Lingyuan Zhentian snapped open his eyes, revealing a fierce glint of merciless pursuit against the arrogant voice he had heard just now. Beside him was the body of Granny Xiu, cold and unmoving, long detached from the world of Tianxu.
His body glowed in golden light and ascended to the skies above the village, ripping a hole through the old thatched roof.
"Scum of the cultivation world, Mo Fengtian!" Zhentian confronted, releasing a swathe of talismans that slithered through his body like a flowing river, "The Mo Family dares to crawl into Dongzhou with its filthy tricks, and you think this seat will let you run wild?"
"Filthy tricks?!" Mo Fengtian hovered outside the talisman barrier, his eyes bursting wide open like a maniac. "You are one to talk, Lingyuan dog! This seat would like to know where my entourage of mortals has gone?! Or did your noble protection of talismans have drained them dry?"
"And what does that have to do with you?" Zhentian scoffed, indifferent to Mo Fengtian's question. "Better their life essence feed my will, than your despicable existence!"
"Hah, hypocrite!" Mo Fengtian sneered, his voice cracking with madness. Rather than arguing with the Lingyuan dog, his right hand grasped the blood-red sword and flooded it with malevolent dark-red qi.
"Moxue Zhantian — Demon Blood Cleaves Heaven!"
He swung down in a savage arc. A torrent of blood-red qi burst forth, corroding the ground as it rushed toward the village, trees withering into black husks in its path.
Lingyuan Zhentian raised one hand and formed multiple seals with his fingers. The talismans flew out in a storm around him, creating a spinning array glowing in golden light.
"Tianfa Lei Zhang — Heaven's Law Thunder Palm!"
The air roared as golden talismans aligned into a colossal handprint that descended from the skies, radiant and unyielding.
The two forces collided.
Blood and gold clashed midair, the impact exploding a thunderclap that shook the earth. Shockwaves ripped through the forest, uprooting the withered trees and blasting dirt away.
The protective talismans in the village flickered wildly, straining against the backlash.
Wei Shun dropped to his knees, covering his bleeding ears as he felt the pressure on his chest weighing him down. He could barely raise his head, yet his eyes stayed locked on the clash above.
The blood wave gnawed at the golden palm, rotting its edges into black sludge. The golden talismans retaliated, searing through the blood mist with arcs of thunderous light.
"Your evil filth shall corrode nothing before me!" Lingyuan Zhentian roared.
"I wouldn't be surprised, Lingyuan dog!" Mo Fengtian laughed, gritting his teeth while pushing his sword deeper into the talismans, "Your Tianji Xinglian — the Heaven's Mandate Refining Array, drains mortals dry like a pig in a pen! You think I haven't known that?!"
Then, his left hand swished, the jagged black dagger twirling around his fingers before launching forward.
"But, you're not the only one whose hands are painted with mortals' blood! Let's see how your mortal batteries fare against mine!"
Crimson qi burst from the black dagger, twisting midair into the shape of a snarling wolf, fangs bared and red eyes burning with bloodlust.
"Lie Lang Zha — Rending Wolf Pounce!" Mo Fengtian roared.
The spectral beast lunged for Lingyuan Zhentian, tearing the talismans apart with its sharp claws.
At that instant, hurried footsteps rushed on the ground underneath.
"Father, mother!" Wei Shun's hoarse voice echoed within the chaos as he stumbled past the broken section of the wooden wall, desperation written across his face.
Both cultivators turned.
Lingyuan Zhentian's gaze lingered toward him for a brief moment, cold and dismissive.
"A mortal dares to intrude. No matter."
He turned away, talismans already spinning tighter around his body.
Mo Fengtian's lips curled into a grin, backing away before slashing another bloody sword wave against the gigantic golden hand, pushing it back.
"Well, well... what's this? The little insect leaves its burrow?" His voice dripped with mockery. "Go on, brat. Run to your family. This seat is curious to see what your fate will turn into."
Wei Shun froze for half a heartbeat under the weight of their auras as they clashed once more, but the thought of his parents drove him on. He pushed forward through the clash of blood and gold behind him.
Mo Fengtian chuckled low, his attention snapping back to Lingyuan Zhentian. "Even your precious talismans can't drain every worm! It seems like you have gone senile, Lingyuan dog!"
With the blood-red sword and the black dagger pouncing on him, Zhentian felt his injuries flare up.
Mo Fengtian pursued him relentlessly, throwing all sorts of demonic qi techniques at his disposal.
Zhentian grunted and channeled qi on his right hand, engraved with long lines of array runes, causing the talismans in the village to light up more brightly.
As the life energies surged toward Zhentian, Wei Shun could hear the hollow screams of the villagers who were stuck inside their houses.
At the corner of his eyes, he noticed a golden shockwave headed in his direction.
The two had clashed again.
Wei Shun ducked, saving himself but not the house beside him.
"Un-uncle Bao!"
He looked at the withered body of Uncle Bao, his wife, and the three children.
"Urgh..."
Wei Shun heard their dull moans and saw the tragic fate of an entire family. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, locking eyes with the glowing talisman that freely floated in the air.
This talisman! That evil Lingyuan Zhentian. These cultivators cannot be trusted at all!
"Damn it, I have to hurry!"
Remembering his parents still in their home, Wei Shun sprinted down that path, his chest heaving deeply with every breath. Not long after, his eyes saw the familiar hut ahead, but his heart sank at the sight.
The talisman above the doorway pulsed with blinding light, threads of golden qi crawling across the walls like chains.
"Mother! Father!" Wei Shun slammed against the door, reaching for the glowing slip of yellow paper.
The moment he touched it, burning pain shot through his hand. The talisman flared, throwing him back and leaving a fresh scar.
Wei Shun staggered and fell to the ground, clutching his palm, the scent of burnt flesh entering his nostrils.
From above, Mo Fengtian's laughter cut through.
"Struggling, boy?!" His voice was mocking, but beneath it lingered a cruel amusement. "You want to save your family? Here!"
The jagged black dagger spun between his fingers before being relaunched, its tip gleaming with crimson light.
"Take this, and you will cut your way through that talisman."
"Impudent!" Lingyuan Zhentian snorted as qi surged into his fingertips, forming a small golden sphere.
Zhen Tian Zhi — Heaven-Suppressing Finger!
A spear of golden light shot from his hand, aimed toward the black dagger.
"Haha! What are you so afraid of, Lingyuan dog?!" Mo Fengtian cackled, grasping his crimson blade. He swung wide, intercepting the strike with a tide of blood qi.
The two attacks collided, exploding into a shockwave that shattered the houses beneath them into dust.
The black dagger lost its path, tumbling end over end before sinking into the earth beside Wei Shun's hand. Its dark-red hilt jutted from the soil, pulsing faintly, as though calling out to him.
Wei Shun gulped while his body trembled.
Should I grab it, or should I not?
Thoughts raced into his mind, only to end up with the same answer. Free my mother and father from these golden chains, and leave this cursed place!
His courage swelled and reached out to the hilt, pulling it out of the earth with a mighty shout.
Zhentian cursed inwardly, wishing he had dealt with that troublesome kid earlier.
If that talisman falls, so will my array! I need to do something!
His mind spun, thinking of a way to push this evil cultivator back for a moment and launch a strike at Wei Shun.
Mo Fengtian sensed the unease gathering within Zhentian, swelling the fervor in his heart to fight harder.
"You think you have time to be distracted?!"
Dark qi extended from his back and formed into seven dark-red serpents.
Qixue She — Seven Blood Serpents!
With a simple command, they all coiled and lunged at Zhentian, forcing the latter to erupt with more talismans.
Meanwhile, Wei Shun staggered in front of their house's door, holding the black dagger with both hands.
My strength... is being siphoned! I need to end this quickly!
He endured the stinging pain where the talisman had burned him and raised the dagger against the talisman, slashing it down.
The blade cut through paper, producing a thin sound. For a second, everything froze.
The talisman's golden light flickered slowly before it snapped. The chain of light that ran from house to house shuddered and then trembled.
Then came the backlash.
Zhentia's face changed. The lines around his eyes twitched as if something pulled on his guts. He spat a mouthful of blood and staggered back, clutching his chest.
The formation above him wavered, but Wei Shun, the culprit, did not have time to look up. He kicked the door wide open and saw his mother through the doorway, her body holding onto the crumbling wooden wall. Her face was pale and frightened, looking weakly at her son with a smile.
"Shun'er... you've come!"
Wei Shun threw the dagger aside and rushed forward. But before he reached the door, the blade pulsed. Black threads burst from its edge, shooting into the air. They wove together, shaping a snarling wolf of smoke.
It growled low, then rushed past him into the house while pushing him back, lunging at Yan Lan as it smelt the blood dripping from her mouth.
"No!" Wei Shun could do nothing but stretch out his hand, watching as the smoky wolf dove at his mother's chest, its fangs striking deep.
Yan Lan's eyes widened, "Shun...er..."
Wei Han reached out too late.
Blood sprayed the ceiling, warm drops hitting both the husband's and the son's faces.
"Mother!" Wei Shun's throat tore from his scream.
On the side, Wei Han's eyes drooped weakly and fell to the floor.
Yan Lan's figure withered, then she trembled before being dropped, her eyes already vacant of life.
The dagger's hilt that was stuck on her chest quivered, pulsing as if laughing at Wei Shun's misery. Each throb sent more black mist spilling into the hut, leeching what little life remained.
Mo Fengtian laughed wildly as he saw this scene. His body felt refreshed as the life essence drawn from Yan Lan fueled him.
"That's it! Xueyuan Bishou, you have done well!"
Zhentian's eyes grew cold and restless.
This Mo Fengtian cannot be allowed to siphon their essence, or I will be at a massive disadvantage! That essence was meant for me, and I won't let him have it!
When Mo Fengtian was distracted by the turn of events, Zhentian launched another beam of light aimed at Wei Shun's house.
Zhen Tian Zhi!
Before Wei Shun could stand up and rush once more, the air above him whistled before Zhentian's strike exploded.
"Noooooo!!!"
The house shattered into pieces, along with Wei Han and Yan Lan inside.
The thunderous shockwave blasted Wei Shun into the air, and the shrapnel tore through his iron-like skin. His body flung toward the forest like a helpless ragdoll, rolling weakly until he hit a tree.
His consciousness slowly swirled into nothingness, the last bit of his mother's eyes and father's voice reverberating endlessly in his mind.