A green beam of light shot out in a straight line. Han Xifeng's fan swept swiftly, transforming the blast into a stream of energy shaped like a tree, its roots piercing through the air. The petals floating nearby were torn apart by the force, scattered into dust.
But Bai Wangyan merely shifted his foot half a step light as a whisper and his figure vanished from the path of the attack like a summer mirage, fading silently. The silhouette that had just been in front of Han Xifeng was nothing more than an illusion.
"His movements... they're too fast!"
Han Xifeng gritted his teeth, shock flashing through his eyes.
He hadn't expected that the young man who appeared much younger than himself and didn't radiate the presence of a top-level expert could dodge his attack so effortlessly. Not just fast, but... so precise and unnervingly calm.
"What exactly are you..." he muttered under his breath, scowling, his emotions beginning to surge.
Then he no longer hesitated. His body lunged forward like a roaring storm. The fan in his hand shimmered with light, slashing out like ten swords fused into one. Each strike carried overwhelming force, as though intending to rip everything before him into shreds in a single instant!
Yet every strike...
Was dodged with precision so surreal it was like chasing a dream.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bai Wangyan's palms met the fan in perfect timing, not in a frantic defense, but in movements that were calm, soft, and terrifyingly precise.
He never used more strength than necessary, as if he already knew when and where every blow would come. Every gesture of his was as serene as a winter stream, and as sharp as an invisible blade.
Until
His foot landed on the ground at the exact moment Han Xifeng raised his fan once more.
"Thud!"
A deep sound echoed as a blue energy ring exploded from the point of impact, radiating outward in a circular wave. The grass in the area was flattened as though pressed by a great wind. Flowers bent violently and fell.
Han Xifeng froze, looking up
But it was too late.
Bai Wangyan's form flashed in silently.
His palm struck dead center in Han Xifeng's chest with pinpoint accuracy, sharp as a needle piercing the heart.
"Thwack!!"
Han Xifeng's body was sent flying in a straight line, tumbling across the flower field for dozens of steps. Grass and petals scattered in all directions. The path he rolled through was scorched black, as if a blue flame had burst and vanished in a heartbeat.
He forced himself up slowly, every muscle trembling from the effort. Dark blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining his chin. Yet his eyes still blazed with defiance, unwilling to surrender. His body could barely hold on but his spirit refused to yield.
"You intend to... destroy this realm, don't you..."
His voice faltered, each word forced through pain.
Bai Wangyan said nothing. He gave no explanation, no denial. His gaze remained tranquil, like moonlight over still waters without the slightest ripple.
He raised his palm once more.
Pure blue light began to gather in the center of his hand, energy streams swirling in an elegant, ordered dance like living beings performing a sacred waltz in the air. The temperature dropped instantly. Floating flower petals froze midair in the chilling stillness.
A heavy pressure enveloped the entire field.
But just before it could strike
Han Xifeng roared!
"Aaahhh!!"
He unleashed his stored energy in a final surge. The glowing fan in his hand spun at unnatural speed, generating a miniature windstorm. A silver barrier of light wrapped around him like divine armor.
The descending blue blast hesitated for a moment... and in that sliver of time, Han Xifeng launched himself forward again!
His fan extended into a ten-arm-length blade of silver light, slicing through the air toward the seemingly defenseless foe or so he thought.
But
Crack!
A shattering sound echoed. Bai Wangyan flicked his wrist slightly to the side.
The glowing blade shattered midair into fragments.
Before Han Xifeng could retreat, a shadow appeared behind him.
Thwack!
A blue-glowing palm struck his back, launching his body skyward like an arrow. Bai Wangyan followed swiftly and ruthlessly.
In midair, the white figure swirled around him like a reaper.
Bai Wangyan spoke no words. He simply moved like the wind flashing kicks and precise palm strikes landed on vital points without using excessive force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The air echoed with impact after impact. Han Xifeng's body was like a puppet being flung left and right slammed into the air, bounced off the water, shot skyward again, and crashed back down repeatedly.
Han Xifeng tried to release a shockwave from his fan to blow everything away but some invisible force absorbed it, shattering it into nothingness.
Bai Wangyan raised a single finger.
Power swirled around his body, forming a divine vortex. It was not magic, nor any known technique in this world.
It was raw energy under perfect control.
He stomped gently on the ground.
Thud!
The earth trembled. The once-beautiful flower field turned into a sea of blue waves. Grass flattened, and petals rose into the sky like snowflakes caught in winter winds.
Han Xifeng raised his fan as a final shield but too late. Bai Wangyan vanished from in front of him.
Then
Boom!
A crushing blow slammed into his chest, sending him into the earth, forming a large crater. Stones shattered, the ground cracked, and mist billowed up from the point of impact.
Bai Wangyan hovered above the crater, blue light still swirling around his arm. Not a speck of dust tainted his white robes. Not a single wound marred his skin. His eyes remained as calm and cold as ever
Emotionless. Merciless. Wordless.
But then... a faint cough echoed from the crater below.
Han Xifeng had not yet fallen!
His body still moved slowly, covered in bruises and torn clothing. But his eyes still burned with undying flame.
He clenched his fingers into the dirt.
"You are an intruder... Don't think you'll leave this place so easily!"
The glowing fan spun again, its silver light flaring madly.
A powerful gust burst forth, clearing the crater of debris instantly.
Suddenly, Han Xifeng leapt upward!
"Four Directions Fan Seal of Slaughter!!"
He whipped his fan once, and four fan-shaped attacks appeared top, bottom, left, and right closing in from every angle with no way to escape.
But in that moment
A single hand lifted gently.
"Crack!"
With a simple flick of the finger, a shockwave of blue force erupted from Bai Wangyan's body.
All four fan shadows were blasted away and shattered midair.
Before Han Xifeng could react
Bai Wangyan vanished.
"He disappeared again?!"
Then
Thud!
Another palm struck his back full force.
Before he could be flung again, Han Xifeng spun and countered with his fan in a final tight arc.
"Fan of Demon Reversal!"
The clash of metal and energy echoed thunderously.
The silver fan didn't break
But the immense force rebounded, hurling its wielder backward uncontrollably.
He was thrown across the field, landing hard on the opposite side.
Flowers were flattened in a long trail.
He coughed up more blood then let out a hoarse laugh.
"I've... never met anyone like you... No one has ever taken the Fan of Demon Reversal without even stepping back…"
Bai Wangyan did not answer. He only floated down to the ground softly, his steps as gentle as the morning breeze.
But suddenly
Han Xifeng's power surged once more!
"You may be powerful but this is sacred ground! No one uninvited leaves here alive!!"
He stood tall, lifting his fan before his chest.
It spun faster than ever, silver light extending into a long weapon like a spear.
He lunged again!
The battle continued offense and defense exchanged faster than the eye could see.
Bai Wangyan moved like mist, dodging without wasting even a shred of energy.
Every counterstrike carried the intent to end a life.
But he chose not to kill for he understood:
This man was not truly evil only misled.
He merely disabled the other's body, not his breath.
The flower field had become a battleground. Blue and silver light filled the sky, clashing violently. Yet Bai Wangyan remained unmoved calm, flawless, and as unshakable as a mountain before the storm.