into the array, tears streaming down his face. Around him, comrades collapsed, lifeless, their souls extinguished.
I don't want to die… I don't want to die here…
But then he saw her. Tie Hongchen, covered in blood, standing like a demon amidst a storm. Her eyes were terrifying, yet behind the crimson glow he caught a flicker—just a flicker—of sorrow.
And strangely, he felt a spark of courage.
If even she, drenched in madness, still fights on… then perhaps I too can endure a little longer.
He straightened, forcing his trembling body to continue feeding qi into the array, even as his vision blurred.
---
Far above, within the pagoda, Di Yi leaned back on his throne, watching through the emissary's eyes.
"She burns beautifully," he whispered, his voice dripping with mockery. "But the brighter she shines, the faster she will perish. And when she falls, so too will the boy who rushes to save her. How poetic."
His fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest. "Dance for me, Tai Jian. Struggle, rage, defy. In the end, all your defiance only sweetens your despair."
---
Back on the mountain pass, Tai Jian and the golden emissary continued their deadly duel.
The emissary's spear was relentless, guided by Di Yi's will. Every thrust carried not just physical force, but the oppressive weight of fate itself. Tai Jian's blade met it again and again, his body growing heavier with each exchange.
Yet his eyes never dimmed.
"Do you know why you will lose, emissary?" Tai Jian asked, his voice calm even as blood dripped from his lips.
The emissary sneered. "Because fate decrees it."
"No," Tai Jian whispered. His blade hummed, qi surging like a river breaking its banks. "Because I fight not for myself, but for her."
His aura exploded, and from it rose a colossal dragon of light, roaring to the heavens. The dragon coiled around him, its scales shimmering, its eyes blazing with defiance.
The golden emissary faltered, his spear trembling for the first time.
Far away, Tie Hongchen lifted her head amidst slaughter, her crimson eyes trembling faintly. Through the haze of blood, she felt it—Tai Jian's breakthrough.
A broken smile curved her lips.
Jian… you came.