The Crushing Serpent
When Zhao Yunhai's Coiling Serpent Descent fell upon him, the world shook. The serpent of qi was vast, its fangs dripping venom, its coils heavy as mountains.
For a moment, Shen Lian's body was pinned, his bones screaming, his breath crushed from his chest. His ribs cracked under the weight.
And the lotus surged.
The petals trembled, black light erupting from his veins.
Let us bloom. Let us drink him. Only then will you live.
Shen Lian's vision blurred. Smoke and shadow swallowed the world, pulling him into the lotus.
⸻
Inside the Lotus
He stood once more in the black field of water. Above him rose the lotus, its petals wide, its whispers deafening.
Before him, Zhao Yunhai struggled, thrashing against roots that had coiled around his limbs. His qi serpent lashed uselessly, breaking apart into smoke as the lotus drank from it.
Yunhai's eyes widened in horror. "What—what is this?!"
The petals leaned closer, their voices overlapping.
Prey. Rage. Blood of kin. Feed us.
Shen Lian's knees buckled. The petals tried to move his arms, his breath, his very thoughts. They wanted to bloom fully, to devour Yunhai whole.
But Shen Lian gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing. "No. I… control."
⸻
The Struggle
Yunhai's qi poured into the lotus, streams of green unraveling from his scales. The petals drank eagerly, quivering.
Shen Lian's chest ached with hunger. His mouth filled with the taste of iron and venom.
For a moment, he wanted to give in. To let it finish. To watch Zhao Yunhai's body collapse into ash, his soul ripped screaming into the bloom.
The lotus whispered sweetly: He is kin to Kun. You already began this bloodline. Finish it.
Shen Lian's hand trembled.
But Su Rou's voice rang in his memory: Please, remember yourself.
He snarled, forcing the petals to close, inch by inch. His veins bulged black, his bones screamed, but his will held.
"Not devoured," he hissed. "Broken."
The lotus shuddered in fury, roots snapping back. Yunhai's qi shattered, his scales cracked, his body flung to the stone.
⸻
The Price
Shen Lian collapsed to one knee in the lotus field, blood dripping from his mouth. The petals dimmed, sulking, their whispers fading into murmurs.
But he knew the truth: he had not defeated Zhao Yunhai alone. The lotus had. He had only steered its hunger at the last moment.
His strength was not his own. And each time, it grew harder to pull the petals back.
He rose, bitter smile twisting his lips. "One day, I won't stop you. And when that day comes…" His voice faltered, his heart burning. "What will be left of me?"
⸻
Back to Reality
The smoke cleared. The crowd saw him standing, bloodied but unbroken. Zhao Yunhai lay shattered on the stone.
But inside, Shen Lian knew: the victory was not his. It was the lotus's.
And the petals laughed softly in his veins.
⸻
Cliffhanger
As the announcer declared his name, Shen Lian raised his head to the terraces.
Wei Jing's cold eyes met his. Jiang Fei smirked, spinning his spear lazily. Both already plotting.
Shen Lian's gray eyes narrowed, his veins pulsing faintly.
He had survived. But how much of it was Shen Lian… and how much of it was the lotus?