The air was dense, saturated with the acrid scent of blood, burned Qi, and palpable fear. Overhead, dark clouds gathered ominously, echoing the violence unfolding within the Verdant Moon Sect's arena. Elders, disciples, and guests watched in horror through the translucent barrier, their gazes locked helplessly on the scene below.
Shadow stood trembling, his ragged breaths labored. Blood streamed steadily from deep wounds across his chest, arms, and legs. Each breath was agony, yet his eyes were undimmed, blazing with fierce defiance and an indomitable spirit.
Opposite him, Jinhai was barely human. The demonic pill had twisted his form grotesquely—muscles bulged grotesquely, veins pulsed with black and crimson fire, and his eyes burned an unnatural, malevolent scarlet. The Chains of Hell, once graceful and deadly, now writhed with sentient malice, their sinister aura warping reality itself.
"You will die here, Shadow!" Jinhai's distorted voice thundered, echoing horribly through the arena, sending chills down every spine.
"Perhaps," Shadow whispered defiantly, his grip tightening around his blood-slick sword. "But I won't go alone."
---
Across the arena, Liang Chen, Mei Rong, and Xun Tai abruptly ceased their battle, turning in disbelief at Jinhai's horrific transformation.
"He's consumed by demonic energy!" Mei Rong's voice trembled, a rare moment of visible fear in her composed facade.
Xun Tai nodded grimly, shadows enveloping his fists. "We cannot let this madness continue."
Yet before they could act, Jinhai swung his chains ferociously, unleashing a tsunami of demonic Qi.
"Do not interfere!" Jinhai bellowed with terrifying authority. The dark wave smashed into the three disciples with devastating force, throwing them violently into the arena's barrier. They collapsed in heaps, bloodied and immobilized.
Gasps and cries filled the stands. Disciples scrambled back in terror, their faces pale and stricken. Elder Mo leaped to his feet, dread filling his aged eyes.
"Sect Master, he'll slaughter everyone! We must stop this!" Elder Mo implored urgently.
The Sect Master stood swiftly, robes billowing with immense spiritual pressure. "Activate the suppression formation immediately! Protect our disciples!"
Elders rushed frantically, channeling powerful Qi into complex runes that flickered to life in the sky above. Yet the runes sparked violently, resisting their commands.
"It's sabotaged!" an elder shouted in panic, veins bulging on his forehead as he strained against the corrupted formation. "The suppression formation's sealed!"
The Sect Master's face darkened grimly. He thrust his palm forward, Qi erupting furiously, battering against the impenetrable barrier. "We must break this at all costs!"
---
Shadow paid no heed to the chaos above, his world narrowed only to Jinhai. He stepped forward, agony radiating through every fiber of his battered body.
"Thunder Step," he whispered hoarsely.
His figure blurred instantly, lightning crackling around him. He appeared beside Jinhai, sword flashing with deadly precision.
"Flash Blade Art!"
Their weapons clashed violently, a symphony of sparks and screams of tortured metal. The Chains of Hell coiled savagely, shredding Shadow's already-tattered robes, gouging deep wounds across his skin.
"You persist!" Jinhai roared in frenzied fury, demonic eyes blazing brighter. "You're nothing but a mortal!"
Shadow's reply was a bloodied smile, defiant and unbroken. "Even mortals defy gods."
He surged forward again, steel ringing against demonic chains, every exchange brutal, bloody, and relentless.
---
In the stands, panic grew rampant. Disciples screamed, some pressing futilely against the sealed exits, while elders strained desperately against the corrupted formation.
"Sect Master!" Elder Mo shouted, face pale with horror. "This formation was prepared meticulously—this treachery runs deep!"
The Sect Master's eyes blazed, a rare flicker of rage betraying his usual composure. "It matters not. We must break it now!"
With renewed determination, elders united their power, launching an assault against the formation's core, their combined strength causing the air to ripple violently.
Yet still, the barrier held stubbornly.
---
Below, Shadow staggered under the onslaught, his vision blurring, body threatening collapse. But his spirit burned fiercely, an unyielding beacon amid overwhelming darkness.
"Thunder Slash!" he cried, gathering every ounce of Qi remaining within him.
Lightning exploded from his blade, slicing brutally through Jinhai's shoulder. Yet Jinhai merely laughed madly, demonic flames instantly sealing the wound.
"Too weak!" Jinhai mocked cruelly, chains coiling like serpents, tearing brutally into Shadow's flesh.
Blood pooled rapidly beneath Shadow, his breath ragged. Yet he stood defiant, eyes shining fiercely.
"I will not lose!" he roared defiantly, voice echoing with desperate resolve.
Thunder surged anew, surrounding his battered form. Jinhai's chains twisted menacingly, prepared to end him.
Shadow gathered everything he had left, veins throbbing, muscles screaming.
"Thunder Slash—Final Burst!"
A blinding flash erupted, lightning engulfing the entire arena. The deafening roar of thunder silenced all screams.
Jinhai's chains shattered into countless shards, demonic flames extinguished instantly. Shadow's blade sliced cleanly, decisively.
The grotesque figure of Jinhai froze, disbelief etched permanently on his twisted visage. Then, slowly, inexorably, his head fell.
---
A resounding crack echoed as the corrupted formation finally shattered beneath the Sect Master's relentless assault. The barrier dissolved into fragments, too late for intervention.
Shadow stood amidst devastation, sword slipping from numb fingers, blood cascading freely. He swayed dangerously, eyes briefly meeting the Sect Master's astonished gaze.
Then, without a word, he collapsed.
A profound silence blanketed the arena before erupting into chaos—disciples, elders, and officials rushing forward in panic.
Elder Mo reached Shadow first, kneeling hurriedly beside the fallen warrior. He placed a trembling hand gently on Shadow's chest, sensing the faint rhythm beneath.
The Sect Master arrived moments later, face solemn yet filled with respect and awe. He gazed down thoughtfully at Shadow's unconscious form.
"To think he achieved this," Elder Mo murmured quietly, voice tinged with deep respect and wonder. "He defied not just fate but heaven itself."
The Sect Master nodded slowly, eyes reflecting deep contemplation. "Indeed. Such resilience and power within a mortal frame are unprecedented. His journey is far from over."
Around them, disciples whispered fervently, admiration and shock intertwined. Stories of Shadow's impossible victory spread swiftly, the legend taking root instantly.
Above, the dark clouds finally dispersed, allowing sunlight to bathe the ruined battlefield, illuminating a path filled with trials yet untold.
Shadow lay quietly, a mortal who dared to defy the heavens, victorious yet deeply scarred, unaware that his tale was now woven irrevocably into the very fabric of their world.