The sound was deafening.
Crack.
The first iron shackle split, fragments scattering across the stone floor. Crimson light coursed through Li Xian's veins, his aura pressing like a storm, thick and intoxicating.
Crack.
Another chain burst apart. The air warped with demonic qi, heavy and suffocating, yet laced with a strange allure that pulled at every heart in the chamber.
Zhao Feng stumbled back, his blade trembling in his grip. His breath came ragged, eyes wide with terror. "No… no, this can't be—"
Li Xian rose slowly from the chair, the last of the chains snapping with a sharp clang. His robes hung loose, chest bare, crimson eyes glowing like twin suns of blood.
He stretched his arms, savoring the freedom. "Chains," he murmured. "They bind flesh, but never fate."
The system screamed in his mind:
> [Host lifespan: 1 day.]
[Bloodline unleashed – Stage Two.]
[Warning: Heavenly backlash imminent.]
The heavens thundered above, the sound reverberating even through the cell walls. Dust fell from the ceiling, the lantern flickering wildly.
Mei Ling's breath hitched. Her daggers slipped slightly from her grasp as she stared, pupils dilated, lips parting in awe.
"So… dangerous…" she whispered, voice trembling with both fear and hunger.
The system purred:
> [Target Mei Ling: Desire +20%. Seduction Progress – 85%.]
Su Yao's jade-like face was pale, her lips quivering, her composure breaking piece by piece. She whispered under her breath, so faint it was almost lost in the thunder:
"Impossible… he was supposed to be crippled…"
Li Xian's gaze cut to her, sharp as a blade, warm as a flame. "And yet," he said softly, "you still can't look away."
Her breath caught. Her body trembled as if every word pressed against the memories she buried.
> [Target Su Yao: Affection +20%. Seduction Progress – 70%.]
Zhao Feng screamed, breaking the spell. He raised his blade high, spiritual energy bursting forth.
"If I kill you now, the heavens will forgive me!"
He charged, his strike glowing like a falling star.
Li Xian didn't move.
Instead, he tilted his head, eyes gleaming, and whispered: "Kneel."
The weight of his unleashed bloodline slammed into the chamber like a tidal wave.
Zhao Feng's strike faltered mid-swing. His knees buckled with a sickening crack. The sword clattered from his grasp as he collapsed to the ground, sweat pouring, body convulsing under the crushing aura.
The disciples watching from afar through the barrier screamed in disbelief. Elders stirred in their chambers above, awakened by the violent surge.
Li Xian stepped forward, slow, deliberate, his shadow stretching long over Zhao Feng.
"This," he murmured, "is the difference between us. You are noise. I am the storm."
Zhao Feng gagged, blood spilling from his lips, his hatred burning even as his body betrayed him.
"Yao…" he choked, his hand reaching desperately toward her. "Don't… let him… take you…"
Su Yao's jade-like eyes trembled, torn between two men — one broken by jealousy, the other reborn in defiance.
Mei Ling smirked, licking a trace of blood from her lip, eyes glittering with desire. "So this is the man I was told to kill… How amusing."
The heavens roared louder, thunder shaking the sect's foundations. The oppressive weight of divine judgment bore down, cracking the stones of the chamber.
The system shrieked:
> [Critical Alert: Heavenly Tribulation approaching!]
[Host lifespan reduced to: 12 hours.]
[Survive, seduce, or perish.]
Li Xian tilted his head back, laughing darkly, crimson eyes blazing at the heavens themselves.
"Then let them come."