A thick fog blanketed the Central Valley.
Two great factions stood face-to-face beneath a grim sky, like two fully drawn bows—ready to unleash arrows of destruction.
On the Alliance side, Cheon Ji stood tall, his eyes ablaze with suspicion. Across from him, Yan Zhian and his followers melted into the shadows, their bodies cloaked in an aura of black-blue flame.
Cheon Ji (coldly):
"Enough pretending, Yan Zhian. We know you've been working with Dark Blood. All the evidence points to you."
Yan Zhian narrowed his eyes, his breath heavy.
"Evidence? No. What you see is merely illusion. Everything you think you know… has been fabricated."
Cheon Ji gripped his sword tighter.
"Three of my subordinates are dead. My territory's been ravaged. You think you can explain all that with some nonsense about fabrication?"
Yan Zhian let out a long sigh.
"And who gave you that report? Who first pointed their finger at me? The Shadow Sect? Or… your new 'informant' whose face you've never even seen?"
For a moment, Cheon Ji paused. But only for a moment.
"Don't try to cloud my judgment. I'm not that weak."
Yan Zhian (softly, yet piercingly):
"No, you're not weak. You're just too trusting. And that… is exactly why they chose you."
Cheon Ji (flatly):
"I've heard enough. You won't escape justice today."
Lu Zhou stepped forward. The dragon pendant on his neck flared with blinding light. A holy aura enveloped his entire body.
Lu Zhou:
"Let's end this now, before he spreads more lies."
Yan Zhian looked at them—not with rage, but with deep disappointment.
"If you truly believe I'm part of Dark Blood… then we've already lost this war before it even began."
But Lu Zhou didn't hesitate.
He dashed forward, his sword blazing bright, cutting through the fog as it struck against Yan Zhian's shield of dark energy.
BOOM!
A blast of energy shook the ground. The fog split apart. Waves of spiritual force exploded outward.
Yan Zhian was thrown back, but quickly drove his sword into the ground. His eyes glowed with sharp blue light.
"If you're going to force me… then I won't hold back."
Lu Zhou vanished in a flash—
—then appeared right above Yan Zhian, slashing down with Radiant Fang, the sacred school's ultimate technique.
Yan Zhian spun, conjuring a ring of black fire. Lu Zhou's blade clashed against it, creating a shockwave that formed a dome of power.
The earth cracked.
Stones flew.
Soldiers from both sides retreated.
Cheon Ji narrowed his eyes, still silent, but alert.
Lu Zhou floated back, then threw three seals into the air.
"Clear Sky Formation!"
Three golden circles formed, trapping Yan Zhian.
But Yan Zhian drew an ancient symbol, igniting it with dark flame—two of the seals shattered, but the third pressed down on him, forcing him to one knee.
Lu Zhou (shouting):
"Surrender, Zhian! You can't win against the righteous light!"
Yan Zhian hissed.
"I'm not fighting the light… I'm fighting the blindness that calls itself holy."
He stomped the ground. Black fire roots burst upward, stabbing into the final seal—shattering it.
Yan Zhian leapt. His sword transformed, sprouting wings.
He lunged, slashed, danced within a swirl of light and shadow.
Attack after attack collided—igniting the sky.
And amid the chaos…
Two hooded figures from Cheon Ji's side slowly retreated.
One of them smiled faintly…
…and vanished into the mist.
The battle reached its peak.
Lu Zhou unleashed all his spiritual energy, his body glowing like a miniature sun.
He swung Radiant Fang directly at Yan Zhian's chest.
But Yan Zhian smiled.
At the last second, he twisted—Lu Zhou's slash grazed his shoulder.
In return—Yan Zhian's sword pierced Lu Zhou's side.
Holy blood sprayed into the air.
Lu Zhou staggered.
Before he could retreat, Yan Zhian grabbed his wrist and whispered a chant. Black fire slithered like chains, binding and draining his holy aura.
Lu Zhou (gasping):
"This… sealing technique…!"
Yan Zhian looked him in the eyes.
"Not a technique of darkness. But a legacy of the old world… one you rejected simply because it didn't shine."
With one thrust, Lu Zhou was hurled to the ground.
A massive crater formed at the valley's center.
His dragon pendant shattered—its final fragments dancing in the air like fading starlight.
Yan Zhian stood atop a stone cliff, surrounded by swirling black-blue flames like a galactic vortex.
Yan Zhian:
"I never wanted this war. But you forced me to choose—between silence… or extinction."
He turned to leave.
But—
BUMP!
An unseen force froze everything.
The fog halted its swirl. The earth seemed to hold its breath.
Cheon Ji stepped forward.
His eyes burned. The ground around him cracked under the weight of his explosive spiritual aura.
Cheon Ji:
"That's enough…"
He glared at both Yan Zhian and Lu Zhou.
"Now… it's my turn."