The mansion courtyard turned into a chaotic dance of wind and fire, each element clashing violently while dark energy corrupted the very air around them.
Ru Hei steadied himself, narrowing his crimson eyes as he raised his clawed hands.
A surge of corrupted wind ki erupted from his body, and a colossal wind blade wreathed in shadow, towering twenty meters high, materialized in the air.
The pressure from the blade distorted the surroundings, sending violent gales ripping across the courtyard.
With a sharp slash, he sent it downward, the massive shadow-wind blade howling as it descended with unstoppable force.
Ye Ling'er's eyes flickered with intensity. She gripped her saber tightly, and a torrent of flames burst forth, roaring into the sky like an inferno.
The searing fire coiled around her weapon, rapidly expanding until it formed a gigantic flaming saber, nearly matching the corrupted wind blade in size.
The intense heat twisted the air, warping space around it, making it appear as though the saber itself was melting reality.
BOOM!
The two titanic forces collided, corrupted wind and pure fire crashing together in a violent explosion.
A deafening shockwave erupted outward, sending ripples of ki surging across the mansion grounds. The force of the impact tore through the air, expanding over a hundred meters in radius.
The ornate stone platform beneath them cracked and fractured, countless fissures spreading like spiderwebs
Entire sections of the courtyard shattered, breaking apart as rubble tumbled into newly formed crevices.
Flames still burned fiercely across the battlefield, their flickering embers painting the air with an ominous glow.
Amidst the destruction, Ru Hei moved.
Channeling his enhanced wind ki into his body, he amplified his speed to its absolute limit.
The corrupted air wrapped around him, making him light as a feather and swift as a hurricane.
Using the dust and flames as cover, he vanished, weaving through the chaos like a specter.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind Ye Ling'er, a malevolent smile stretching across his transformed face as his claws surged with concentrated dark wind ki.
"Beast Shattering Claw!"
He thrust his clawed hand forward, aiming straight for her back. The attack connected but in that instant, Ye Ling'er's figure exploded into a blazing lotus!
"What?!"
Ru Hei's smile broke and his expression twisted in shock.
The fire lotus expanded rapidly, several meters wide, engulfing him in a sea of raging flames. The intense heat seared his already burned skin, the flames clinging to him like a living entity, fighting against the dark energy that had transformed him.
The real Ye Ling'er stood several meters away, her gaze calm yet sharp.
She had baited him into attacking her afterimage, using a fire mirage technique to deceive him.
Before Ru Hei could react, the flames erupted violently. A fierce gust of wind burst outward from the center as he desperately rushed out of the inferno, his figure barely visible through the flames.
His hair was completely scorched, his robes burned and hanging in tatters. Dark cracks spread across his face, and his eyes glowed even brighter, burning with strain and madness.
Soot and ash covered his transformed crack covered face, and several new scorch marks marred his skin.
His breathing was ragged, but despite his injuries, his crimson eyes still held a determined and increasingly inhuman glint.
The Element Disciple Realm signifies that a cultivator can use elemental energy, but only those in the Element Master Realm can control their elemental affinity with true mastery, enough to create Elemental Barriers freely.
Element Disciples usually need manuals and detailed scripts to attempt such techniques.
But somehow, he had done it. The dark pill he consumed forced open that power.
He could feel the surge... and the cost. His strength rose, but his life fire was rapidly burning away.
Unlike the basic Ki Armor of lower realms, which relies purely on raw ki, the Elemental Ki Barrier is directly infused with the cultivator's element, greatly enhancing its defensive capabilities.
The strength and nature of this barrier vary depending on the element.
Earth and Metal barriers are the most resilient, capable of withstanding immense force, while Fire and Lightning barriers possess offensive properties, burning or electrocuting attackers upon contact.
Water and Wind barriers excel in adaptability, either absorbing impact or redirecting incoming attacks, while Ice barriers can freeze opponents and weaken their strikes.
Through training, combat experience, and breakthroughs in cultivation, the barrier's power can grow, allowing a master to negate damage, counter enemy attacks, and even turn their defense into a deadly weapon.
Yet, as Ru Hei staggered, it became clear,Ye Ling'er now had the upper hand.
Though he had been artificially enhanced to the ninth stage of Element Disciple Realm by the dark pill.
Ye Ling'er's natural seventh stage cultivation, combined with her superior technique and pure elemental fire, was proving more than a match for his corrupted power.
Ru Hei had gained raw power, but Ye Ling'er possessed true mastery and unwavering determination to save her father.
His transformed face twisted in rage, the cracks pulsing violently as he clenched his clawed hands tighter.
"You've angered me, girl! Not only are you interfering with Master's sacred ritual, but you dare to burn me with your pathetic flames! I will tear you apart and feed your corpse to the blood formation!" he roared, his voice now carrying an inhuman echo.
Ye Ling'er, unshaken, responded coldly, "You're nothing but a puppet dancing to your master's strings. I will cut you down and save my father from whatever abomination you serve. Your borrowed power means nothing against true resolve."
Ru Hei's fury boiled over, the dark energy within him surging violently.The pill's corruption spread further across his face to his chest and his humanity continued to slip away.
All he wanted now was to crush this stubborn girl who dared defy his master's will!
With a furious battle cry that echoed with inhuman tones, he gritted his teeth and unleashed his full corrupted power.
His aura surged violently, sending sharp gusts of shadow-infused wind howling across the destroyed courtyard.
"Earth-Destroying Tornado!"
Ru Hei raised his clawed hands high, and a massive spiraling tornado erupted before him, roaring like a vengeful beast.
The corrupted wind twisted with immense force, shadow energy weaving through the tempest, tearing apart debris, uprooting the shattered courtyard stones, and forming a towering storm capable of leveling buildings.
He poured every ounce of his enhanced ki into the attack, the dark pill's power coursing through him but he was determined to obliterate Ye Ling'er in a single blow.
Yet, Ye Ling'er remained calm, her gaze sharp as a blade. Taking a deep breath, she raised both hands.
Crimson flames erupted from her body, forming the shape of a majestic phoenix.
As it soared into the sky, its body expanded to over 40 meters, its fiery wings illuminating the mansion grounds. The sheer heat twisted the air.
Her face turned pale, knowing that this attack demanded an enormous toll on her ki reserves. But she couldn't afford to hold back, not when her father's life hung in the balance.
"Blazing Phoenix Ascend!"
The firebird let out a piercing screech, then dove straight into the approaching tornado.
The moment the two forces collided, a cataclysmic explosion erupted. A shockwave tore across the courtyard, sending debris and remnants of the mansion's ornate decorations tumbling through the air.
The already ruined stone platform cracked apart, collapsing into a massive crater.
Fire and corrupted wind raged against each other, locked in a violent struggle but soon, the phoenix's pure, scorching flames began devouring the weakening tempest, the untainted fire overpowering Ru Hei's shadow infused technique.
The winds dissipated, and Ru Hei stumbled back, black blood spraying from his lips—a sign of the dark pill's corruption fighting against the purifying flames.
His transformed face turned pale and his body was scorched, the crimson cracks around his eyes flickering weakly. The dark energy that had enhanced him was being burned away by the phoenix fire.
He barely had time to react when.
BOOM!
Ye Ling'er flashed before him in an instant, her palm wreathed in searing crimson flames.
With an unstoppable force, she struck his chest. The impact sent him hurtling through the air, his enhanced body no match for her concentrated attack.
Black blood spewed from his mouth as he crashed through what remained of an ornate pillar.
Ru Hei slammed into the mansion wall dozens of meters away, smoke rising from his charred and corrupted body. His limbs trembled as he attempted to lift himself, but his ribs were cracked, his organs shifted, and the dark pill's power was failing him.
The crimson glow in his eyes began to fade as disbelief clouded his transformed features.
"How… how did I lose? Even with Master's gift… beaten by this girl…"
As the enhanced power began disappearing from his body, the spider-like cracks around his eyes started spreading at a visible speed, consuming his life force like ravenous parasites.
Each second that passed, he could feel himself growing weaker, his very essence being devoured from within. The pill that had granted him temporary strength was now claiming its terrible price.
His breathing became labored, his vision blurred, and he could sense his life slowly slipping away like sand through his fingers.
Ye Ling'er, breathing heavily but determined, stepped gracefully out of the crater.
The same ornate courtyard that once showcased the City Lord's wealth, now reduced to nothing but smoking ruins.
She came to a halt before Ru Hei, who gasped for air, his body trembling from pain and the dark corruption eating away at him from within. His robes were scorched, dyed in both red and black blood, barely holding together.
Just as she was about to place her flaming saber at his throat, Ye Ling'er paused.
Her sharp eyes could see the dark veins spreading across his pale skin, the way his body was convulsing uncontrollably, and how the light in his eyes was rapidly dimming.
"You're already dying," she said, her voice a mixture of realization and grim satisfaction.
"Whatever you consumed to gain that power. It's devouring you from the inside out."
Ru Hei's mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air, black blood trickling from the corners of his lips.
The cracks had spread to cover his face, and his enhanced cultivation was crumbling away, leaving him weaker than he had ever been.
"I... I can feel it..." he wheezed, his voice barely a whisper. "The pill... it's eating my life force... everything I am... disappearing..."
Ye Ling'er lowered her saber slightly, watching as the young man who had once been the City Lord's beloved son writhed in agony. In moments, he would be dead not by her hand, but by the very power he had sought to use against her.
"Then tell me quickly," she said urgently, "before you die completely.what is your master doing to my father? Where is he?"
Ru Hei's eyes, now barely more than hollow sockets surrounded by spreading darkness, focused on her with what little awareness remained.
"The... the ritual ... In the mansion..." he gasped, each word a struggle.
"Blood... harvesting... to break through to... Realm..."
His body convulsed one final time. The dark cracks swallowed the last of his features before he collapsed, nothing more than a withered husk of what had once been a living man.