The arena had already descended into chaos long before the next clash began.
Broken stone covered the battlefield.
Blood stained the ancient platform.
The air itself trembled beneath countless lingering waves of spiritual pressure.
And yet—
despite all the destruction already unleashed—
everyone inside the Imperial Arena suddenly felt the same instinctive fear.
Because something worse—
something truly catastrophic—
was about to happen.
At the center of the battlefield, black lightning crackled violently across the shattered ground as Yan Lie stood before Lin Shuan like a thunder god descending into the mortal world. Beside him, Hei Luo's dark aura twisted unnaturally through the air like living shadows.
One wielded destruction.
The other—
darkness.
And both of them were staring at the same person.
Lin Shuan.
The white-masked youth stood silently amidst the drifting dust, his robes fluttering beneath the violent spiritual storms surrounding him. Blood dripped slowly from the wound on his arm, yet his eyes remained terrifyingly calm.
Cold.
Deep.
Unreadable.
High above the arena, countless spectators held their breath.
Nobody dared speak.
Because everyone understood one thing clearly now—
this was no ordinary battle anymore.
This was something hidden.
Something ancient.
Something connected to secrets far older than the tournament itself.
Then—
Hei Luo moved first.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Dark energy erupted beneath his feet as his body shot forward like a black meteor. At the same instant, Yan Lie disappeared in a burst of black lightning.
The two attacks came simultaneously.
Perfectly coordinated.
The spectators gasped loudly.
"They're working together?!"
"When did this happen?!"
"That's impossible!"
But before anyone could fully process the shock—
Lin Shuan finally moved.
And the moment he raised his hand—
the temperature inside the entire arena plummeted violently.
CRRRRRRRK!!
Frost spread across the ground beneath his feet in an instant. Countless streams of icy spiritual energy gathered around his arm before condensing rapidly.
Not into armor.
Not into a shield.
But into a weapon.
A halberd.
An enormous frost halberd materialized within his grasp, its blade glowing with terrifying blue-white light as ancient frost patterns spread across its surface like living veins.
The moment the weapon appeared—
the entire arena froze.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Mentally.
Shock erupted everywhere.
"He created a weapon?!"
"That's impossible!"
"How can an Energy Core cultivator do that?!"
"Only Form Shaper experts can manifest spiritual weapons!"
Even the imperial elders rose from their seats in disbelief.
Their eyes widened.
Their breathing became uneven.
Because what they were witnessing—
should not exist.
A Form Shaper Rank expert could shape spiritual energy into physical constructs because their control over spiritual essence had surpassed ordinary laws.
But Lin Shuan—
was only at Three-Star Energy Core Rank.
And yet—
he was doing it effortlessly.
Even the Empire Protector's cold expression cracked slightly.
Her pupils narrowed sharply.
"…spiritual weapon manifestation…"
Her voice almost became a whisper.
"…at Energy Core Rank?"
For the first time since the tournament began—
true shock appeared in her eyes.
Meanwhile—
Lin Shuan gripped the frost halberd tightly.
And then—
he attacked.
"Sky Dragon Smash."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The frost halberd roared through the air like a descending dragon as Lin Shuan swung it directly toward Hei Luo and Yan Lie. A gigantic wave of icy destruction exploded outward, freezing the air itself as dragon-shaped frost currents spiraled violently around the strike.
The arena trembled.
The spectators screamed.
Yan Lie's black lightning collided against the frost wave instantly.
KRRRRAAAAAK!!
Lightning and ice exploded together, creating devastating shockwaves that shattered stone across the battlefield.
But Lin Shuan's true target—
was Hei Luo.
The frost halberd descended directly toward him with enough force to crush mountains.
And then—
Hei Luo smiled.
A cold.
Inhuman smile.
The moment the halberd reached him—
his body suddenly melted.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
His flesh transformed into a flowing black liquid that collapsed downward like living darkness.
The frost halberd passed straight through him.
BOOOOOOM!!
The ground behind Hei Luo exploded apart from the impact, yet Hei Luo himself remained unharmed as the dark liquid reformed several meters away.
The crowd stared in horror.
"What… was that?"
"A transformation technique?!"
"No… that didn't feel normal…"
Lin Shuan froze for a fraction of a second.
Because the moment he saw that black liquid—
his memories exploded violently inside his mind.
Blood.
Fire.
Screams.
The ruined remains of the Lin Clan.
And there—
spread across the destroyed ground beneath countless corpses—
that same black liquid.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…that thing…"
The frost aura around him trembled.
At the same time—
high above the arena—
the old man dressed in white robes suddenly stood up.
For the first time since the tournament began—
his calm expression disappeared completely.
His eyes locked onto Hei Luo's dark liquid form.
And instantly—
understanding appeared.
"…so that's it…"
His voice carried killing intent for the first time.
"…Yue Sha Empire…"
"…you people truly dared."
Nearby elders looked toward him in confusion.
But before anyone could question him—
the old man suddenly shouted across the arena.
"Boy!"
His voice exploded through the battlefield like thunder.
"Whatever your name is—"
His sharp eyes locked onto Lin Shuan.
"I know you're from the Lin Clan!"
The entire arena froze.
Lin Shuan's body stiffened instantly.
His eyes shot upward.
And the moment he saw the white-robed elder clearly—
recognition struck him.
Third Elder.
The same elder who had met him in Frostveil City.
The one who had secretly given him the map leading toward the Eastern Ancient Forest.
The elder who had helped him survive.
The old man's voice thundered again.
"These Yue Sha Empire warriors were involved in the destruction of our clan too!"
"Don't let them escape!!"
Silence.
Complete silence.
Then—
the entire arena exploded into chaos.
"LIN CLAN?!"
"That boy is from the Lin Clan?!"
"But the Lin Clan was destroyed a year ago!"
"Someone survived?!"
"He's actually a Lin?!"
Shock spread through the spectators like wildfire.
Countless eyes turned toward Lin Shuan instantly.
Fear.
Disbelief.
Confusion.
The once-forgotten name of the Lin Clan suddenly returned to the hearts of everyone present.
And at the center of it all—
Lin Shuan stood silently.
But inside him—
something finally broke.
The frost aura erupting from his body intensified violently.
Memories surfaced endlessly.
His fallen clansmen.
Burning buildings.
Blood-covered corpses.
The destruction of everything he had ever known.
And standing before him now—
were enemies connected to that nightmare.
High above the arena—
the Empire Protector's expression darkened instantly the moment she heard the elder's words.
"Yue Sha Empire…"
Her teeth clenched so tightly that blood began dripping from her palm where her nails pierced flesh.
Killing intent exploded within her eyes.
Because now—
everything made sense.
The infiltration.
The hidden warriors.
The coordination.
The conspiracy.
They hadn't come merely for the tournament.
They had come for something deeper.
And the Lin Clan—
had already been one of their victims.
Immediately—
her spiritual sense entered Lin Shuan's mind.
"Shuan Hao."
Her voice echoed coldly.
"You must kill them."
Her tone left no room for refusal.
"Whatever happens afterward…"
"…I will handle it."
A pause.
Then her voice became even colder.
"But if you fail…"
"…I will personally kill you myself."
Lin Shuan's heart trembled slightly.
The pressure behind those words—
was real.
Absolute.
Yet strangely—
he smiled faintly beneath his mask.
Because for the first time in a long while—
his enemies were standing directly in front of him.
No hiding.
No escaping.
No distance.
He slowly raised two fingers toward Hei Luo and Yan Lie.
"Then…"
His voice echoed calmly.
"…both of you attack together again."
The crowd stared in disbelief.
Even now—
he was provoking them?
Yan Lie's expression darkened instantly.
Hei Luo's eyes became murderous.
"You really want to die that badly?"
Yan Lie's black lightning erupted violently around him.
"You escaped last time…"
"…but now you'll go to hell."
Both of them released their full auras simultaneously.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The arena shook violently beneath the combined pressure of two Eight-Star Energy Core experts unleashing their power together.
Black lightning filled the sky.
Darkness spread across the battlefield.
The spectators felt suffocated instantly.
Even many elders narrowed their eyes seriously.
Because this level of power—
was already approaching the limits of the Energy Core Realm.
Then—
a voice suddenly echoed inside Lin Shuan's mind.
"Brat…"
Tian Wuchen.
"What are you planning to do…?"
A brief silence.
Then Tian Wuchen's voice changed slightly.
"…don't tell me…"
Lin Shuan smiled faintly.
"Yes, Master."
His eyes remained fixed on Yan Lie and Hei Luo.
"I don't have another way to kill both of them at once."
Tian Wuchen immediately understood.
And for the first time—
even he became silent.
Because what Lin Shuan was about to do—
was dangerous.
Far too dangerous.
Meanwhile—
Hei Luo and Yan Lie attacked simultaneously.
Yan Lie's black lightning condensed into a gigantic spear of destruction.
Hei Luo's darkness transformed into countless liquid blades twisting through the air like demonic serpents.
Both attacks descended toward Lin Shuan together.
The arena held its breath.
And then—
time itself seemed to slow.
Lin Shuan's voice echoed softly.
"…let's end this here."
His hand rose slowly toward his mask.
And removed it.
The moment the white mask fell—
the Empire Protector's breathing stopped.
Her eyes widened completely.
"…Lin…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"…Lin Shuan…"
It was him.
The boy she had been trying to identify.
The mysterious youth.
The survivor of the Lin Clan.
The one carrying hatred deep enough to freeze the world itself.
For a brief moment—
her eyes nearly filled with emotion.
But instantly—
she suppressed it.
Her expression hardened once more.
Cold.
Sharp.
"If you fail…"
"…I'll kill you myself."
Yet even as she spoke—
her gaze never left him.
Meanwhile—
the attacks of Hei Luo and Yan Lie closed in rapidly.
Only meters away now.
The entire arena trembled violently beneath the incoming destruction.
And then—
the mark on Lin Shuan's forehead lit up.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
An unimaginable wave of frost erupted outward from his body.
Not like spiritual energy.
Not like ordinary ice.
But like a natural disaster descending from ancient times.
The entire arena froze instantly.
Stone.
Air.
Spiritual energy.
Everything.
The ground transformed into ice within seconds as endless frost storms exploded across the battlefield.
Above the arena—
the sky darkened completely.
Clouds of absolute frost gathered overhead, covering the heavens themselves.
The temperature dropped so violently that front-row spectators began turning into frozen statues.
Panic erupted instantly.
"We're freezing!"
"What is this power?!"
"Run!!"
But before catastrophe could spread further—
another terrifying aura exploded from above.
The Empire Protector finally moved.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
Flames erupted across the arena like a rising sun, spreading warmth through the freezing environment and protecting the spectators instantly.
The ice stopped advancing toward the audience.
Yet inside the battlefield itself—
everything remained frozen.
Including Hei Luo.
Including Yan Lie.
Both of them stood trapped mid-attack like statues encased in eternal winter.
Their expressions remained frozen with shock and disbelief.
Mo Xiao Lan collapsed onto one knee nearby.
His body trembled violently.
As someone who cultivated frost arts himself—
he understood better than anyone what this meant.
That mark.
That power.
It wasn't ordinary frost.
It was absolute cold.
Zu Lin's eyes widened completely.
Suddenly—
he remembered the first time he met Lin Shuan in Frostveil City.
That strange mark.
That terrifying chill hidden beneath his calm appearance.
And now—
he finally understood.
It had always been there.
An endless source of monstrous frost power sleeping inside him.
Qin Yue stared silently at the frozen battlefield.
Fear entered his heart for the first time since meeting Lin Shuan.
But alongside the fear—
came respect.
Deep respect.
Because now he understood clearly.
This quiet young man standing before them—
was not merely dangerous.
He was terrifying.
Meanwhile—
the surviving warriors around the battlefield began retreating rapidly in fear.
Nobody dared remain close anymore.
Because Lin Shuan now looked like both a savior—
and a monster.
He had protected the Da Cang Empire from infiltrators.
But the power he displayed—
felt so overwhelming that even standing near him became frightening.
At the center of the frozen battlefield—
Lin Shuan slowly raised his head.
Snow drifted endlessly around him.
His exposed face remained calm.
Cold.
Emotionless.
But deep inside his eyes—
burned hatred that had waited an entire year to erupt.
And directly before him—
Hei Luo and Yan Lie remained frozen beneath the power of absolute frost.
For the first time since the tournament began—
true fear appeared in their eyes.