The temple seemed to close in around Ling Tian as Nie Li's name echoed in the air.
Nie Li? His mind reeled with the implications. This can't be real. But the face before him—the eyes, the scars, the dark power radiating from the figure—there was no denying it. The figure standing before him wasn't some unknown enemy. It was someone he once knew, someone he had trusted.
"Nie Li..." Ling Tian whispered, his voice hoarse with disbelief. "How? Why are you doing this?"
Nie Li—the Deity Ranked Beast now reborn—laughed darkly, the sound echoing through the chamber.
"You really don't understand, do you? You never did." He stepped forward, the shadows seeming to obey his every command, swirling around him like a cloak. "I was always more than what you thought I was. You were too weak to see it. And when I was cast down, abandoned by those I once served, I realized something."
Ling Tian's fists clenched, his heart pounding as the weight of Nie Li's words hit him. "What are you talking about? You were a hero... a warrior fighting to protect your city... your family."
"Family?" Nie Li sneered, his eyes burning with disdain. "Do you think they cared about me? About what I gave for them? No, Ling Tian, they betrayed me. And now... I'm reclaiming everything they took from me. Glory City, the power, the fame... and you."
Ling Tian's gaze hardened, and he stepped forward, his stance solid, unwavering. "You think you can just tear down everything for your own gain? You betrayed us all, and now you want to destroy everything I've worked for."
Nie Li's expression twisted with amusement. "Destroyed? No, I'm merely rebuilding it... in my image. You were always too narrow-minded, Ling Tian. You always thought you could save everyone. But some of us... some of us choose to rise above."
"You were never meant to be a monster!" Xiao Ning'er's voice rang out, her grip on her spear tightening. "This isn't who you are. This is madness!"
Nie Li's eyes flicked to her, a twisted smile spreading across his face. "Ah, Xiao Ning'er. The winged dragon. You never were as strong as you thought you were, were you? Too blinded by your loyalty to Ling Tian. If you had the vision, you could join me. We could reshape this world together."
Xiao Ning'er shook her head, her voice unwavering. "I'll never join you. You're not the man I once knew. You've lost yourself."
Nie Li's expression darkened. "Then you're all fools. I'll make you understand, even if it's the last thing I do."
He raised his hand, and the temple trembled as shadows and dark energy pulsed from him. Ling Tian could feel the overwhelming force gathering—an unstoppable tide of power.
"Prepare yourselves," Nie Li snarled, his voice carrying the weight of an ancient, terrible wrath. "This is the end of the world you knew."
The ground cracked beneath them as Nie Li's power exploded in a wave of darkness. Ling Tian and Xiao Ning'er barely had time to react before the entire chamber was engulfed in black energy.
Ling Tian's heart raced, but his will didn't falter. "We're not finished yet."
Xiao Ning'er stepped forward, raising her spear in a battle-ready stance. "Not by a long shot."
Together, they advanced—Ling Tian calling upon his soul force to counter the dark power, while Xiao Ning'er used her speed and precision to dart in and out of the shadows, striking with unrelenting force.
Nie Li's figure flickered in and out of sight, his power shifting with the darkness, but Ling Tian wasn't giving up. We're not losing this.
For a moment, the world stood still. The echoes of battle reverberated around them as Ling Tian's mind worked in overdrive, calculating his next move, searching for weaknesses in the onslaught of shadows.
And then, a realization—Nie Li's energy was coming from something. Something beneath him, feeding him the power.
"There!" Ling Tian shouted, pointing to a hidden symbol on the temple floor, pulsing with dark energy.
"Xiao Ning'er! Get to that symbol!" he commanded.
Xiao Ning'er nodded and charged, her spear thrusting into the heart of the symbol. The moment the tip of the spear made contact, the world seemed to tremble. A pulse of light shattered the darkness around them.
Nie Li screeched, his form flickering as the dark power began to unravel.
"No!" he howled. "You think you can stop me?"
But it was too late. The symbol cracked, and the flow of power that had sustained Nie Li began to collapse.