Boom—!
At the very end of the Dark River, lightning and blade shadows exploded in the darkness.Zidian's body moved like a lightning-born dragon, darting between the rock walls and the water's surface. Every flick of its tail summoned a storm of thunder, lighting the cavern as if it were broad daylight.
But Lü Feng's blade was like an extension of the darkness itself—its body splitting and reassembling, like a swarm of cold-blooded metallic sprites. It slipped past the strikes of thunder, cutting the air in return, leaving behind ear-piercing shrieks.
The two moved so fast they were almost invisible, leaving only the intersecting trails of lightning and golden light.
"You shouldn't be stopping me, Zidian." Lü Feng's voice came through the rhythm of his blade—steady, cold. "If you knew who's truly hunting Lin Tian, you'd be even more desperate than I am."
"Heh—" Zidian swept its tail in a burst, forcing Lü Feng back several yards. "The only thing I know… is that you're not worthy to touch him!"
A column of lightning crashed down, splashing water high into the air. Lü Feng's war blade split into countless thin shards, darting through the thunder like a school of fish swimming upstream. They cleaved the lightning apart and curved back toward Zidian's neck.
"Enough!"
The roar echoed through the cavern.
Both fighters froze, turning toward the far side of the Dark River. There, a figure emerged, draped in a dark teal cloak, face hidden in shadow. Only a pair of eyes gleamed in the darkness—deep, cold blue.
"Lü Feng, your reach is too long."
Lü Feng's blade gave a slight tremor. "You—You're Yōuxuán."
Zidian's gaze chilled instantly. It knew this man's appearance meant things were moving toward the very outcome it least wished to see.
Ice Prison Mountains · Inside the Ice Chamber
Beads of sweat formed on Lin Tian's forehead. The pulse of the spirit pearl inside him was growing stronger, and with each throb came the clash of searing pain and freezing cold racing through his meridians.
Standing not far away, Mu Changsheng's eyes glimmered with a barely hidden excitement."It's calling you. If you answer, you'll claim all of its power."
"I… won't be controlled by it." Lin Tian gritted his teeth.
"Controlled?" Mu Changsheng smiled faintly and pressed a hand to the ice coffin. A fine crack split its surface, and the cold that spilled out instantly dropped the temperature of the entire chamber to an extreme. Even the air itself seemed to freeze.
"Then look—this is the price of refusal," Mu Changsheng said, his tone laced with something almost hypnotic. "If this power falls into the wrong hands… how long do you think Zidian can protect you?"
Lin Tian's pupils contracted, an image of Zidian flashing through his mind.
At that instant, the spirit pearl shuddered violently, and an ancient whisper stirred again—
"…Key… unlock…"
Cold surged through his meridians toward his heart, and his consciousness was dragged into an endless snowfield. Above was a black sky; in the distance, a colossal throne of ice shimmered faintly.
Before the throne stood a towering, indistinct figure—too vast to look upon directly. It did not speak, yet Lin Tian felt an irresistible summons: Come forward. Touch it.
Outside the Ice Chamber
Hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor. A man in azure armor rushed in, dropped to one knee."Lord, the outer seal has been forcibly broken!"
Mu Changsheng's brow furrowed. "By whom?"
"…Someone calling himself 'Yōuxuán,' and Lü Feng."
Surprise flickered in Mu Changsheng's eyes, but it quickly melted into a faint smile. "So… they've caught the scent of the Hanyuan as well."
He turned back to Lin Tian, still trapped in the snowfield vision, and murmured, "Wake up, little one. Your battlefield… has arrived early."
At the Dark River's End
Yōuxuán's gaze swept slowly between Zidian and Lü Feng."I will only ask once—Where is Lin Tian?"
Lightning flared across Zidian's body. "None of your business."
Lü Feng locked eyes with Yōuxuán, as if weighing his next words. After a long silence, he said flatly, "If you're after the Hanyuan… then we are enemies."
"Heh—" Yōuxuán's smile was cold enough to chill bone. "You're both wrong. The Hanyuan is not your enemy… it's the key."
The exact same words Mu Changsheng had spoken in the Ice Chamber.
Zidian's pupils contracted sharply—two separate battlefields… being driven toward the same inevitable end by an unseen hand.