The rift pulsed once, then split.
Light cascaded downward like a waterfall of stars, spilling across the summit of Mt. Kailas. The veil between worlds shivered, and for the first time since its awakening, figures stepped through.
Renji's entourage emerged. Their boots touched snow as though they walked upon the air itself, qi radiating in radiant arcs. Their very presence warped the heavens above, twisting auroras into spirals that blazed across the Himalayan night.
And mortals—millions of them—watched.
In Delhi, riots froze as giant displays showed the rift's opening. Faces turned upward, awe and terror painted across every expression. In Beijing, incense-choked temples overflowed, the bells of monasteries ringing frantically. In Washington, generals whispered in bunkers, "This isn't technology… this isn't anything we know…"
And on every screen, one truth became clear: Earth's armies were powerless.
But another truth had emerged as well.
For the first time, satellites and broadcasts captured clear images of the mysterious figures who had stood at Kailas since the rift's opening. Analysts rushed to identify them.
A woman in flowing silver-white robes, her talismans glowing faintly at her side—labeled by the press as Lady Su Liana, a mysterious protector.A stern young man with golden aura blazing like a storm—Su Chen, his defiance already flooding social media feeds with hashtags: #EarthsChampion, #GoldenSword.The towering elder at their center, his aura calm but vast, identified only as Elder Yuan. Experts called him the "Anchor of Kailas," his power visibly shielding the mountain itself from collapse.And in the rear, broadcasts caught glimpses of a trembling but resolute figure—Karma, whispered by online communities as a link between Earth's mortals and these cultivators.
News anchors declared breathlessly:"—they're not invaders, they're defenders—""—these mysterious Su Clan figures may be Earth's only hope—""—the elder in black robes, Elder Yuan, seems to be holding the very mountain together—"
Public opinion split instantly. Some prayed to them as gods. Others condemned them as equally dangerous outsiders. But one fact dominated the airwaves: these cultivators had faced the invaders when the armies of nations dared not.
Across the world, governments shifted. The Su Clan, once cloaked in mystery, was now thrust into the spotlight—not as strangers, but as reluctant saviors.
On the plateau itself, the Su Clan's entourage stood ready. Elder Yuan's aura was silent but vast, a tide that suppressed the rift's oppressive pressure. Su Liana's robes stirred with spiritual wind, her eyes narrowed. The guards of the Void Realm stood steady, blades humming faintly.
But Su Chen…
His aura blazed like a storm breaking its cage. Golden qi roared outward, snow vaporizing to mist around him. His eyes locked on the figures striding through.
"They dare," he growled, his voice thick with fury. "Children parading as conquerors. If they believe Su Clan will bow, I will carve their arrogance into their bones."
Su Liana's glance cut sharp as steel. Not yet, her eyes warned. But Su Chen's pride burned too brightly, and the mountain quivered under his unleashed qi.
From the rift, Renji raised a hand. His golden eyes swept across the Su cultivators until they landed squarely on Su Chen.
"You," Renji said. His voice carried not by sound but by sheer will, echoing across the snow and through every broadcast on Earth. "You bark the loudest. Let us see if you bite."
He gestured.
A prodigy strode forward. Robes black trimmed with violet. A curved saber strapped across his back. His aura blazed with late-stage Golden Core, sharp and fast as wildfire.
The youth drew his saber. Violet flames coiled around the blade, hissing as they burned the air. He smirked at Su Chen, voice dripping contempt. "One strike is enough to silence you."
Su Chen's lips twisted into a grin, his crimson-gold sword flashing into his hand. Runes along its length pulsed as his qi poured in, the weapon blazing brighter with every heartbeat.
"Come then," he roared. "Let your arrogance meet mine!"
The First Duel Begins.
They clashed.
The saber swept downward, violet fire splitting the air with a scream. Su Chen's sword met it with a ring like thunder. Sparks exploded, shockwaves blasting snow into whirling storms.
The challenger's qi flared. Ninefold Flame Cleave! His saber split into nine flaming arcs, each streaking for Su Chen from a different angle, fangs of violet fire.
Su Chen laughed. His qi erupted, his sword shining like the sun. Dragon Ascends the Sun! A colossal dragon of golden flame spiraled from his blade, its roar shaking the heavens as it devoured the nine strikes in a single sweep.
The mountain shook. Valleys quaked. Avalanches thundered down slopes miles away.
Mortals watching across the globe screamed. Cameras caught the clash, the explosion of light brighter than missiles, the shockwave rippling into the skies.
When the dust cleared, the challenger staggered back, saber cracked, blood dripping from his lips.
Su Chen pressed forward mercilessly. His sword howled, a golden dragon crashing downward. The prodigy raised his blade in vain—the strike shattered it like glass, slamming into his chest.
He screamed as blood burst from his lungs, his body hurled across the snow into the rift's edge. He collapsed, unconscious, broken.
Su Chen spat to the side, sneering. His voice roared across two worlds. "Is this all your world can muster? Send children, if you like—I will bury them all!"
The prodigies stirred. A taller youth stepped forward, his aura heavier, denser—Void Realm, early stage. His weapon was a spear of black iron, its tip humming with destructive force.
"You will regret your arrogance," the spearman snarled.
He thrust. Void-Piercing Strike! The spear's qi cracked space itself, shards of broken air shattering like glass as the thrust screamed toward Su Chen.
Su Chen met it head-on. His sword blazed, qi surging through his veins until his skin glowed with golden light. His blade roared, dragons twisting from its edge.
Steel clashed against steel. The spear lashed like lightning, each thrust carving craters in the snow. Su Chen countered with dragons, each clash thunder shaking the sky.
Mortals gasped as avalanches tore down peaks. Reporters screamed live on television. "They're splitting the Himalayas—my God, they're splitting mountains!"
With a final roar, Su Chen unleashed Heaven-Rending Slash! His sword cleaved downward, splitting the spear in half. His blade smashed into the youth's chest, blood exploding in the air as the prodigy was hurled away, his body breaking against the rift's edge.
Two down.
Su Chen stood tall, golden qi blazing like a sun, his laughter echoing. "Who else? Who dares?"
The air went cold.
Renji stepped forward. His golden eyes burned like molten suns, his calm expression unshaken. The other prodigies bowed their heads slightly, retreating.
"Enough."
His voice silenced the wind. Even the rift dimmed, its light recoiling.
Su Chen sneered. "So the leader crawls out at last. Were you hiding behind weaker dogs, Renji? Do you fear me that much?"
Renji tilted his head, his tone even, almost curious. "Fear? No. I merely measured your worth. Strong enough to slay careless peers. Strong enough to burn bright, briefly."
He raised his hand, palm glowing with molten-gold qi. The air rippled, trembling as though space itself bent.
"But against me…"
He stepped once, and his palm descended.
Su Chen roared, sword blazing with all his qi. Blood vessels split under the strain, crimson seeping from his skin.
"Dragon Emperor's Wrath!" he bellowed.
A colossal dragon of flame and golden qi erupted from his blade, soaring upward to devour Renji's palm. Its roar echoed across the world, shaking cameras, rattling satellites.
Mortals gasped as live feeds flickered, showing a dragon clawing into the heavens.
The dragon met Renji's palm.
For a heartbeat, the mountain froze.
Then—the dragon shattered.
Renji's palm pressed down, unyielding. Su Chen screamed as his sword snapped, his ribs caved, and his body ignited with golden blood.
The force hurled him across the Himalayas like a meteor. Valleys split, peaks cracked, avalanches cascaded for miles. Villagers in Nepal looked up in horror as a blazing figure streaked across the horizon, carving a canyon through the mountains.
Even Yuan's protective aura strained, his power sealing the fractures before the region tore apart entirely.
And Su Chen was gone—flung into the distance, broken.
Aftermath
Silence.
Mortals across the globe screamed, cried, or prayed, their broadcasts filled with the impossible image of one man sent hurtling across the mountains like a comet.
The prodigies smirked, their laughter cold. "Pathetic," the beastkin sneered. "Golden Core, and this is all?" Seraphine's heir scoffed, "Earth's so-called champion? A broken dog."
Renji lowered his hand, calm and cold. "This is the difference between arrogance and truth."
On the plateau, Su Liana's fists clenched, fury burning in her eyes. But she held her silence, her body trembling with restrained wrath.
Elder Yuan's aura expanded, steadying the mountain, mending cracks in the air itself. His mind, however, burned with calculation.
A youth this strong already… Tianxu's bloodline is terrifying. If Renji stands here, what waits behind him?
The first true clash between worlds had been struck.
And Earth trembled beneath it.